Doctoral Dissertation Research: No Guts, No Glory: Eyewitness Credibility, Crime, and the US Courts

PI和Co-PI：Kathy Pezdek和Kathryn SperryTitle：博士论文研究：没有胆量，没有荣耀：目击者可信度，犯罪和美国法院项目摘要本研究将研究陪审员是否认为目击者对帮派成员作证是违背他们的自身利益的，这种自我利益是否会夸大陪审员对目击者可信度的解释？为了回答这个问题，本科生将被要求阅读审判记录，其中的威胁程度（即，（3）目击者的经历被操纵。 依赖的衡量标准是目击证人的可信度和最终判决。 具体而言，研究地址之间的关系是否在作证和膨胀的可信度的风险被认为是短期的减轻？ 这一结构将通过解决证人是否在审判后离开帮派领土来操纵。据推测，如果风险被认为是暂时的，可信度不会被夸大。实验1测试一个被认为是冒着风险作证的证人，从而违背了自身利益，是否会得到更高的可信度。此外，膨胀的可信度是否会导致更多的有罪判决？在这个实验中，“自身利益”是由目击者是否受到威胁，在帮派案件作证操纵。实验2解决了一个可能的中介变量对上述关系。拟议的研究方案解决了一个极其相关的问题，在我们的法律的制度，鉴于法院的不一致，是否承认帮派证据在审判中。 自利理论也可以用来理解陪审员如何看待高薪专家证人、监狱告密者和不在场证明证人。 这种理解可以帮助法院防范我们法律的制度中可能出现的司法不公。

PI and Co-PI: Kathy Pezdek and Kathryn SperryTitle: Doctoral Dissertation Research: No Guts, No Glory: Eyewitness Credibility, Crime, and the U.S. Courts0752519Project AbstractThis research will examine whether jurors perceive eyewitnesses who testify against a gang member as acting against their self-interest, and does this perceived self-interest inflate jurors interpretations of eyewitness credibility? To answer this question, undergraduate students will be asked to read a trial transcript, in which the level of threat (i.e., self-interest) experienced by the eyewitness is manipulated. The dependant measures are the credibility of the eyewitness and the final verdict. Specifically, the research addresses whether the relationship between the risk in testifying and inflated credibility is mitigated if the risk is perceived to be short-term? This construct will be manipulated by addressing whether or not the witness is moving away from the gang territory after the trial. It is hypothesized that if the risk is perceived to be temporary, the credibility will not be inflated. Experiment 1 tests whether a witness who is perceived as testifying at a risk, thereby going against self-interest, will receive higher ratings of credibility. Further, does the inflated credibility lead to more guilty verdicts? In this experiment, "self interest" is manipulated by whether or not the eyewitness has been threatened for testifying in a gang case. Experiment 2 addresses a possible mediating variable on the above relationship. The proposed program of research addresses an extremely relevant issue in our legal system given the court's inconsistency regarding whether to admit gang evidence at trial. The theory of self-interest also could be used to understand how jurors' perceive highly paid expert witnesses, jailhouse snitches, and alibi witnesses. This understanding could help the courts guard against potential miscarriages of justice in our legal system.