Effect of the Severity of Crime, Attractiveness of the Defendant and Order of Crime and Attractiveness on Judgments of Crimes

• NCJ Number: 70805
• Author(s): J Johnson
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 74 pages
• Publication Format: Dissertation/Thesis
• Publication Type: Thesis/Dissertation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: State University of New York, Geneseo - masters thesis

Annotation

A study focusing on the effects of the severity of crime, defendant attractiveness, order of crime presentation, and order of defendant presentation on judgments of crimes is presented.

Abstract

The subjects were 128 female undergraduate students in introductory psychology courses. A 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 between subjects design was employed in which the factors specified above were the independent variables. The study hypothesized that cases which were presented in the discrepant order would lead to contrast effects. For example, cases of murder would be judged as more severe when rated after an assault case than when rated after another murder case, and an assault case would be judged less severely when judged after a murder case than when judged after another assault case. It was also hypothesized that attractiveness of the defendant would lead to less punishment, and that a contrast effect for attractiveness would be present. The variables were also hypothesized to interact such that attractiveness would have a lesser impact as the crime was perceived as more severe. Manipulation of the independent variables consisted of providing each subject with either an assault or a murder case description with either an attractive or unattractive defendant's photograph attached. After the first case had been rated on a six-scale questionnaire, subjects were given a second case to judge in which either the crime, the attractiveness of the defendant, both crime and attractiveness, or neither crime nor attractiveness differed from the first case. Rating scale factors included recommended punishment, length of sentence, seriousness of crime, character and potential rehabilitation of the defendant, and certainty of defendant guilt. Results revealed that the severity of crime had the greatest effect on all rating scales. No contrast effects for crime severity were found. Two of the dependent variables yielded attractiveness main effects. There were no attractiveness contrast effects, and none of the predicted interactions were found. Further research into sex differences as a possible variable in the occurrence of contrast effects is suggested. Tables, figures, 22 references, and appendixes presenting the questionnaire, crimes descriptions, and tabular data are included.