Not guilty by reason of insanity: getting it right or perpetuating the myths?
In Exp. 1 50 subjects were randomly assigned to one of two videotape conditions. The experimental group watched a TV news program designed to expose some myths about the not-guilty-by-reason-of-insanity plea (NGRI) while controls watched a neutral program. A seven-item test designed to measure knowledge about each myth was administered before and twice after exposure to the videotapes. Analysis showed no significant difference for any exposure. Exps. 2 and 3 showed that reading a brief factual report about NGRI significantly reduced the belief in these myths as compared to beliefs of groups who watched a TV news program.
McCutcheon
L E
LE
Department of Psychology, Lake-Sumter Community College, Leesburg, FL 34788.
McCutcheon
L E
LE
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005104:Expert Testimony / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007298:Insanity Defense; D008297:Male; D011639:Public Opinion; D014743:Videotape Recording