OF THESIS THE EFFECT OF VICTIM RELIGION ON JUROR PERCEPTIONS OF HATE CRIMES The present study investigated mock juror perceptions of hate crimes in the courtroom, specifically whether a victim’s religion (Atheist, Christian, Jewish, or Muslim) influenced the likelihood that a mock juror would render a hate crime verdict. I employed a mock juror methodology where participants read an assault tri...

Necessary inferences (e.g., The jury was not able to deliver its verdict by 3 o'clock. The jury did not deliver its verdict by 3 o'clock.) depend on linguistic knowledge. Invited inferences, (e.g., The jury was able to deliver its verdict by 3 o'clock. The jury delivered its verdict~y 3 o'clock.) depend on knowledge about the world. Responses were faster to necessary than to invited inferences ...

While many schools of psychotherapy have held that our early experiences with our caretakers have a powerful impact on our adult functioning, there have been plenty of hard-nosed academics and researchers who've remained unconvinced. Back in 1968, psychologist Walter Mischel created quite a stir when he challenged the concept that we even have a core personality that organizes our behavior, con...

A content analysis of newspaper editorials about the trial of the four officers accused of beating Rodney King investigated when people would become concerned with procedural propriety in the case. Consistent with research demonstrating that people’s moral convictions are important determinants of their perceptions of fairness and reactions to outcomes, results revealed that people were more cr...

In a recent article, Schmolck, Buffalo, and Squire (2000) investigated memory distortions in college students’ recollections of how they heard the verdict in the O.J. Simpson murder trial. Students were questioned either 15 months or 32 months after the verdict was rendered. Their responses were compared with their own reports 3 days after the verdict. Responses 15 months after the verdict were...