The Impact of State and Trait Anger on Processing of Evidential Inconsistencies

Abstract

The courtroom can be an emotional place, and these emotions may impact on a juror's ability to process and evaluate evidence. This study investigated the effects of mock-jurors’ state and trait anger on the detection of evidential inconsistencies. Community members eligible for jury duty (N = 123) were randomly assigned to hear one of four audio trials differing in evidence consistency and emotion-inducing content. State anger increased endorsement of guilty verdicts, and angry mock-jurors were more careful processors of evidence, detecting more inconsistencies and recalling significantly more trial details. The results lend support to motivational theories of emotional influence on information processing.

Key words:

• inconsistencies
• juror decision making
• state anger
• trait anger

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. For all measures, t(31) < 1, p > .05

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Australian Research Council [grant no. DP1092507].