Differences in MAQ Misbeliefs between MRM Impaired and Likely Intact Reasoning Groups
| MAQ Scale | Item | Misbelief (Inaccurate Response) | % of Errors | χ2 | P | d | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Impaired | Likely Intact | ||||||
| Adversarial perspective on arrest | 9. | You can disagree with the police when they are wrong. (F) | 16.9 | 6.5 | 7.86 | .02 | .60 |
| 20. | I should talk to a lawyer before I talk to the police. (F) | 8.5 | 3.2 | 6.03 | .05 | .56 | |
| 28. | A person should never admit to a crime. (F) | 48.6 | 33.5 | 7.27 | .03 | .35 | |
| 31. | You should not answer any questions or sign anything until you have a lawyer. (F) | 9.9 | 2.6 | 7.32 | .03 | .79 | |
| 37. | Staying silent is the same as saying I'm guilty. (T) | 12.1 | 3.2 | 9.13 | .01 | .78 | |
| 57. | The police usually pressure a person to confess. (F) | 25.0 | 16.1 | 4.67 | .10 | .30 | |
| Trusting law enforcement | 7. | Telling the police what you know can only help you. (T) | 22.0 | 11.7 | 10.13 | < .01 | .42 |
| 15. | If the police promise me help, then it's okay to talk. (T) | 6.3 | 3.2 | 8.56 | .01 | .39 | |
| 23. | During an interrogation the police have your best interests in mind. (T) | 19.1 | 6.5 | 11.67 | < .01 | .68 | |
| 29. | The police will not pressure a person into confessing. (T) | 10.6 | 1.3 | 12.21 | < .01 | 1.21 | |
| 30. | Talking to the police is a good idea. (T) | 27.0 | 10.5 | 13.40 | < .01 | .63 | |
| 56. | A person should always do what the police say. (T) | 37.6 | 25.3 | 5.45 | .07 | .32 | |
The MRM was used for Miranda reasoning which was operationalized21 as impaired (≥ 1 item scored as 0; n = 255) and likely intact (all items scored ≥ 2 plus ≥ 1 “exercise” item scored = 3; n = 195). To facilitate interpretation, statistically significant differences and medium to large effect sizes are in bold.
MAQ, Miranda Acquiescence Questionnaire; MRM, Miranda Reasoning Measure.