Gary Moran

A meta-analysis of the association between authoritarianism and jurors' perceptions of defendant culpability

Despite scholarly criticism, juror attitudes or individual differences might affect verdict choice in criminal trials. Authoritarianism is a face valid predictor. Twenty studies exploring the authoritarianism-verdict relation were meta-analyzed to test this hypothesis. Authoritarianism measure (traditional or legal), subject type, presentation medium of trial, and type of crime were examined as moderators of the effect. Results support an authoritarianism-verdict relation and the moderator effect of authoritarianism type. Legal authoritarianism correlated more strongly with verdict. Subject type, presentation medium, and type of crime were also significant moderators. Implications for future research, as well as for legal and judicial practice, are discussed

Jury selection in insanity defense cases

Abstract In three studies legal authoritarianism, attitudes toward psychiatrists, and attitudes toward the insanity defense were examined as predictors of conviction-proneness in insanity defense cases. In Study 1 subjects responded to a juror selection survey containing a brief version of a case, a verdict form, and measures of the constructs mentioned above. In Studies 2 and 3 subjects completed measures of the relevant constructs, viewed a videotaped enactment of an insanity defense case, and rendered verdicts. The three studies converge on the conclusion that legal authoritarianism, attitudes toward psychiatrists, and attitudes toward the insanity defense reliably predict conviction-proneness. In addition, Study 2 compares two separate measures of legal authoritarianism and Study 3 examines the reliability and factor structure of a newly devised instrument for assessing attitudes toward psychiatrists and the insanity defense. The implications of these findings for current jury selection procedures are discussed.

Social facilitation as a function of the mere presence of others.

Abstract According to R. B. Zajoncs (1965) drive theory of social facilitation, the mere presence of others increases arousal and, thereby, the frequency of dominant responses (i.e., responses with the greatest habit strength). In the present experiment, U.S. undergraduates performed a stimulus discrimination task under 1 of 2 conditions: in the presence of another individual (audience) or alone. The mere presence condition was designed to make it difficult for the participants to attend directly to the audience. The task was designed to minimize the likelihood that the specific response (numerical preference) would be attributable to a desire to respond appropriately to the audience. There was a significant difference in the mean number of dominant responses between the participants in the audience condition and those in the alone condition. The results provide support for Zajoncs mere presence drive theory of social facilitation.

Bogus Publicity Items and the Contingency Between Awareness and Media-Induced Pretrial Prejudice

Venue surveys can be criticized because they do not attempt to control for response biases, such as the tendency to report having read about any story that seems plausible. Bogus items (fabricated publicity items) are a common way to control for this bias. In two studies we examined whether controlling for this bias changes the relation between exposure to media and prejudice. Based on two actual crimes with quite different media exposure rates, communities were surveyed about their exposure to media surrounding the case and their prejudice toward the defendants. A bogus item was included on each survey. In both studies the correlations between exposure to media and prejudice were significant and remained unchanged when data from respondents who indicated having read about the bogus item were excluded. These findings suggest that, in parallel to the social desirability literature, the response tendency to report awareness of media events does not threaten the validity of venue surveys.

Second-order classical conditioning of meaning in the Staats format

Five nonsense syllables were paired 18 times each with meaningful words. Two syllables (CS1) were paired systematically with words (UCS) of either positive or negative evaluative connotation, and the remaining syllables were paired with words without systematic evaluative connotation. Postexperimental ratings on semantic differential scales indicated that the syllable paired with positive words was evaluated more positively than the syllable paired with negative words (p <.001). This replicates Staats and Staats’ well known finding. Part 2 of the experiment had two conditions. In Condition 1, the positive CS1 from Part 1 was paired with one neutral CS2, and the negative CS1 was paired with another CS2. In Condition 2, the pairings of the positive and negative CS1s were reversed for the CS2s. Three noncritical pairs of nonsense syllables were also presented. A significant interaction (p <.05) in the rating of CS2s in the different conditions indicated that they had acquired the connotative meaning associated with CS1s. Results support the phenomenon of second-order classical conditioning of syllables.

Job analysis of felony assistant public defenders: The most important tasks and most useful knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Abstract The duties of public defenders are both broad and complex, and relatively little is known about their specific job responsibilities. The purpose of this study was twofold: (a) to provide information on the specific job responsibilities of these attorneys, and (b) to contribute summary data to public defender offices for personnel selection and training. This exploratory study identified the tasks performed by felony public defenders and the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to perform them. A job analysis questionnaire was constructed on the basis of a review of position-related documents, interviews with several felony public defenders, and observations of their job activities. One hundred and forty-two Florida public defenders completed job analysis questionnaires, rating 64 tasks on three dimensions, and 44 knowledge, skills, and abilities on three dimensions. From the results of the questionnaires, the most important tasks and most useful knowledge, skills, and abilities are reviewed an...