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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

2012

Roger Williams University

Psychology

Articles 1 - 8 of 8

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

The Multifaceted Relationship Between Narcissism And Aggression: A Path Model, Vanessa Piccirilli May 2012

The Multifaceted Relationship Between Narcissism And Aggression: A Path Model, Vanessa Piccirilli

Psychology Theses

The present study examined the complex relationship between narcissism and perceptions of aggression by conceptualizing these constructs using a path analysis model. High levels of affect intensity and low levels of attributional complexity were identified as potential mediators for the relationship between narcissism and perceptions of aggression. Participants first completed four self-report measures and were primed by writing an essay about a time they felt insulted (v. control). They then answered questions regarding a hypothetical situation prompting aggression through action and/or insult. ANOVA revealed overt narcissists more likely to view their behavior as excessive in a hypothetical insult situation in …

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The Effect Of Age And Expression Of Affect On Jurors’ Perceptions Of Child Witnesses, Carly W. Hanks May 2012

The Effect Of Age And Expression Of Affect On Jurors’ Perceptions Of Child Witnesses, Carly W. Hanks

Psychology Theses

A child witness’s testimony may be an invaluable piece of evidence; therefore, it is essential to study the circumstances under which jurors perceive children as credible witnesses. The current study examined affect while testifying on perceptions of the child’s credibility, the amount of blame attributed to the witness, and case verdict decisions. A case scenario about an aggravated robbery of a girl who was either 6- or 13-years-old and who either cried or remained calm while testifying was read by 186 undergraduate participants. No age effects were found, possibly due to the non-sexual nature of the case. No effects for …

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Debunking Misconceptions: Do Jury Instructions Influence Comprehension And Verdict Selection, Aryssa Z. Washington May 2012

Debunking Misconceptions: Do Jury Instructions Influence Comprehension And Verdict Selection, Aryssa Z. Washington

Psychology Theses

The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of jury instructions that debunk common misconceptions versus standard instructions, with regards to verdict choice, comprehension of the legal standard, and reasoning used to support verdict decisions. A case summary was read by 159 participants who then listened to auditory instructions from a judge regarding the legal standards for second degree murder and voluntary manslaughter. They then completed measures assessing verdict, comprehension, and reasoning. While the results revealed that the legal instructions did not influence participants’ verdicts or comprehension of the legal standard, the data suggests that participants may have …

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Considering Constitutionally Relevant Evidence: An Assessment Of Childhood Physical Abuse As A Non-Statutory Mitigating Circumstance, Fotine Konstantopoulou May 2012

Considering Constitutionally Relevant Evidence: An Assessment Of Childhood Physical Abuse As A Non-Statutory Mitigating Circumstance, Fotine Konstantopoulou

Psychology Theses

The present study examines the role of a specific instruction designed to guide jurors on non-statutory mitigating circumstances in determining sentence recommendation. To date, there is no research examining whether specific instructions provide more guidance, and improve jurors’ discretion compared to the current general instructions. We predicted that specific mitigating instructions would increase confidence in life sentencing compared to generic instructions as well as revised instructions. We also predicted that expert testimony of childhood physical abuse would minimize death penalty recommendations. Contrary to our predictions, we found that exposure to generic instructions increased confidence in a life sentence. In addition, …

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Relationship Between Exposure To Familial Violence And Rapists’ Offense Level Of Force, Courtney A. Meyer May 2012

Relationship Between Exposure To Familial Violence And Rapists’ Offense Level Of Force, Courtney A. Meyer

Psychology Theses

There has been substantial research on the effects of familial violence on rapists and factors which lead a person to rape (Connolly & Woollons, 2008; Jaffe, Wilson, & Wolfe, 1986; Kitzman, Gaylord, Holt, & Kenny, 2003; Lee, Jackson, Pattison & Ward, 2002). However, there has been no research in identifying the factors which link rapists’ offense level of force and exposure to familial violence. In the present study we investigated how offenders exposed to domestic violence differ from those not exposed in the following factors: rates of physical abuse, rates of sexual victimization by both men and women, rates of …

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Dangerous Criminals Or Misunderstood? Assessing Police Perceptions Of The Mentally Ill, Amy Roach May 2012

Dangerous Criminals Or Misunderstood? Assessing Police Perceptions Of The Mentally Ill, Amy Roach

Psychology Theses

People diagnosed with mental illnesses are often confronted with stigmatization and discrimination because they are stereotyped as dangerous and unpredictable. Police officers are typically the first to respond to a potentially dangerous mentally ill person and therefore, it is important to understand how police officers’ perceive mentally ill persons and how they respond to a call regarding a suspect displaying symptoms associated with mentally illness. Sixty police officers read one of six vignettes involving a call to investigate a suspicious male loitering behind a store. The vignettes differed only on the perceived severity of the mental illness (mild or severe) …

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Life Without Parole: The Influence Of Age And Race On The Sentencing Of Juvenile Offenders, Maria Annabel Mireles May 2012

Life Without Parole: The Influence Of Age And Race On The Sentencing Of Juvenile Offenders, Maria Annabel Mireles

Psychology Theses

In 2010, the Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional to sentence adolescents charged with non-homicide crimes to life without parole (Graham v. Florida, 2012). Currently, research regarding life without parole is assessed in conjunction with the death penalty, in which life without parole is proposed as a lesser alternative to the death penalty. The current study investigated whether age and race are predictive factors in sentencing juvenile offenders. A sample consisting of 225 undergraduate students were presented with one of six case scenarios adapted from Wilkins v. Missouri (1985) in which the defendant’s age (13, 15, 17) and race …

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Media Exposure, Juror Decision-Making, And The Availability Heuristic, Judith Platania, Jessica Crawford Jan 2012

Media Exposure, Juror Decision-Making, And The Availability Heuristic, Judith Platania, Jessica Crawford

Arts & Sciences Faculty Publications

Although much of the research regarding media exposure has centered on the harmful effects of pretrial publicity in criminal cases, it has been argued that civil cases may be more vulnerable to its effects compared to criminal cases (Bornstein, Whisenhunt, Nemeth, & Dunaway, 2002). In large part this appears to be due to the potential influence of media depiction of high-profile lawsuits and atypical verdict awards on judgments of liability and damages (Robbennolt & Studebaker, 2003). In our study we examined the effect of exposure to a news article (relating a verdict award in a product liability case) on juror …

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