Initial Research
- Individuals perceived as attractive are trusted more (Yang et. al., 2019)
- Mixed findings on defendants, attractiveness, and sentencing (Beaver et al, 2019; Winters et al, 2019; Yang et al., 2019)
- Jailhouse informant testimony may increase convictions (Maeder & Yamamoto, 2017; Neuschatz et al., 2008; 2012)
- Secondary confessions impact guilt ratings (Wetmore et. al., 2013)
- Incentives increase reliability of testimony (Maeder & Pica, 2014; Maeder & Yamamoto, 2017)
Hypotheses
- Attractiveness of informant, presence of incentive, and type of crime will impact trust in informant and guilt verdicts
Results (Descriptive and Analyses)
Beauty, Bribes, and Bias: The Impact of Jailhouse Informant Testimony on Jury Decision-Making
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- The acknowledgments for this project have been redacted for the purposes of maintaining anonymity
- College Student Sample N = 277
- 2 (Attractiveness) x 2 (Incentive) x 2 (Crime) between-subjects design
- There is a attractiveness x incentive x crime three-way interaction on perceptions of informant testimony
- Participants who read that an informant received an incentive were less likely to trust that informant
- However, this did not impact their overall likelihood of guilt judgments
As trust of informant increases, people are less likely to find the defendant not guilty.
Defendants on trial for Embezzlement are more likely to be seen as guilty than those accused of Assault
- Attractiveness does not seem to have an influence on decision-making
- Previous research findings regarding the influence of attractiveness may be outdated
- More guilt is attributed to white collar crimes than blue collar crimes
- Outcomes: Perceptions of informant testimony & defendant verdict decisions