Gender differences in mock jurors' verdicts: Evidence from a recovered memory paradigm
Abstract
Both anecdotal and empirical evidence suggests that in cases involving accusations of sexual assault, female jurors are less likely to favor defendants than are their male counterparts. Three studies explored the circumstances under which this gender difference would appear by manipulating the gender of the plaintiff and defendant in three civil cases. In Study 1 participants responded to a case of accusations arising from recovered memories of childhood sexual abuse. In Study 2 participants evaluated a claim of malpractice against a therapist for allegedly "implanting" memories in a patient. In Study 3 mock jurors responded to a case involving accusations of childhood physical abuse. Women favored the plaintiff in Study 3 and in one of the scenarios of Study 1 (female plaintiff-male defendant). How much female jurors liked the defendant was predictive of women's verdicts in each of the three studies and when the results were viewed as a whole.
Subject Area
Social psychology|Law|Criminology
Recommended Citation
Schutte, James William, "Gender differences in mock jurors' verdicts: Evidence from a recovered memory paradigm" (1996). ETD Collection for University of Texas, El Paso. AAI9718117.
https://scholarworks.utep.edu/dissertations/AAI9718117