Department of Psychology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA.
J Am Acad Psychiatry Law. 2012;40(1):41-9.
Defendant remorse is generally accepted as a mitigating factor in capital murder sentencing in the legal system. The current study addressed whether verbal and nonverbal expressions of defendant remorse are perceived as remorseful by mock jurors. Moreover, this study investigated the associations of defendant behaviors and mock juror need for affect on sentencing decisions. Participants watched a video of a defendant depicting either high or low levels of verbal and nonverbal remorseful behavior. Results indicated that nonverbal behaviors were more important than verbal cues for perception of remorse. Incongruent verbal and nonverbal behavior, as well as mock juror willingness to approach emotional situations (i.e., high need for affect (NFA)) resulted in more lenient sentences for defendants. Implications for the remorse construct, for witness preparation, and for jury selection are discussed.
被告的悔恨通常被认为是死刑判决中减轻处罚的一个因素。本研究旨在探讨模拟陪审员是否认为被告的口头和非口头悔恨表达是悔恨的。此外，本研究还调查了被告行为和模拟陪审员情感需求与量刑决策的关联。参与者观看了一段被告表现出高或低水平的口头和非口头悔恨行为的视频。结果表明，非言语行为比言语线索更能让人感受到悔恨。言语和非言语行为不一致，以及模拟陪审员愿意接近情绪情境（即高情感需求（NFA）），导致对被告的判决更宽松。讨论了悔恨结构、证人准备和陪审团选择的影响。
