Perceived credibility of child witness statements based on age and gender

Although a great deal of empirical research and theoretical analysis has been done on in relation to jury perception of the credibility of child witnesses, virtually none of it has focused on the impact of age and gender of child witnesses alone on juror perceptions. This study expands on the existing body of knowledge on juror bias by exploring the connection between the perceived credibility of a child witness and the age or gender of that witness. Participants were given a choice between two children of different ages and/or genders. The participants were asked about the believability of the identified children. The main hypotheses involved the relationship between age, gender and perceived credibility. The data show that both age and gender had an impact on the perceived credibility of the identified children. This information can be used to make determinations about impactful witnesses and inherent juror bias. Keywords: credibility, testimony, age, gender, child witness, juro