title: The effect of acknowledging mock jurors' feelings on affective and cognitive biases: it depends on the sample.
abstract: An intervention designed to correct affective and cognitive biases was tested in the context of a civil commitment hearing of a sexually violent predator. Potential differences between a college student mock jury sample and a more representative, juror venire sample in reaction to these bias correction interventions were explored. In the first of two experiments, undergraduate mock jurors (n = 130) demonstrated a leniency effect when the sex offender's attorney acknowledged jurors' emotional reactions and motivated them to thoughtfully weigh the evidence. The second experiment failed to replicate these findings with a more ecologically valid sample (n = 300). Several differences between samples were found: representative jurors, as opposed to undergraduates, were sensitive to differences between pure clinical and actuarial expert testimony; and measures of intrinsic cognitive effort predicted verdicts for undergraduates, but not for representative jurors. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
authors.affiliation: Claremont Graduate University, CA 91711, USA.
authors.forename: John G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: McCabe
authors.forename: Daniel A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Krauss
mesh_terms: D003416:Criminal Law / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D003657:Decision Making; D004644:Emotions; D005104:Expert Testimony / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006801:Humans; D012742:Sex Offenses / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000523:psychology*; D013334:Students