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Citation |
Schuller RA. Law Hum. Behav. 1992; 16(6): 597-620. |
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Copyright |
(Copyright © 1992, American Psychological Association) |
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DOI |
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PMID |
unavailable |
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Abstract |
108 undergraduates (jurors) read the homicide trial involving a battered woman (BW) who had killed her husband. Ss received either the control condition of no expert testimony (EPT), EPT presenting general research findings on the BW syndrome (general expert), or EPT in which the expert supplemented the general information with an opinion that the defendant fit the BW syndrome (specific EPT). The presence of the specific EPT led to interpretations that were more consistent with the BW's account of what had occurred, which led to more lenient verdicts. A 2nd study investigated the effects of the testimony on small groups of deliberating jurors (131 undergraduates). A shift in verdicts from murder to manslaughter emerged for both expert conditions. Thus, the presence of the testimony led to interpretations that were more favorable to the BW's claim of self-defense. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved) |