Juror perceptions of a woman who killed her abusive husband:effects of wife's psychological diagnosis, husband's history of alcoholism, and documentation of domestic violence

Author

Amanda Spicer Hester

Issuing Body

Mississippi State University

Advisor

Jacquin, Kristine

Committee Member

Klein, Stephen

Committee Member

Armstrong, Kevin

Committee Member

Eakin, Deborah

Date of Degree

5-2-2009

Original embargo terms

MSU Only Indefinitely

Document Type

Graduate Thesis - Campus Access Only

Major

Psychology

Degree Name

Master of Science

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Department of Psychology

Abstract

This study examined about 500 mock juror perceptions in a murder trial in which the defendant claims to have killed her abusive husband in self-defense. The defendant’s psychological diagnosis, the husband’s alcohol abuse history, and documentation of domestic violence were varied across conditions. Results showed that medical evidence of domestic violence had a significant effect on guilt ratings and on perceptions of blame for the husband’s death. History of alcohol use of the husband influenced mock jurors’ perceptions of the credibility of the defendant. Juror gender effects were also found on verdict ratings. In contrast, no main effect was found for the defendant’s diagnosis.

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11668/16276

Comments

domestic violence||mock juror

Recommended Citation

Hester, Amanda Spicer, "Juror perceptions of a woman who killed her abusive husband:effects of wife's psychological diagnosis, husband's history of alcoholism, and documentation of domestic violence" (2009). Theses and Dissertations. 2893.
https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/td/2893