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Impact of Child Witness Demeanor on Perceived Credibility and Trial Outcome in Sexual Abuse Cases

NCJ Number
173659
Journal
Journal of Family Violence Volume: 13 Issue: 2 Dated: June 1998 Pages: 187-195
Author(s)
P C Regan; S J Baker
Date Published
1998
Length
9 pages
Annotation
The authors explored how child witness demeanor at the moment of courtroom confrontation with the defendant affected trial outcome and the perceived credibility of child witnesses in sexual abuse cases.
Abstract
Participants included undergraduate students who read a brief trial scenario involving an adult male defendant indicted on charges of first-degree criminal sexual assault against his daughter. Phase 1 (descriptive) used a free response format to examine affective and behavioral responses men and women expected a child sexual assault victim to demonstrate after first confronting the defendant in the courtroom. The most frequently cited responses included crying, fear, and confusion. Phase 2 (experimental) investigated the impact of the presence or absence of one of these expected responses on juror perceptions. Participants who read about a child who cried upon initially confronting the defendant perceived the victim as more honest, credible, and reliable than a calm child and they were more likely to convict the defendant. 25 references and 1 table