Predictors of Jurors\u27 Decisions and Post-trial Perceptions of Child Witness Credibility in a Child Sexual Assault Trial

The effect of judge’s instructions and jurors’ preconceptions about children’s credibility on juror decision making and post-trial perceptions of children’s credibility was investigated. Also, the relationship between jurors’ post-trial perceptions of children’s credibility and measure of guilt was explored. Jurors’ level of authoritarianism was utilized as a covariate and jurors’ comprehension of the judge’s instructions was considered as a possible mediating influence on their decision making. One hundred and twenty five undergraduate women enrolled in psychology classes at Eastern Illinois University viewed a videotaped simulation of a child sexual assault trial. Participants heard either standard instructions in which the judge instructed jurors to decide guilt or innocence based on evidence alone or standard instructions plus cautionary statements regarding children’s limitations as witnesses. Instructions were presented either after testimony or before and after testimony. Utilizing an alpha level of .05, measure of guilt and length of sentence were unrelated to the timing or type of instruction, and jurors’ pre-trial perceptions of children’s credibility. With regard to jurors’ post-trial perceptions of children’s credibility, timing and type of instructions were unrelated. However, there was a significant main effect for jurors’ pre-trial perceptions on jurors’ post-trial perceptions of children’s credibility. Regardless of the timing and type of instructions to which the jurors were exposed, the jurors’ pre-trial perceptions significantly influenced their post-trial perceptions of children’s credibility. Also, there was a direct, though moderate, relationship (r = -.2884; p = .001) between jurors’ scores of post-trial perceptions of children’s credibility and their measure of guilt. When the jurors’ ratings of children’s credibility were more negative, the defendant was believed to be less guilty. Whereas, when the jurors’ ratings of children’s credibility were more positive, the defendant was believed to be more guilty. The implications of these findings are discussed