Influences of Accent and Ethnic Background on Perceptions of Eyewitness Testimony

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Influences of Accent and Ethnic Background on Perceptions of Eyewitness Testimony

Frumkin, Lara; (2007) Influences of Accent and Ethnic Background on Perceptions of Eyewitness Testimony. Psychology, Crime & Law , 13 (3) pp. 317-331. Green open access

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Abstract

The purpose of the present work was to investigate the effect two eyewitness factors, accent and ethnic background, have on the perceived favorability of eyewitness testimony and case disposition in criminal trials. Six variations of testimony were created and videotaped. The videotapes varied by accent and ethnic background of the eyewitness; the testimony text was identical. Four eyewitness favorability variables, a) credibility, b) judgment of accuracy, c) deceptiveness, and d) prestige, as well as their relationship to case disposition, were measured. One hundred seventy-four undergraduate participants viewed one of the six videotapes. Results indicate that there was a significant main effect of accent for the four eyewitness favorability variables. Accent by ethnic background interactions also yielded significant findings for the four variables as well as for the defendant’s degree of guilt. Results were interpreted using the Elaboration Likelihood Model. The potential importance of these results for judicial settings is discussed.

Type:	Article
Title:	Influences of Accent and Ethnic Background on Perceptions of Eyewitness Testimony
Open access status:	An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
Language:	English
Additional information:	The purpose of the present work was to investigate the effect two eyewitness factors, accent and ethnic background, have on the perceived favorability of eyewitness testimony and case disposition in criminal trials. Six variations of testimony were created and videotaped. The videotapes varied by accent and ethnic background of the eyewitness; the testimony text was identical. Four eyewitness favorability variables, a) credibility, b) judgment of accuracy, c) deceptiveness, and d) prestige, as well as their relationship to case disposition, were measured. One hundred seventy-four undergraduate participants viewed one of the six videotapes. Results indicate that there was a significant main effect of accent for the four eyewitness favorability variables. Accent by ethnic background interactions also yielded significant findings for the four variables as well as for the defendant’s degree of guilt. Results were interpreted using the Elaboration Likelihood Model. The potential importance of these results for judicial settings is discussed. Published in an academic journal published by Taylor and Francis Article peer refereed This is an electronic version of an article published in Frumkin, Lara (2007) Influences of Accent and Ethnic Background on Perceptions of Eyewitness Testimony. Psychology, Crime & Law, 13 (3). pp. 317-331. Psychology, Crime & Law is available online at: http://www.informaworld.com/10.1080/10683160600822246
Keywords:	eyewitness, accent, ethnic background, courtroom, crime
UCL classification:	UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education
URI:	https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10004136