Mock Juror Perceptions of a Male or Female Adult Rape Victim Crying in the Courtroom

This study investigated the impact of victim crying and gender on perceptions of rape cases. Participants (N = 240, 51.5% male, 48.1% female) completed a 2 (victim crying) × 2 (victim gender) × 2 (participant gender) between-participants design with case judgments (e.g., verdict) as the DVs. Results...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Violence against women 2024-04, Vol.30 (5), p.1107-1132
Main Authors: Pals, Andrea M., Levi, Mary M., Meier, Johnathan R., Jenkins, Baylee D., Le Grand, Alexis M., Golding, Jonathan M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Court decisions
Credibility
Crying
Females
Gender
Jurors
Males
Perceptions
Rape
Testimony
Victims
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Summary:This study investigated the impact of victim crying and gender on perceptions of rape cases. Participants (N = 240, 51.5% male, 48.1% female) completed a 2 (victim crying) × 2 (victim gender) × 2 (participant gender) between-participants design with case judgments (e.g., verdict) as the DVs. Results found that a rape victim crying during testimony increased pro-victim judgments compared to when the victim did not cry, that female mock jurors were more pro-victim than males, but that victim gender was insignificant. Finally, the mediation model found that victim crying increased their credibility, increasing the likelihood of a guilty verdict.
ISSN:1077-8012
1552-8448
DOI:10.1177/10778012231166404