EFFECT OF ATTRACTIVENESS OF DEFENDANT, NUMBER OF WITNESSES, AND PERSONAL MOTIVATION OF DEFENDANT ON JURY DECISION MAKING BEHAVIOR

• NCJ Number: 54253
• Journal: Psychology Volume: 15 Issue: 3 Dated: (AUGUST 1978) Pages: 4-10
• Author(s): J SIGAL; J BRADEN; G AYLWARD
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 8 pages
• Corporate Author: Psychology
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

FINDINGS AND METHODOLOGY ARE REPORTED FOR TWO EXPERIMENTS THAT MEASURED THE EFFECTS OF DEFENDANT ATTRACTIVENESS, NUMBER OF PROSECUTION WITNESSES, AND THE EXISTENCE OF DEFENDANT MOTIVATION FOR THE CRIME ON JURY DECISIONS.

Abstract

IN THE FIRST EXPERIMENT, 120 UNDERGRADUATE COLLEGE STUDENTS WERE INFORMED THAT THE STUDY INVOLVED 'DECISIONMAKING PROCESSES.' AFTER ALL SUBJECTS WERE GIVEN A TAPED DESCRIPTION OF A CRIME, THEY WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO ONE OF FOUR EXPERIMENTAL CONDITIONS IN WHICH THE FOLLOWING VARIABLES WERE MANIPULATED: NUMBER OF PROSECUTION WITNESSES (ONE VERSUS FOUR) AND TYPE OF MOTIVATION FOR THE CRIME (PERSONAL MOTIVE VERSUS NO PERSONAL MOTIVE). CROSS-CUTTING THE WITNESS AND MOTIVATION VARIABLES WAS THE 'ATTRACTIVENESS OF THE DEFENDANT' VARIABLE. HALF OF THE SUBJECTS OPERATING UNDER EACH CONDITION RECEIVED A PHOTO OF A MALE WHOSE OVERALL APPEARANCE WAS RATED BY PILOT SUBJECTS, AND THE OTHER HALF RECEIVED A PHOTO OF THE SAME MEN WHO, ALTHOUGH WEARING THE SAME CLOTHES WAS DISHEVELED IN APPEARANCE AND RATED UNATTRACTIVE BY PILOT SUBJECTS. STUDENTS WERE THEN ASKED TO ACT AS INDIVIDUALS ON A JURY IN DECIDING THE GUILT OR INNOCENCE OF THE DEFENDANT IN THE CRIME DESCRIBED. THE INITIAL RESULTS OF THE FIRST EXPERIMENT REVEALED THAT THE ATTRACTIVENESS VARIABLE HAD NOT BEEN MANIPULATED SUCCESSFULLY. THE INCONSISTENT RATING SCALE RESULTS INDICATED THE NECESSITY FOR PERFORMING A SECOND EXPERIMENT USING PHOTOGRAPHS WHICH COULD BE CLEARLY PERCEIVED AS DIFFERENT ON ALL FOUR SCALES BY SUBJECTS. THE RESULTS OF THE FIRST EXPERIMENT INDICATED THAT DEFENDANTS WITH A PERSONAL MOTIVE FOR THE CRIME WERE JUDGED 'GUILTY' MORE FREQUENTLY THAN DEFENDANTS WITH NO DISCERNIBLE MOTIVE. ATTRACTIVENESS OF DEFENDANT AND NUMBER OF PROSECUTION WITNESSES HAD NO EFFECT ON DECISIONS MADE IN THE FIRST EXPERIMENT. THE FURTHER INVESTIGATION OF THE EFFECT OF THE ATTRACTIVENESS OF THE DEFENDANT ON SUBJECT DECISIONS IN EXPERIMENT TWO PRODUCED NO DIFFERENCES IN THE RESULTS OF THE FIRST EXPERIMENT. EXPLANATIONS FOR THESE RESULTS ARE DISCUSSED. TABULAR DATA AND REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (RCB)