Cheryl A. Terrance

Freedom through Self-Sufficiency: A Qualitative Examination of the Impact of Domestic Violence on the Working Lives of Women in Shelter.

Using consensual qualitative research (C. Hill, B. Thompson, & E. Williams, 1997), the purpose of this study was to explore the impact of domestic violence on the working lives of women currently in shelter. Several emergent categories suggested that domestic violence has a profound effect on womens working lives, including their ability to maintain work and their ability to concentrate on the job. Contextual factors such as children, external barriers, and community resources also facilitated (or impeded) battered womens ability to obtain or maintain meaningful employment. The relationship between domains suggested a model in which physical and psychological violence act as moderating influences on a womans vocational self-concept and actual ability to work. Implications for practitioners and researchers are discussed.

Perceptions of peer sexual harassment among high school students

Perceptions of peer social–sexual interactions were examined in a group of high school students (N=150). Participants were presented with six brief vignettes that described three types of sexual harassment between adolescent peers: physical, verbal/visual, and derogatory. Two vignettes were written for each type of behavior to reflect either a sexually explicit or implicit behavior. Participants responded to Rosenbergs Self-Esteem Scale and the Attitudes toward Women Scale for Adolescents (AWSA), and then rated the sexually harassing nature of the behaviors. Sexual harassment ratings varied as a function of the type of behavior and the sexual explicitness with which it was displayed. Although consensus was reached regarding the sexually harassing nature of both the sexually implicit and explicit physical forms of behaviors, only when the verbal/visual behavior was explicitly displayed was it perceived as sexually harassing. Interactions among self-esteem, gender attitudes, and type of behavior were also noted. Irrespective of the explicitness with which it was displayed, rater characteristics were influential for both the verbal/visual and derogatory forms of harassment.

Battered Women Who Kill The Impact of Expert Testimony and Empathy Induction in the Courtroom

Mock jurors (N = 312) viewed a simulated trial involving a woman, charged with the murder of her abusive husband, entering a plea of not guilty by reason of self-defense. Expert testimony was varied using battered woman syndrome, social agency framework, or no expert testimony. Within expert testimony conditions, jurors were presented with opening and closing statements either including or not including instructions aimed at inducing empathy. Results indicate differences in gender and expert testimony for ratings of guilt as well as differences in gender, expert testimony, and empathy induction for perceptions of the defendant.

Perceptions of Domestic Violence in Lesbian Relationships: Stereotypes and Gender Role Expectations

In light of evidence suggesting that violence between lesbian couples is oftentimes dismissed as “mutually combative,” expectations that support this perception were examined. Participants (N = 287) evaluated a domestic violence situation within the context of a lesbian partnership. As physical appearance may be used to support gender- and heterosexist-based stereotypes relating to lesbians, participants evaluated a domestic violence incident wherein the physical appearance of both the victim and perpetrator were systematically varied. Overall, women perceived the situation as more dangerous than did men. However, among women, the plausibility of the victims claim, and blame assigned to the perpetrator and victim, varied as a function of the physical appearance of the couple. Implications of this research as well as future directions are discussed.

Relationships between personality disorder attributes and friendship qualities among college students

Personality disorder trait predictors of the quality and durability of close personal friendships have rarely been examined in the literature. Links between Acquaintance Description Form (ADF-F2) friendship qualities and Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI-II) personality disorder attributes were explored in this study of 363 college students. Passive-Aggressive, Avoidant, Schizotypal, Sadistic-Aggressive, Antisocial, Borderline, and Self-Defeating features were most closely associated with friendship insecurity. Participants exhibiting Passive-Aggressive, Self-Defeating and Borderline features tended to view their closest friendship as being more strongly influenced by external social forces. Passive-Aggressive scores and Personal Maintenance Difficulty were positively related. Histrionic traits were associated with descriptions of the closest friend as affirming and useful in utilitarian value. Sex differences were minimal in the prediction of relationship qualities using the MCMI-II personality disorder dimensions.

Maternal Blame Battered Women and Abused Children

Participants (N = 126) read one of four scenarios depicting an incident of child physical abuse inflicted by the father. Scenarios varied history of wife abuse (present vs. absent) and severity of child abuse (battering vs. death). Overall, the father was held highly responsible. Greater maternal culpability was assigned when a history of wife abuse was present. The degree to which the mother should have been able to predict the incident of child abuse and maternal responsibility were mitigated when the abuse resulted in the death of her child. Perceptions of maternal psychological stability were jeopardized as a function of the presence of wife abuse. Implications are discussed.

Perceptions of Domestic Violence in Heterosexual Relationships: Impact of Victim Gender and History of Response

Within the context of a heterosexual relationship, participants (n = 197) read a police interview involving a claim of domestic violence that varied the gender of the victim. Within gender conditions, the victim’s previous history of response to the violence, and on the evening in question, was portrayed as either passive or active (i.e., fought back). Results support the notion of a prototypical domestic violence victim that has emerged within a gendered framework. Overall, the female victim was perceived in a more sympathetic light than the male victim was. Interaction effects showed that men, but not women, rated the male victim as more responsible for the assault than the female victim. Participant gender effects indicated that women rated the victim and their claim of victimization more favorably than men did. Implications within the courtroom are discussed.

The Effect of Male Confederate Presence, Betting, and Accuracy of Play on Males' Gambling on Blackjack.

Previous research suggests that the actions of a confederate can alter participants’ gambling behavior. In the present experiment, male participants played Blackjack either alone or in the presence of a confederate. The confederate either quit early in the session or played for the entire session. Across sessions in which the confederate played for the entire session, how much the confederate bet per hand and how accurately he played were manipulated. Participants gambled significantly more money across the session when a confederate played the entire session than when a confederate left early in the session. During sessions in which the confederate played for the entire session, the number of hands participants played and their total amount bet varied directly with the confederate’s bet size. Overall, the results indicate that gambling behavior can be indirectly influenced by another’s gambling behavior, which may provide useful data for researchers and therapists seeking to predict and control gambling behavior.

Battered Women Who Kill: Impact of Expert Testimony Type and Timing

This study investigated the impact of expert testimony in a case involving a battered woman who killed her abusive husband. Mock jurors (N = 330) viewed a videotaped simulated trial involving a woman who had entered a self-defence plea in the shooting death of her abusive husband. Participants were presented with either expert testimony regarding the battered woman syndrome (BWS), social/agency (SA) testimony, or a no expert control. Because the timing of expert testimony may impact its application to the defendants circumstances, expert testimony was presented either prior to or following the testimony of the defendant. Although jury verdicts failed to differ across expert testimony and timing conditions, individual mock juror opinions, and perceptions of her situation and mental stability did. Men in particular appeared to be differentially influenced by the alternative forms of expert testimony. Implications are discussed.

Undermining Eyewitness Confidence Inflation: Effecting Change Through Expert Testimony

ABSTRACT One of the main criteria believed to reflect the accuracy of an eyewitness account is the confidence with which it is relayed. Post identification feedback has been shown to inflate confidence in eyewitness identifications without influencing accuracy. It is argued here that efforts to remediate confidence inflation arising from postidentification feedback that require the assistance of law enforcement and prosecutors is likely to be met with resistance. Instead, a more practical strategy would be to educate the court about these factors and minimize the confidence inflation effects through expert testimony.