Free-Will and Alcohol Consumption Impact on the Estimation of Responsibility on a Judgment Task

Abstract

Background and objectives: To which extent is a perpetrator responsible for an offense when he has (or not) consumed alcohol remains subject to conflicting results. Methods: In this study, participants (n = 162) were randomly asked to sentence a perpetrator for an assault in a nightclub (mild) and spousal violence (severe). In each case, the perpetrator was either sober or had consumed alcohol. Results: Our results show that participants judge the perpetrator less severely when he was an alcohol user, but only when the seriousness of the offense is mild. In both cases, the more participants believed in Free Will, the harsher the sentence. Conclusions and scientific significance: Methodological and implications of how individuals’ beliefs may bias legal decisions are discussed.

Keywords:

• Alcohol
• free will
• judgment

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.

Notes

1 There was no difference observed between the sentence judgments issued by men and those issued by women under the scenarios. For the first case, women (M = 2.125, SD = 0.926) were not more severe than men (M = 2.152, SD = 0.977), t(160) = −0.15, p = .881. For the second case, men (M = 2.95, SD = 1.393) were less severe than women (M = 3.224, SD = 1.477), but this difference in severity was not significant, t(160) = 0.972, p = .333.