Mock Juror Perceptions of Witness Inattentional Blindness

Cullen, Hayley Joanne; Paterson, Helen M.; Golde, Celine van

doi:10.1007/s11896-020-09399-7

Cited by 4 publications

(6 citation statements)

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“…They may become aware after a crime starts or never become aware of the crime. Nonetheless, other people may expect them to notice the event, remember details, and identify the culprit (Cullen et al, 2020; Jaeger et al, 2017; Levin et al, 2002). People have an illusion of awareness, expecting themselves and others to notice and remember unusual events (Chabris & Simons, 2009; Hyman Jr., 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Crime blindness: The impact of inattentional blindness on eyewitness awareness, memory, and identification

Wulff

Hyman

2021

Applied Cognitive Psychology

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People do not constantly watch for accidents and crimes. With their attention focused elsewhere, potential witnesses may fail to notice a crime and experience inattentional blindness. We investigated the impact of inattentional blindness on eyewitness awareness and memory. Participants watched a video in which a theft occurs. We manipulated the attentional focus of the participants-some watched for the crime, others simply watched the video, and some counted the number of people wearing white shirts. Participants counting white shirts and those simply watching more often experienced inattentional blindness for the crime and failed to identify the culprit than those watching for the theft. Participants, particularly those watching for the theft, often falsely identified an innocent bystander, displaying a potential unconscious transference effect. Attention plays a critical role in eyewitness awareness and memory. Eyewitness researchers should investigate situations in which people are not explicitly watching for a crime or accident.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Crime blindness: The impact of inattentional blindness on eyewitness awareness, memory, and identification

Wulff

Hyman

2021

Applied Cognitive Psychology

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“…Previous mock juror research has revealed that claims of inattentional blindness made in legal contexts are evaluated negatively, both in criminal and civil cases. Specifically, individuals who claim that they failed to notice a physical assault/fight in their visual field are perceived as less credible witnesses in criminal trials [16] and more negligent defendants in civil cases [17]. Thus, the mistaken beliefs and misconceptions that people have about inattentional blindness may have flow-on effects to legal decision-making.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Indeed, Beanland and Pammer (2010) found that 32% of undergraduate psychology students were familiar with inattentional blindness and could describe an experiment on inattentional blindness [18]. Compared to other studies [16], the psychology students in Beanland and Pammer appear to be more familiar with the phenomenon than community members. Thus, when it comes to beliefs about inattentional blindness and visual detection, psychology students should not be relied upon to generalise to the broader community.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 91%

“…Emerging research has revealed that mistaken beliefs about inattentional blindness could have serious consequences for legal decision-making. Mock jurors who read a trial transcript depicting two witnesses-one who experienced inattentional blindness and one who noticed a crime-rated the witness who did not notice the crime less favourably than the other witness [16]. Furthermore, Jaeger and colleagues (2017) found that 26% of mock jurors who read a vignette where an individual claimed that they did not see a fight stated that the individual acted negligently.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A survey of what legal populations believe and know about inattentional blindness and visual detection

Cullen,

Paterson,

Dutton

et al. 2024

PLoS ONE

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Inattentional blindness refers to when people fail to notice obvious and unexpected events when their attention is elsewhere. Existing research suggests that inattentional blindness is a poorly understood concept that violates the beliefs that are commonly held by the public about vision and attention. Given that legal cases may involve individuals who may have experienced inattentional blindness, it is important to understand the beliefs legal populations and members of the community have about inattentional blindness, and their general familiarity and experience with the concept. Australian police officers (n = 94) and lawyers (n = 98), along with psychology students (n = 99) and community members (n = 100) completed a survey where they: a) stated whether an individual would have noticed an event in six legal vignettes, b) rated whether factors would make an individual more, less, or just as likely to notice an unexpected event, c) reported their familiarity with and personal experiences of inattentional blindness, and d) indicated whether they believed individuals could make themselves more likely to notice unexpected events. Respondents in all populations frequently responded “yes” to detecting the unexpected event in most legal vignettes. They also held misconceptions about some factors (expertise and threat) that would influence the noticing of unexpected events. Additionally, personal experiences with inattentional blindness were commonly reported. Finally, respondents provided strategies for what individuals can do to make themselves more likely to notice of unexpected events, despite a lack of evidence to support them. Overall, these findings provide direction for where education and training could be targeted to address misconceptions about inattentional blindness held by legal populations, which may lead to improved decision-making in legal settings.

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“…The case vignette was adapted and shortened from a previous mock juror experiment (Cullen et al, 2023). The vignette detailed an assault crime committed against the victim one night in a park.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Juror Perceptions of Bystander and Victim Intoxication by Different Substances

Dilevski,

Cullen,

van Golde

et al. 2024

Criminal Justice and Behavior

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This study examined the effects of bystander or victim intoxication during a crime on juror perceptions and decision-making. Mock jurors ( N = 261) read testimony from a bystander or victim to an assault, who mentioned that they had consumed alcohol, cannabis, amphetamines, or no substances prior to the crime. Participants delivered a verdict, rated the defendant’s guilt, and rated the bystander/victim on their honesty, credibility, and cognitive competence. Witness intoxication and witness role did not influence defendant guilt. However, participants judged any witness intoxicated by amphetamines as less credible and cognitively competent than a sober witness. Furthermore, victims were judged to have lower credibility, cognitive competence, and honesty than bystanders. These findings suggest that jurors’ decision-making about defendant guilt might not be influenced by witness intoxication or witness type. A witness’ testimony, however, might be evaluated as less credible when delivered by a victim or an amphetamine-intoxicated witness.

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Mock Juror Perceptions of Witness Inattentional Blindness

Cited by 4 publications

References 50 publications

Crime blindness: The impact of inattentional blindness on eyewitness awareness, memory, and identification

Crime blindness: The impact of inattentional blindness on eyewitness awareness, memory, and identification

A survey of what legal populations believe and know about inattentional blindness and visual detection

Juror Perceptions of Bystander and Victim Intoxication by Different Substances

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