Date of Award
2026
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Applied Experimental Psychology
Committee Chair
Jodi Price
Committee Member
Jeffrey Neuschatz
Committee Member
Stacy Wetmore
Committee Member
Shauna Bowes
Committee Member
Daniel Krenn
Research Advisor
Jodi Price
Subject(s)
Jurors--Decision making--Psychological aspects, Fingerprints, Expert evidence
Abstract
Fingerprint evidence is widely perceived as objective and reliable, yet is typically presented to jurors through expert testimony rather than directly evaluated. The present study examined how fingerprint match status and expert testimony influence juror decision-making. Participants (N = 225) read a mock criminal trial summary and were randomly assigned to one of five conditions. Four conditions were derived by crossing Expert Condition (fingerprint expert alone vs. conflicting experts) and Match Status (match vs. no match), with an additional control condition without fingerprint evidence. The participants made verdict decisions and rated the credibility, honesty and believability of the expert. The results showed that the fingerprint match status significantly increased the guilty verdicts, while the expert condition did not independently predict the verdicts or interact with the match status. Perceptions of expert believability, but not credibility or honesty, varied between conditions and were differentially associated with verdict decisions. These findings highlight the dominant influence of forensic conclusions over expert configuration in juror judgments.
Recommended Citation
Thallas, Kassie N., "Match or mismatch? : the effects of fingerprint evidence and expert testimony on jury decisions" (2026). Dissertations. 482.
https://louis.uah.edu/uah-dissertations/482