Psychology and the courtroom (cognitive)

Question 1

What are some variables that could influence jurors?

Answer 1

• accent
• age
• race
• job
• type of crime
• attractiveness
• confidence

Question 2

What piece of background research investigated how witness confidence influenced jurors?

Answer 2

Penrod and Cutler

Question 3

What did Penrod and Cutler do and find?

Answer 3

witnesses with 100% confidence vs 80% confidence
100% confident witness = 67% guilty verdict
80% confident witness = 60% guilty verdict
therefore the more confident a witness was the more the jurors were persuaded - confidence associated with truthfulness

Question 4

What is the background research into how attractiveness of the defendant influenced jurors?

Answer 4

Castello
Sigall & Ostrove

Question 5

What is the key term when discussing how attractiveness impacts how you view someone?

Answer 5

halo effect

Question 6

What is the halo effect?

Answer 6

the assumption that ‘what is beautiful is good’

Question 7

What did Castello do and what did they find?

Answer 7

• defendant and victim categorised as attractive (A) or unattractive (UA) by a panel
• (A) defendant and (UA) victim = 56% guilty verdict
• (UA) defendant and (A) victim = 77% guilty verdict
• supports halo effect

Question 8

What did Sigall and Ostrove do and what did they find?

Answer 8

• type of crime dependent (burglary vs fraud)
• higher sentences for fraud and lower for burglary when attractive defendant
• beauty being used to manipulate
• attractive people taking advantage of beauty = more dangerous and manipulative

Question 9

What is the background research into how race of a defendant influences jurors?

Answer 9

Ogloff

Question 10

What did Ogloff do and find about race influences jurors?

Answer 10

• white uni students rated black defendants more likely to be guilty than white defendants - even stronger when white victim
• REAL TRIALS = black defendants more likely to receive prison sentences when found guilty - murdering a white victim = more likely to receive the death penalty compared to a black victim

Question 11

What is matched guise?

Answer 11

recorded voices speaking first in one dialect and then in another

Question 12

What is perceived superiority?

Answer 12

the tendency to regard oneself as better than another

Question 13

What is social attractiveness?

Answer 13

being confident, authentic, and approachable

Question 14

What is blue / white collar crime?

Answer 14

white = financial e.g., fraud and blue = street e,g., assault