Centre for Cognition and Neuroscience, School of Human and Health Sciences, University of Huddersfield, UK.
Int J Law Psychiatry. 2021 Jul-Aug;77:101714. doi: 10.1016/j.ijlp.2021.101714. Epub 2021 May 29.
Despite a plethora of research examining juror decision-making within cases of rape, very few studies have attempted to examine how the presence of a developmental disorder within a case can impact jurors' decisions. Research shows that individuals diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are sometimes perceived more negatively (i.e. unempathetic) due to stigmatising beliefs associated with ASD. Thus, the present study sought to examine whether individuals with ASD would be treated differently by jurors in court. Using mock-juror paradigms (N = 204) the present study aimed to explore whether the presence of high-functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) amongst either the defendant or claimant influenced juror decisions (guilt verdict, confidence in verdict, and believability towards the defendant and claimant) in cases of rape. The presence of ASD amongst either party failed to have an impact on juror decision-making and final guilt verdicts. However, female participants were more likely to believe the complainant than their male counterparts. Implications of the study and directions for future research are discussed.
尽管有大量研究探讨了强奸案件中陪审员的决策过程，但很少有研究试图探讨案件中存在发育障碍如何影响陪审员的决策。研究表明，由于与自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）相关的污名化信念，被诊断患有自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）的个体有时会被更负面地感知（即缺乏同理心）。因此，本研究试图探讨法庭上的陪审员是否会对自闭症患者做出不同的对待。本研究使用模拟陪审团范式（N=204），旨在探讨在强奸案件中，被告或原告中是否存在高功能自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）是否会影响陪审员的决策（有罪判决、对判决的信心以及对被告和原告的可信度）。双方当事人中存在 ASD 并未对陪审团的决策和最终有罪判决产生影响。然而，女性参与者比男性参与者更有可能相信原告。讨论了研究的意义和未来研究的方向。
