Jurors’ perceptions of scientific testimony: The role of gender and testimony complexity in trials involving DNA evidence

• Main Authors: Evelyn M. Maeder, Laura A. McManus, Kendra J. McLaughlin, Susan Yamamoto, Hannah Stewart
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2016-12-01
• Series: Cogent Psychology
• Subjects: gender; testimony complexity; dna evidence; verdict
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/23311908.2016.1264657

With continuous advancements in forensic science, expert testimony has become more common in criminal proceedings. This study (N = 170) sought to examine the combined influence of mock juror gender, expert gender, and testimony complexity in a case involving DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) evidence. Findings revealed that testimony complexity interacted with expert gender to influence verdict judgments. Participants were unaffected by testimony complexity when the expert was a man, but were more likely to convict when complex testimony was presented by a woman. In support of the heuristic-systematic model, expert gender elicited an effect only in high-complexity conditions—interestingly, this was exclusively the case for male mock jurors. Understanding how jurors cognitively process legal and extra-legal information may help legal actors (e.g., evidence experts, lawyers) communicate evidence and its legal relevance more effectively.