{"id":{"repo_id":"gsu","oai_identifier":"oai:digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu:etd-1442"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/gsu/oai:digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu:etd-1442","repository":{"repo_id":"gsu","name":"Georgia Southern University","base_url":"https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/do/oai/"},"display":{"title":"Using A Flow-Chart to Reduce Juror's Pre-Existing Biases In Cases Utilizing The Insanity Defense","abstract":"Many people believe that the insanity defense is used to avoid responsibility for committing a crime and that it returns dangerous individuals back to the streets. Due to the fact that it is difficult to separate such pre-existing attitudes from evidence presented throughout the trial, many jurors use their attitudes to assist them when deciding a verdict and punishment. For example, Steblay, Hosch, Culhane & McWethy (2006) found that not only is it difficult for jurors to disregard information that is not relevant or presented during trial, but that pre-trial information and attitudes can actually influence their verdict. The present study examines how dispositional instructions affect juror decision making in an insanity case. Participants completed a scale that assessed their attitudes toward the insanity defense and read a case description, determined a verdict, and recommended a sentence. Participant's attitudes toward the insanity defense influenced their verdict suggestions and recommended sentences. The type of dispositional information given to participants affected the amount of knowledge about defendants using the insanity defense, but did not affect verdicts or sentences. The implications of dispositional information presented to participants are discussed as well as the influence of pre-existing attitudes towards the insanity defense on verdict determination.","abstract_html":"Many people believe that the insanity defense is used to avoid responsibility for committing a crime and that it returns dangerous individuals back to the streets. Due to the fact that it is difficult to separate such pre-existing attitudes from evidence presented throughout the trial, many jurors use their attitudes to assist them when deciding a verdict and punishment. For example, Steblay, Hosch, Culhane & McWethy (2006) found that not only is it difficult for jurors to disregard information that is not relevant or presented during trial, but that pre-trial information and attitudes can actually influence their verdict. The present study examines how dispositional instructions affect juror decision making in an insanity case. Participants completed a scale that assessed their attitudes toward the insanity defense and read a case description, determined a verdict, and recommended a sentence. Participant's attitudes toward the insanity defense influenced their verdict suggestions and recommended sentences. The type of dispositional information given to participants affected the amount of knowledge about defendants using the insanity defense, but did not affect verdicts or sentences. The implications of dispositional information presented to participants are discussed as well as the influence of pre-existing attitudes towards the insanity defense on verdict determination.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Schlumper, Lauren M."],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science in Experimental Psychology (M.S.)","degree_level":"Thesis (open access)","degree_discipline":"Department of Psychology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["C. Thresa Yancey","Rebecca Ryan"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2011,"date_issued":"2011-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2011-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:26:52Z","subjects":["ETD","Insanity defense","Juror attitudes","Flow-chart","Biases"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/442","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["C. Thresa Yancey","Rebecca Ryan"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Schlumper, Lauren M."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2013-10-17T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Department of Psychology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis (open access)"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science in Experimental Psychology (M.S.)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["ETD","Insanity defense","Juror attitudes","Flow-chart","Biases"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/442"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Many people believe that the insanity defense is used to avoid responsibility for committing a crime and that it returns dangerous individuals back to the streets. Due to the fact that it is difficult to separate such pre-existing attitudes from evidence presented throughout the trial, many jurors use their attitudes to assist them when deciding a verdict and punishment. For example, Steblay, Hosch, Culhane & McWethy (2006) found that not only is it difficult for jurors to disregard information that is not relevant or presented during trial, but that pre-trial information and attitudes can actually influence their verdict. The present study examines how dispositional instructions affect juror decision making in an insanity case. Participants completed a scale that assessed their attitudes toward the insanity defense and read a case description, determined a verdict, and recommended a sentence. Participant's attitudes toward the insanity defense influenced their verdict suggestions and recommended sentences. The type of dispositional information given to participants affected the amount of knowledge about defendants using the insanity defense, but did not affect verdicts or sentences. The implications of dispositional information presented to participants are discussed as well as the influence of pre-existing attitudes towards the insanity defense on verdict determination."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Using A Flow-Chart to Reduce Juror's Pre-Existing Biases In Cases Utilizing The Insanity Defense"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["C. Thresa Yancey","Rebecca Ryan"],"dc:creator":["Schlumper, Lauren M."],"dc:date.available":["2013-10-17T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Many people believe that the insanity defense is used to avoid responsibility for committing a crime and that it returns dangerous individuals back to the streets. Due to the fact that it is difficult to separate such pre-existing attitudes from evidence presented throughout the trial, many jurors use their attitudes to assist them when deciding a verdict and punishment. For example, Steblay, Hosch, Culhane & McWethy (2006) found that not only is it difficult for jurors to disregard information that is not relevant or presented during trial, but that pre-trial information and attitudes can actually influence their verdict. The present study examines how dispositional instructions affect juror decision making in an insanity case. Participants completed a scale that assessed their attitudes toward the insanity defense and read a case description, determined a verdict, and recommended a sentence. Participant's attitudes toward the insanity defense influenced their verdict suggestions and recommended sentences. The type of dispositional information given to participants affected the amount of knowledge about defendants using the insanity defense, but did not affect verdicts or sentences. The implications of dispositional information presented to participants are discussed as well as the influence of pre-existing attitudes towards the insanity defense on verdict determination."],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/442"],"dc:subject":["ETD","Insanity defense","Juror attitudes","Flow-chart","Biases"],"dc:title":["Using A Flow-Chart to Reduce Juror's Pre-Existing Biases In Cases Utilizing The Insanity Defense"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Department of Psychology"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis (open access)"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science in Experimental Psychology (M.S.)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:26:52Z"}