THE RELATIONSHIP OF INTELLECTUAL SKILLS TO SUGGESTIBILITY, COMPLIANCE AND ACQUIESCENCE

This paper looks at the relationship of intellectual skills to three psychological constructs used in forensic assessment, suggestibility, acquiescence and compliance. It was argued that acquiescence was most related to intellectual functioning and compliance the least. Factor analysis of the WAIS-R subsets and suggestibility, acquiescence and compliance, showed that whereas acquiescence loaded highly on an intelligence factor, suggestibility and compliance loaded on a separate factor, having only modest relationship with intelligence. The theoretical and forensic implications of the findings are discussed. © 1990.