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Jurors’ Responses to Expert Witness Testimony: The Effects of Gender Stereotypes

McKimmie, Blake M. and Newton, Cameron J. and Terry, Deborah J. and Schuller, Regina A. (2004) Jurors’ Responses to Expert Witness Testimony: The Effects of Gender Stereotypes. Group Processes and Intergroup Relations 7(2):pp. 131-143.

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Abstract

The present study investigated whether the impact of expert testimony was influenced by the congruency between the gender of the expert and the gender orientation of the case. Participants (N = 62) read a trial transcript involving a price-fixing allegation in either a male or female oriented domain. Within the case, the gender of the expert was manipulated. As predicted, the impact of the expert (e.g. damage awards) was greater when the gender of the expert and domain of the case were congruent as opposed to incongruent. Results also indicated that the impact of gender-domain congruency was particularly pronounced following group discussion. In addition, there was evidence that this effect was mediated through participants’ evaluations of the expert witness.

Item Type:Journal Article
Status:Published
Keywords:expert testimony, stereotypes, gender, schemas, expert witnesses, jurors, juries.
Subjects:390000 Law, Justice and Law Enforcement > 390100 Law > 390199 Law not elsewhere classified
380000 Behavioural and Cognitive Sciences > 380100 Psychology > 380105 Social and Community Psychology
ID Code:1636
Deposited By:McKimmie, Blake
Deposited On:17 June 2005
Alternative Locations:http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1368430204043724
Copyright Owner:Copyright 2004 Sage Publications
Copyright Statement:Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher.