Ronald C. Dillehay

Caregivers for Alzheimer's patients: what we are learning from research

The research literature on adjustment by family members to providing care to victims of Alzheimers disease is new and expanding rapidly. The purpose of this review is to summarize the categories and methods of that research; to evaluate critically the state of knowledge these studies are producing; and to suggest ways of strengthening future investigations. The review is organized around psychological, social, and health factors as antecedents or correlates of similar categories of outcomes for caregivers. While there are some emerging relationships involving caregiver burden, depression, and psychological well-being, it is difficult to generalize about the determinants or correlates of the consequences of meeting caregiver responsibilities; this difficulty probably results from a failure to deal adequately with key concepts and circumstances of the caregiver. These conceptual and methodological shortcomings are discussed and suggestions for refinement made.

The effects of variations in voir dire procedures in capital murder trials

Psychologists and social scientists must begin to evaluate the effects of the jury selection methods they employ. These methods include a preference for attorney questioning of individual, sequestered venirepersons. This study examines the effects of four types of voir dire on sustained challenges for cause by defense and prosecution attorneys. Using transcripts and our own notes we classified thirteen capital cases, comprising approximately one-third of similar trials in Kentucky for the period 1975–1980, according to whether venirepersons were questioned individually oren masse, and whether sequestration was used for voir dire. Results show significantly more sustained defense challenges for cause under conditions of individual sequestration of venirepersons during voir dire than when voir dire is conducteden masse in open court. Other effects are examined, and generalization of the results is discussed. We interpret the outcomes to show that bias in potential jurors is best revealed when venirepersons are examined while individually sequestered.

Psychologists as consultants for changes of venue the use of public opinion surveys

This study reports the use of public opinion surveys to support motions to change venue. Step-bystep procedures of venue surveys are outlined, and results of their use in five capital murder trials are presented. Employing a quasi-experimental approach to the surveys allows inferences, about the likelihood of obtaining between-county differences of certain magnitudes. In addition, the use of a survey instrument with standardized subparts permits a second, novel type of contrast: comparisons previous cases. The responsiveness of this approach to the typical criticisms of venue surveys is discussed.

Juror Experience and Jury Verdicts

Most trial attorneys believe that repeated jury service produces several effects in jurors, one of the most important of which is an increased disposition toward conviction of criminal defendants. However, case law reveals a reluctance to accept the proposition that prior service per se would disquality a juror from sitting on an instant case because of actual or implied bias. The need for direct empirical investigation of the effects of prior jury service prompted the present study, which examined a complete docket of 175 consecutive criminal trials across onecalendar year in a state circuit court which required a 30-day term of its venire. The results indicated that as the number of jurors with prior jury experience increased there was a modest, but significant, increase in the probability of a conviction. Analysis of the relationship between initial verdicts and subsequent service disconfirmed the alternative hypothesis that attorneys deselected jurors on the basis of their first verdicts. Several parameters of experience were also related to foreperson selection. Implications for legal practice and for additional research are discussed.

Forced-compliance studies, cognitive dissonance, and self-perception theory

Abstract Self-perception theory has recently been offered as an alternative to dissonance theory to explain data from forced compliance and other experiments. The purposes of this experiment are (1) to replicate a previously reported interpersonal simulation of the Festinger-Carlsmith experiment and (2) to test a major assumption of self-perception theory, viz., that self-reports of attitude under conditions of high incentive will be regarded by an observer as mands rather than tacts. The results indicate that observer subjects cannot reliably replicate involved subject responses. The data further provide negative evidence for the assumption that observer subjects will regard behavior under conditions of high incentive as manding reinforcement, and suggest that greater incentive for attitude-discrepant behavior increases the perceived potency of reward in inducing actual attitude change.

Permissive Introduction and Anchoring in Altering Perceptual-Judgmental Processes and the Impact of a Persuasive Communication.

Abstract Previous research on the influence of external anchors on judgment of a persuasive communication has produced conflicting results. Permissive introduction to a communication is investigated in this study for its importance in judgmental responses and subsequent opinion effects, and is used to account for the previous inconsistent results concerning anchoring. Following anchoring or permissive introduction or both, subjects judged the position advocated in a communication dealing with treatment of juvenile delinquents and registered their own opinions on the issue. The data support the hypothesis that permissive introduction alters judgment of the communicators position, whereas anchors alone do not produce a significant difference. Opinion effects are consistent with the judgmental results and indicate that the more extreme the perceived stand advocated in the communication, the greater the opinion change. The effects of a permissive introduction are discussed in terms of alternative hypotheses of an atmosphere effect or salience for alternative attitudinal stands.