Copyright (c) 2013 Roger Williams University All rights reserved. http://docs.rwu.edu/psych_thesis Recent documents in Psychology Theses en-us Sat, 25 May 2013 01:51:05 PDT 3600 http://docs.rwu.edu/psych_thesis/20 http://docs.rwu.edu/psych_thesis/20 Fri, 24 May 2013 11:22:21 PDT Comparative value arguments (CVA) suggest to jurors that a death sentence is appropriate because the victim’s value surpasses the defendant’s value. Jurors exposed to CVA are likely to misuse mitigation and victim impact evidence. The present study has a sample of 140 university students. A 2 x 4 + 1 between-groups factorial design was utilized to examine effects of mitigation and victim impact evidence in the context of CVA (held constant); and to test legal safeguard efficacy. A main effect was found of legal safeguards on jurors’ perceptions of prosecutorial misconduct, and a significant association was found between legal safeguards and sentence recommendation. Attitudes toward the death penalty mediated the predictive relationship between affective and cognitive factors and sentence recommendation.

]]> Rachel Small http://docs.rwu.edu/psych_thesis/19 http://docs.rwu.edu/psych_thesis/19 Fri, 17 May 2013 10:07:34 PDT This study was conducted to examine if gender, self-objectification and alcohol consumption were predictors of sexual satisfaction. It was expected that females would self-objectify more than males and self-objectification would negatively relate to satisfaction. It was expected that drinking alcohol would also negatively relate to satisfaction. Undergraduate participants (n=235) who reported a heterosexual sexual encounter within the past three months completed an online survey. Multiple linear regression analyses were conducted separately for males and females. It was found that gender was not a predictor of satisfaction; self-objectification did however negatively relate to sexual satisfaction for males and females, and alcohol consumption at most recent sexual encounter also negatively related to sexual satisfaction. Alcohol consumption over the last month did not negatively relate to satisfaction. Control variables included gender, BMI, year in school, and relationship status.

]]> Nicole M. Nelson http://docs.rwu.edu/psych_thesis/18 http://docs.rwu.edu/psych_thesis/18 Thu, 21 Jun 2012 06:13:45 PDT The identification of high-risk juvenile sex offenders has become one of the most controversial tasks of forensic mental health professionals today. Courts rely on clinician assessments when attempting to differentiate between youth who are low risk versus youth that are high risk to recidivate. The present study will examine the effectiveness of the Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth (SAVRY) in predicting sexual and nonsexual recidivism in a sample of juvenile sex offenders. Participants are 100 male juvenile sex offenders who were evaluated by a forensic evaluation service regarding their risk to reoffend. Archival case information, which contains forensic reports, will be used to score the SAVRY. The Area Under the Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve (ROC) and Cox regression will be used to analyze the predictive validity of SAVRY risk ratings. Results showed that the SAVRY Total Score and overall SAVRY Risk Rating, along with several of the subscales, significantly predicted general and nonsexual recidivism in this sample. Significance was not found for sexual recidivism, except for scores on the SAVRY historical risk factors subscale. The results point to the possibility that juvenile sex offenders should be considered as a smaller subgroup of a larger delinquent population, rather than as their own unique population.

]]> Timothy Owens http://docs.rwu.edu/psych_thesis/17 http://docs.rwu.edu/psych_thesis/17 Mon, 04 Jun 2012 06:37:37 PDT A growing rate of violence among adolescent females has led to an increased interest in gender differences associated with the assessment and development of psychopathy. This study utilized a sample of 100 youthful offenders, to examine the role of gender in the relation between various forms of childhood trauma and scores on the Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version (PCL:YV). Correlations were found between certain forms of childhood abuse and elevated PCL:YV scores. Furthermore, gender appeared to alter the predictive power of proposed developmental risk factors commonly associated with psychopathy. The findings indicate possible discrepancies in developmental risk factors between genders. Implications for guiding intervention and treatment strategies are discussed.

]]> Trevor Barese http://docs.rwu.edu/psych_thesis/16 http://docs.rwu.edu/psych_thesis/16 Tue, 22 May 2012 11:19:27 PDT The present study examined the complex relationship between narcissism and perceptions of aggression by conceptualizing these constructs using a path analysis model. High levels of affect intensity and low levels of attributional complexity were identified as potential mediators for the relationship between narcissism and perceptions of aggression. Participants first completed four self-report measures and were primed by writing an essay about a time they felt insulted (v. control). They then answered questions regarding a hypothetical situation prompting aggression through action and/or insult. ANOVA revealed overt narcissists more likely to view their behavior as excessive in a hypothetical insult situation in the absence of insult compared to a situation where insults were exchanged. Attributional complexity was positively correlated with Hypersensitive Narcissism Personality Scale and Narcissistic Personality Inventory.

]]> Vanessa Piccirilli http://docs.rwu.edu/psych_thesis/15 http://docs.rwu.edu/psych_thesis/15 Mon, 21 May 2012 07:05:31 PDT A child witness’s testimony may be an invaluable piece of evidence; therefore, it is essential to study the circumstances under which jurors perceive children as credible witnesses. The current study examined affect while testifying on perceptions of the child’s credibility, the amount of blame attributed to the witness, and case verdict decisions. A case scenario about an aggravated robbery of a girl who was either 6- or 13-years-old and who either cried or remained calm while testifying was read by 186 undergraduate participants. No age effects were found, possibly due to the non-sexual nature of the case. No effects for expression of affect were found, possibly because participants need to view affective reactions for them to be influential.

]]> Carly W. Hanks http://docs.rwu.edu/psych_thesis/14 http://docs.rwu.edu/psych_thesis/14 Fri, 18 May 2012 07:58:57 PDT The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of jury instructions that debunk common misconceptions versus standard instructions, with regards to verdict choice, comprehension of the legal standard, and reasoning used to support verdict decisions. A case summary was read by 159 participants who then listened to auditory instructions from a judge regarding the legal standards for second degree murder and voluntary manslaughter. They then completed measures assessing verdict, comprehension, and reasoning. While the results revealed that the legal instructions did not influence participants’ verdicts or comprehension of the legal standard, the data suggests that participants may have relied upon their prototypes of the case to make their decisions.

]]> Aryssa Z. Washington http://docs.rwu.edu/psych_thesis/13 http://docs.rwu.edu/psych_thesis/13 Thu, 17 May 2012 09:53:32 PDT Clinicians are often called upon to estimate the level of risk of a juvenile sex offender to sexually reoffend. Risk assessment evaluations often employ measures utilizing structured professional judgment to weigh empirically supported risk factors associated with recidivism in order to determine an overall level of risk. However, there is a lack of empirically validated risk assessment measures specifically developed for adolescent sex offenders. This study will examine the ability of the Estimate of Risk of Adolescent Sexual Offender Recidivism (ERASOR) to predict sexual and nonsexual reoffending. The archived records of 100 juvenile sex offenders, who had previously been the subject of a risk assessment by a forensic psychologist, were rated on the ERASOR and were coded for other relevant historical and clinical information. The predictive validity of the ERASOR was examined using Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) and Cox regression analyses. Results indicate that the ERASOR did not accurately predict sexual recidivism and had limited ability to accurately predict nonsexual or general recidivism. Implications on the future use of sexual recidivism specific risk assessment tools are discussed.

]]> Rebecca Nelson http://docs.rwu.edu/psych_thesis/12 http://docs.rwu.edu/psych_thesis/12 Thu, 17 May 2012 07:59:24 PDT The present study examines the role of a specific instruction designed to guide jurors on non-statutory mitigating circumstances in determining sentence recommendation. To date, there is no research examining whether specific instructions provide more guidance, and improve jurors’ discretion compared to the current general instructions. We predicted that specific mitigating instructions would increase confidence in life sentencing compared to generic instructions as well as revised instructions. We also predicted that expert testimony of childhood physical abuse would minimize death penalty recommendations. Contrary to our predictions, we found that exposure to generic instructions increased confidence in a life sentence. In addition, perceptions of the defendant and mood predicted confidence in sentence. Positive mood predicted high levels of confidence in a death sentence.

]]> Fotine Konstantopoulou http://docs.rwu.edu/psych_thesis/11 http://docs.rwu.edu/psych_thesis/11 Wed, 16 May 2012 07:52:26 PDT There has been substantial research on the effects of familial violence on rapists and factors which lead a person to rape (Connolly & Woollons, 2008; Jaffe, Wilson, & Wolfe, 1986; Kitzman, Gaylord, Holt, & Kenny, 2003; Lee, Jackson, Pattison & Ward, 2002). However, there has been no research in identifying the factors which link rapists’ offense level of force and exposure to familial violence. In the present study we investigated how offenders exposed to domestic violence differ from those not exposed in the following factors: rates of physical abuse, rates of sexual victimization by both men and women, rates of alcohol use, and level of force in their offense. In the present study we tested a model to ascertain what factors predict level of force in the rapist’s offense. The results partially confirmed both of our hypotheses.

]]> Courtney A. Meyer http://docs.rwu.edu/psych_thesis/10 http://docs.rwu.edu/psych_thesis/10 Wed, 16 May 2012 06:57:38 PDT People diagnosed with mental illnesses are often confronted with stigmatization and discrimination because they are stereotyped as dangerous and unpredictable. Police officers are typically the first to respond to a potentially dangerous mentally ill person and therefore, it is important to understand how police officers’ perceive mentally ill persons and how they respond to a call regarding a suspect displaying symptoms associated with mentally illness. Sixty police officers read one of six vignettes involving a call to investigate a suspicious male loitering behind a store. The vignettes differed only on the perceived severity of the mental illness (mild or severe) and the mental illness type (schizophrenia, antisocial personality disorder, or everyday troubles). Police officers responded to items concerning the suspect’s dangerousness, fear, likelihood to detain, and sympathy. Overall, police perceived suspects displaying symptoms consistent with schizophrenia and antisocial personality disorder as more dangerous and more likely to detain. Police also rated severe mental illnesses as more dangerous with a higher likelihood to detain compared to suspects with mild mental illnesses. These findings suggest that police officers perceive and react differently to suspects with a possible mental illness compared to non-mentally ill suspects which indicates that further police training regarding the mentally ill is necessary.

]]> Amy Roach http://docs.rwu.edu/psych_thesis/9 http://docs.rwu.edu/psych_thesis/9 Wed, 16 May 2012 06:27:00 PDT In 2010, the Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional to sentence adolescents charged with non-homicide crimes to life without parole (Graham v. Florida, 2012). Currently, research regarding life without parole is assessed in conjunction with the death penalty, in which life without parole is proposed as a lesser alternative to the death penalty. The current study investigated whether age and race are predictive factors in sentencing juvenile offenders. A sample consisting of 225 undergraduate students were presented with one of six case scenarios adapted from Wilkins v. Missouri (1985) in which the defendant’s age (13, 15, 17) and race (Caucasian, African American) were varied. Thirteen-year-old defendants were significantly more likely to receive a less severe alternative sentence to life without parole. Furthermore, African American defendants were significantly more likely to receive more severe sentences. These findings provide implications for changes in current policy and jury selection processes.

]]> Maria Annabel Mireles http://docs.rwu.edu/psych_thesis/8 http://docs.rwu.edu/psych_thesis/8 Mon, 27 Jun 2011 06:30:50 PDT The proposed research examined the affective and cognitive processes involved in jurors’ reactions to comparative value arguments and evidence of non-statutory aggravating and mitigating circumstances in the sentencing phase of a capital trial. The experiment utilized a 2 (Permissible Victim Impact Statements: Present v. absent) x 3 (Non-Statutory Mitigating Evidence: Social Value v. Troubled Life v. Both) x 2 (Comparative Value Argument: Life v. Worth) + 1 between-groups factorial design. Participants exposed to comparative worth arguments were more likely to vote for death than those exposed to comparative life arguments. In addition, participants were differentially influenced by comparative arguments. In a series of theoretically relevant path analyses, this effect was mediated by mood, and moderated by need for affect and cognition as well as concern for victims.

]]> Alicia Serpa http://docs.rwu.edu/psych_thesis/7 http://docs.rwu.edu/psych_thesis/7 Tue, 17 May 2011 07:06:43 PDT In the present study, we investigated perceived responsibility, evidence strengthening, and defendant gender in the context of a criminal trial involving DNA. Evidence was introduced post-trial and varied as strengthening the defendant’s guilt v. innocence. We also examined perceptions of perceived responsibility for verdict in order to more closely evaluate the role of regret in decision-making. Results indicated that DNA evidence is perceived as reliable, regardless of whether it strengthened guilt or innocence. In addition, greater confidence in verdict was observed when evidence strengthened the guilt of a female defendant vs. a male defendant. Finally, jurors experiencing high levels of regret perceived DNA evidence more selectively compared to jurors with low levels of regret, supporting the importance of identifying individual difference factors prior to trial.

]]> Stephanie L. Oglesby http://docs.rwu.edu/psych_thesis/5 http://docs.rwu.edu/psych_thesis/5 Thu, 05 Nov 2009 07:50:25 PST The relation among psychopathic traits, violence, and mental health needs was investigated in a sample of male and female juvenile offenders to test for the presence of gender differences. Demographic, offense, and mental health information was gathered from 100 youth offenders, 50 female and 50 male, committed to a state juvenile justice agency. Case file information was used to score the Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version and additional archival data was used to code offense and mental health variables. Female and male juvenile offenders differed on PCL:YV scores as a function of proactive violence and mental health needs. The results are discussed in terms of the assessment of psychopathy in adolescence, the differential manifestation of psychopathic traits in adolescent females, and relevant treatment implications.

]]> Nathan Cook http://docs.rwu.edu/psych_thesis/4 http://docs.rwu.edu/psych_thesis/4 Thu, 20 Aug 2009 08:08:56 PDT Perceptions of hypnosis and hypnotically recovered testimony were examined in a civil sexual abuse case. One hundred eighty-eight undergraduate students read one of eight trial transcript summaries varying expert witness testimony and victim testimony regarding the use of hypnosis in recovering a repressed memory of sexual abuse. We hypothesized that expert testimony would moderate the relation between victim testimony and perceptions of hypnotically recovered memory. In addition, we expected attitudes towards hypnotically refreshed memories would predict perceptions of the victim. Results found testimony elicited under hypnosis to be less accurate, less credible, and less believable than testimony not elicited from hypnosis. Results imply jurors’ awareness and uncertainty of the use of hypnosis in this context.

]]> Samantha Fusco http://docs.rwu.edu/psych_thesis/3 http://docs.rwu.edu/psych_thesis/3 Wed, 10 Jun 2009 07:35:40 PDT Empirical evidence demonstrates that the inclusion of improper statements by the prosecutor during closing argument increases death penalty recommendations (Platania & Moran, 1999). Judicial instructions to disregard improper statements have been found to moderate this effect (Platania, Small, Fusco, Miller & Perrault, 2008). The present study further explored the effectiveness of judicial instruction as a legal safeguard and examined the role of individual differences in explaining individuals’ acceptance of prosecutorial misconduct. One hundred and twenty four jury-eligible individuals viewed a videotape based on the penalty phase of a capital trial (Brooks v. State, 1979). Results revealed that attitudes toward the death penalty, instruction comprehension and mood predict individuals’ acceptance of misconduct. Judicial instructions had limited effectiveness as a legal safeguard.

]]> Jillian Rowback http://docs.rwu.edu/psych_thesis/2 http://docs.rwu.edu/psych_thesis/2 Wed, 10 Jun 2009 07:02:38 PDT In the current study, 126 undergraduate students read a case summary describing an armed robbery of a convenience store, involving one eyewitness, and then viewed one of five brief videotapes of an eyewitness identification procedure. Confidence ratings were manipulated as 80% v. 100%: Type of explanation offered for changes in confidence consisted of social, memory-based or none. Results indicated increased perceptions of eyewitnesses were associated with confidence consistency, rather than type of explanation. Perhaps providing any explanation for changes in confidence drew attention to the inconsistency and magnified its effect on perceptions. Further, when the eyewitness provided one estimate of confidence, participants perceived them as more credible compared to confidence inflation condition. Implications for these results at trial are discussed.

]]> Melissa Paiva http://docs.rwu.edu/psych_thesis/1 http://docs.rwu.edu/psych_thesis/1 Thu, 08 May 2008 08:10:03 PDT Forensic evidence is gaining prominence in both the media and in courts. As a result, the role of expert witness testimony in cases involving a disputed confession is unclear. The current study examined the effects of expert witness testimony, commonly-used interrogation tactics, and equivocal forensic evidence, on perceptions both the expert and the evidence. Results indicated perceptions of forensic evidence were a function of expert witness testimony, suggesting the influence of expert testimony on confessions is not limited to perceptions of the interrogation. In addition, evaluations of reliability and probative validity of forensic-type evidence indicated participants’ difficulty in distinguishing between these concepts. Implications are discussed in terms of court proceedings and continued research on the role of the expert.

]]> Morgan S. Moffa