The effects of expert witness gender and type of defense on juror perception

This study compared participant responses to determine whether gender of an expert witness and type of psychological defense affected a defendant's level of responsibility and severity of sentencing when in a juror role. Particularly, the expert witness's gender (male or female) and the type of defense (Battered Woman Syndrome or Insanity Defense) were presented in a trial summary including expert witness testimony involving a murder in which the defendant had stabbed her husband. The gender of the expert witness and type of defense were both found to be nonsignificant at the p < .05 level, although participants assigned higher ratings pertaining to the psychological defenses' contribution to the severity of sentencing. The findings of this study imply that gender of an expert witness and type of defense used do not affect how participants rate a defendant's severity of sentencing or level of responsibility.