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Influence of Expert Testimony Regarding Eyewitness Accuracy on Jury Decisions

NCJ Number
77858
Journal
Law and Human Behavior Volume: 4 Issue: 4 Dated: special ssue (1980) Pages: 287-296
Author(s)
H M Hosch; E L Beck; P McIntyre
Date Published
1980
Length
10 pages
Annotation
A two-phase study was conducted to determine the influence of expert testimony on jurors' belief in the reliability of eyewitnesses.
Abstract
In the first phase of the experiment, 24 community residents served as jurors on four six-person juries. A burglary case was tried in 120 District Court, El Paso, Tex. Two juries heard all the evidence including the expert testimony of a psychologist, and the other two juries heard all of the testimony except that of the psychologist. During the second phase, 24 student jurors constituting 4 6-person juries viewed a videotape of the trial. Two of these juries saw the entire proceeding including the expert testimony, and the remaining two saw all but the expert testimony. All juries acquitted the defendant; however, those who heard the expert testimony significantly lowered their judgments of the accuracy and reliability of eyewitness identification as well as its overall importance to the trial. Further, those juries that heard the expert testimony spent a significantly longer time discussing eyewitness identification as well as other relevant evidence. No differences between community residents and college student juries were obtained. Tabular data and 21 references are included. (Author abstract modified)

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