NCJ Number
60072
Journal
Psychological Reports Volume: 44 Issue: 3 Dated: (JUNE 1979), PART 1 Pages: 691-694
Date Published
1979
Length
4 pages
Annotation
PICTURES OF BOTH ATTRACTIVE AND UNATTRACTIVE WOMEN, YOUNG AND OLD, WERE ATTACHED TO CASE REPORTS OF A SWINDLE OR A BURGLARY, AND THE IMPACT OF ATTRACTIVENESS AND AGE ON SENTENCING BY MOCK JURIES WAS ASSESSED.
Abstract
THE EXPERIMENTAL SAMPLE INCLUDED 120 FEMALE COLLEGE STUDENTS. MOCK JURIES OF 3 PERSONS EACH WERE ASKED TO SENTENCE DEFENDANTS TO BETWEEN 1 AND 10 YEARS IN JAIL. TEN PICTURES WERE CUT OUT OF MAGAZINES, 5 OF YOUNG WOMEN IN THEIR 20'S AND 5 OF OLDER WOMEN IN THEIR 50'S. THESE PICTURES WERE RATED IN TERMS OF ATTRACTIVENESS ON A SCALE FROM 1 TO 10. SUBJECTS WERE TOLD THAT THE PURPOSE OF THE EXPERIMENT WAS TO DETERMINE IF THE SYSTEM FOR SENTENCING DEFENDANTS IS TOO LENIENT OR TOO HARSH, ACCORDING TO PUBLIC OPINION. IT WAS HYPOTHESIZED THAT YOUNG ATTRACTIVE DEFENDANTS WOULD BE SENTENCED LESS HARSHLY THAN OLD UNATTRACTIVE DEFENDANTS AND THAT THIS EFFECT WOULD BE MORE EVIDENT IN THE CRIME OF BURGLARY RATHER THAN IN THE CRIME OF SWINDLE, SINCE THE ATTRACTIVENESS OF THE CON ARTIST MIGHT BE VIEWED AS AN INTEGRAL COMPONENT OF SWINDLE. SUPPORT FOR THE HYPOTHESIS WAS DEMONSTRATED IN THAT OLDER DEFENDANTS WERE JUDGED MORE HARSHLY THAN YOUNG DEFENDANTS AND, FOR BURGLARY, ATTRACTIVE PEOPLE WERE JUDGED LESS HARSHLY THAN UNATTRACTIVE PEOPLE. IN THE SWINDLE CONDITION, HOWEVER, ATTRACTIVENESS HAD NO INFLUENCE ON SENTENCING. SUPPORTING DATA AND REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (DEP)