Date of Award
2020
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Psychology
Committee Chair
Jeffrey S. Neuschatz
Committee Member
Aurora Torres
Committee Member
Jodi Price
Subject(s)
Jurors--Decision making--Psychological aspects, Informers, Incentive (Psychology), Forensic psychology
Abstract
The present study examined whether mock jurors would question the reliability of a jailhouse informant witness as he admits to receiving different incentive sizes as well as if he admits to attaining the goal of prison release. Participants read a brief trial summary in which the jailhouse informant claimed to be receiving either a 90%, 50%, 25%, or 0% sentence reduction as an incentive for testifying. Additionally, the jailhouse informant also testified that he would either be released from prison or would remain in prison following his testimony. The results exhibited consistent verdict decisions and ratings of the jailhouse informant’s character across conditions. This suggested that the varying incentive sizes and incentive outcomes did not affect the final verdict decisions and perceptions of the jailhouse informant. Unlike previous findings, participants in the current study provided a higher proportion of not guilty verdicts than guilty verdicts across all conditions.
Recommended Citation
Mecikalski, Alexa, "The role of jailhouse informant incentive size and goal attainment on jury decision-making" (2020). Theses. 352.
https://louis.uah.edu/uah-theses/352