DEFENDANT'S DILEMMA - EFFECTS OF JURORS' ATTITUDES AND AUTHORITARIANISM ON JUDICIAL DECISIONS

• NCJ Number: 32812
• Journal: Journal of Personality and Social Psychology Volume: 25 Issue: 1 Dated: (JANUARY 1973) Pages: 123-129
• Author(s): H E MITCHELL; D BYRNE
• Date Published: 1973
• Length: 7 pages
• Corporate Author: American Psychological Assoc
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THIS STUDY TESTS WHETHER ATTITUDE SIMILARITY BETWEEN JUROR AND DEFENDANT IS RELATED TO ACQUITTALS AND IF JUROR AUTHORITARIANISM IS RELATED TO CONVICTIONS.

Abstract

IN A SIMULATED JURY SITUATION, 139 SUBJECTS WHO WERE EITHER HIGH OR LOW IN AUTHORITARIANISM RESPONDED TO AN ACCUSED DEFENDANT WHOSE ATTITUDES WERE EITHER SIMILAR OR DISSIMILAR TO THEIR OWN ON FIVE ISSUES RELEVANT TO THE CASE. ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE INDICATED A SIGNIFICANT INTERACTION BETWEEN AUTHORITARIANISM AND ATTITUDE SIMILARITY ON CERTAINTY OF THE DEFENDANT'S GUILT AND RECOMMENDED SEVERITY OF PUNISHMENT. IT APPEARS THAT ATTRACTION INFLUENCES THE JUDICIAL DECISIONS OF AUTHORITARIANS BUT NOT OF EGALITARIANS.