Methodology matters: comparing sample types and data collection methods in a juror decision-making study on the influence of defendant race

ABSTRACT

Researchers have expressed concerns that using online and/or student samples in juror decision-making studies significantly diminishes the trustworthiness of results. The purpose of this study was to test whether these samples might yield different demographics, attentiveness to a trial stimulus, and verdict decisions. Participants read a fabricated robbery trial transcript – in which we manipulated the defendant’s race (White, Black, Aboriginal Canadian) – then made verdict decisions and completed manipulation checks. We tested four Canadian samples: non-student community members online, non-student community members in-lab, students online, and students in-lab. Addressing one of the common criticisms of online samples, those who participated online were no more likely to fail manipulation checks than those who completed the study in-lab. We also found an interaction among data collection method, defendant race, and verdict – participants who completed the study online were more lenient towards White defendants, suggesting that the presence of a research assistant (and/or other participants) in the room while participants completed the study affected the expression of racial bias. Our findings allay some common concerns about online and student samples, but also show some limitations, including clear demographic differences.

KEYWORDS:

• Juror decision making
• race
• psycho-legal research methods
• sample type
• online studies

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 Although this may seem like a high compensation rate for MTurk, Canadians on MTurk are exceedingly rare, and this rate was necessary to attract participants who met our eligibility criteria. Data collection took a few months to complete, suggesting that this rate did not elicit selection bias.

2 Cell sizes for individuals identifying as another gender were too small to include as a separate category. Additionally, a number of participants did not provide information regarding their gender and were therefore excluded from this analysis.

3 Cell sizes for individuals identifying as a race other than White were too small to include as separate categories. Additionally, many participants did not respond to our race question and were therefore excluded from this analysis.

4 Students tended to indicate that the Aboriginal Canadian defendant was Hispanic/Latino or Asian, suggesting that most perceived him to be a racial minority.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Insight Development Grant awarded to the first author.