Emotional versus Neutral Trial Language on Mock Jury Recall, Moral Disengagement and Verdict Harshness Ratings within an Acquaintance Rape Trial

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cris.lastimport.scopus2025-08-31T03:15:38Z
dc.abstract.enThe purpose of the present study was to explore the cognitive factors that may influence the decision-making processes of mock jurors in an acquaintance rape trial, through manipulation of the language (emotional or neutral) used at trial. A genuine acquaintance rape trial was utilised with trial transcripts adapted to include emotionally valanced language or neutral language. A videotaped re-enactment included actors playing the role of a judge and a lawyer, with cross-examination shown to participants during the mock trial. Participant’s (N = 217) memory recall, moral disengagement, and verdict harshness (defendant credibility and sentence length) were examined along with their individual dichotomous verdict decision. Results displayed that the type of language mock jurors were exposed to, influenced their dichotomous verdict decision; neutral language evoked more guilty verdicts and higher verdict harshness ratings whereas emotional language (positively and negatively valanced words) elicited greater moral disengagement ratings post-trial. The type of language used was also found to impact mock jurors’ memory recall; on the whole, neutral language was better remembered, in contrast with previous research findings. These findings offer weight to substantiate the story model theory of trial decision-making, pertaining to jurors endorsing rape myths and morally disengaging with the complainant to help construct a story that matched available verdict options.
dc.affiliationWydział Psychologii we Wrocławiu
dc.contributor.authorPhillips, Catherine
dc.contributor.authorPeebles, David
dc.contributor.authorWillmott, Dominic
dc.date.access2024-12-10
dc.date.accessioned2025-05-16T07:49:03Z
dc.date.available2025-05-16T07:49:03Z
dc.date.created2024
dc.date.issued2024-12-10
dc.description.accesstimeat_publication
dc.description.physical138-149
dc.description.versionfinal_published
dc.description.volume55
dc.identifier.doi10.24425/ppb.2024.150364
dc.identifier.issn0079-2993
dc.identifier.urihttps://share.swps.edu.pl/handle/swps/1466
dc.identifier.weblinkhttps://journals.pan.pl/dlibra/publication/150364/edition/134879/content
dc.languageen
dc.pbn.affiliationpsychologia
dc.rightsCC-BY-NC-ND
dc.rights.questionYes_rights
dc.share.articleOPEN_JOURNAL
dc.subject.enjury trial
dc.subject.enRASSO
dc.subject.ensexual violence
dc.subject.endecision making
dc.subject.enmoral disengagement
dc.subject.enLanguage
dc.subject.enmemory
dc.subject.enverdict harshness
dc.swps.sciencecloudsend
dc.titleEmotional versus Neutral Trial Language on Mock Jury Recall, Moral Disengagement and Verdict Harshness Ratings within an Acquaintance Rape Trial
dc.title.journalPolish Psychological Bulletin
dc.typeJournalArticle
dspace.entity.typeArticle