Impact of the CSI Effect and Authority Bias on Juror Decisions

Document Type

Poster

Campus where you would like to present

Ellensburg

Event Website

https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/source

Start Date

18-5-2020

Abstract

The recent increase in number of crime drama television shows raises the issue that these fictional portrayals may impact real proceedings in the justice system. This phenomenon has become known as the CSI effect. This includes the concept of authority bias, by which laypeople place higher value on information provided by those that they perceive to be in positions of authority. 289 college students completed a survey comparing their likelihood to match an unknown fingerprint to a suspect’s, after actors portraying evidence technicians either confirm the match or provide no conclusion. Results showed no significant interaction between the confirmation condition and participants’ likelihood to say that the fingerprints matched.

Faculty Mentor(s)

Danielle Polage

Department/Program

Psychology

Additional Mentoring Department

https://cwu.studentopportunitycenter.com/2020/04/impact-of-the-csi-effect-and-authority-bias-on-juror-decisions/

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May 18th, 12:00 PM

Impact of the CSI Effect and Authority Bias on Juror Decisions

Ellensburg

The recent increase in number of crime drama television shows raises the issue that these fictional portrayals may impact real proceedings in the justice system. This phenomenon has become known as the CSI effect. This includes the concept of authority bias, by which laypeople place higher value on information provided by those that they perceive to be in positions of authority. 289 college students completed a survey comparing their likelihood to match an unknown fingerprint to a suspect’s, after actors portraying evidence technicians either confirm the match or provide no conclusion. Results showed no significant interaction between the confirmation condition and participants’ likelihood to say that the fingerprints matched.

https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/source/2020/COTS/115