Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Adult Witness Credibility: Evidence For A Two-Factor Model, Abigail E. Moore

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Previous research in the areas of social, expert witness, and child witness psychology has found evidence for a multiple factor model of witness credibility. While a multiple factor model has not yet been tested with adult witnesses who are not experts, results from previous credibility research suggest that there may be at least two components of adult witness credibility: perceived cognitive accuracy and perceived honesty. The current study utilized a 3 x 3 (Perceived Cognitive Accuracy [neutral, medium, low] x Perceived Honesty [neutral, medium, low]) design to assess effects on witness credibility, verdicts, and likelihood of commission scores. Participants were …