The Roles of Shared Stereotypes and Shared Processing Goals on Mock Jury Decision Making

Abstract

This study explored the effects of shared stereotypes and processing goals on jury decision making. Participants were asked to read a case of a man accused of child molestation and decide if the defendant was guilty or not guilty. The study manipulated the judge's instructions (preponderance of evidence or guilty beyond a reasonable doubt), the sexual orientation of the defendant (gay or straight), and size of the decision maker (individual or group). Analysis revealed that jurors were more likely to acquit the defendant if they were instructed to follow “reasonable doubt” criteria than “preponderance of evidence” criteria. Further, jurors were more likely to convict when they believed the defendant to be a gay rather than a straight male. There was also an interaction effect of decision maker and judge's instructions such that groups were more likely to acquit in the reasonable doubt condition, whereas for individual jurors there was no effect of judge's instructions. Overall, the effects of shared processing goals (judge's instructions) seemed more potent than shared stereotypes on jury decisions.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This research was supported by the National Science Foundation Grant SES 0136332 to the third author.

Notes

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