PSYCHOLOGICAL EVIDENCE IN COURT - LEGAL DEVELOPMENTS IN ENGLAND AND THE UNITED-STATES

Psychological testimony in England, except when it has dealt with clin ical matters, has generally been ruled inadmissible on the grounds tha t it would usurp the function of the jury to decide matters of ''commo n knowledge and experience''. The so-called Turner rule governing admi ssibility of psychological evidence has been interpreted according to a dubious assumption about the transparency of human behaviour, hut th is restrictive interpretation was rejected in a recent Court of Appeal decision, which should result in a more receptive attitude to psychol ogical evidence. In the United States, the lye test has been used to e xclude psychological testimony unless it can be shown to have gained ' 'general acceptance'' in the field of psychology, but a recent United States Supreme Court decision has led to a more permissive approach to that jurisdiction also.