Juror Need for Cognition and Sensitivity to Methodological Flaws in Expert Evidence1

Bradley D. McAuliff · Margaret Bull Kovera

53 citations0/0 files storedJournal of Applied Social Psychology

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Jury Decision Making Processes Legal processes and jurisprudence Decision-Making and Behavioral Economics

Abstract

This study examined whether need for cognition (NC) moderated jurors' sensitivity to methodological flaws in expert evidence. Jurors read a sexual harassment trial summary in which the plaintiff's expert presented a study that varied in ecological validity, general acceptance, and internal validity. High NC jurors found the defendant liable more often and evaluated expert evidence quality more favorably when the expert's study was internally valid vs. missing a control group; low NC jurors did not. Ecological validity and general acceptance did not affect jurors' judgments. Ratings of expert and plaintiff credibility, plaintiff trustworthiness, and expert evidence quality were positively correlated with verdict. Theoretical implications for the scientific reasoning literature and practical implications for trials containing psychological science are discussed.

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References

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2012Envisioning Evidence-Based Management 2020Truthiness, the illusory truth effect, and the role of need for cognition 2016Science, technology, or the expert witness: What influences jurors’ judgments about forensic science testimony?2009Psychological mediators of the effects of opposing expert testimony on juror decisions.2010I spy with my little eye: Jurors’ detection of internal validity threats in expert evidence.2012Eye of the beholder: Effects of perspective and sexual objectification on harassment judgments.

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