University of Kentucky
Juries in the Courtroom: Study 2: The Eyes Have It: Research Regarding the Effect of the Defendant's Direction of Gaze in Court
Institution
University of Kentucky
Faculty Advisor/ Mentor
Jonathan Golding
Abstract
This research project seeks to understand the effect of a defendant’s demeanor on the verdict returned by the jury. Specifically, our research manipulates the defendant’s demeanor as he sits at the defense table and the judge’s instructions to either use or not the demeanor of the defendant in determining a verdict. Our hypothesis states that participants will make more provictim judgments (e.g., more guilty verdicts) when the defendant’s head is turned down as opposed to turned forward and more pro-victim judgments when the participants are instructed to consider demeanor as opposed to eliminating demeanor. To perform this experiment, four versions of one survey, each using a different combination of the independent variables (head up/head down with instructions/no instructions) were posted online. Volunteer Psychology 100 students were randomly assigned to complete one version of the survey. The survey presented the narrative of a trial concerning a child sexual abuse case, accompanied by paired photographs of each witness and the defendant sitting at the defense table. Participants were asked to determine a verdict and make other judgments about the trial. The results of this study could highlight previously unknown factors that affect the jury’s verdict in child sexual abuse cases.
Juries in the Courtroom: Study 2: The Eyes Have It: Research Regarding the Effect of the Defendant's Direction of Gaze in Court
This research project seeks to understand the effect of a defendant’s demeanor on the verdict returned by the jury. Specifically, our research manipulates the defendant’s demeanor as he sits at the defense table and the judge’s instructions to either use or not the demeanor of the defendant in determining a verdict. Our hypothesis states that participants will make more provictim judgments (e.g., more guilty verdicts) when the defendant’s head is turned down as opposed to turned forward and more pro-victim judgments when the participants are instructed to consider demeanor as opposed to eliminating demeanor. To perform this experiment, four versions of one survey, each using a different combination of the independent variables (head up/head down with instructions/no instructions) were posted online. Volunteer Psychology 100 students were randomly assigned to complete one version of the survey. The survey presented the narrative of a trial concerning a child sexual abuse case, accompanied by paired photographs of each witness and the defendant sitting at the defense table. Participants were asked to determine a verdict and make other judgments about the trial. The results of this study could highlight previously unknown factors that affect the jury’s verdict in child sexual abuse cases.