Mock Juror Perceptions of Male and Female Psychopathic Traits

• In Event: The Influence of Psychopathic Traits, Gender, and Biological Evidence on Juror Decision-Making

Abstract

This paper will present findings from three interrelated studies that assessed the influence of defendant gender and the presence of gendered psychopathic traits on juror perceptions of a criminal defendant. Using Cleckley’s (1941) descriptions of the typical male and female psychopaths as guidance, as well as recent research on differences in male and female psychopathic traits, each study employed a 2 (male x female) x 3 (no psychopathic traits, male psychopathic traits, female psychopathic traits) factorial design to examine the influence of these variables on mock juror’s perceptions of the defendant in three types of criminal acts. Each study involved a murder, with the three crimes varying by degree and extent of defendant involvement: accomplice to a murder (indirect and short term involvement), murder by gunshot (direct and short term involvement), and murder by prolonged poisoning (direct and long involvement). In each study, jurors rendered a verdict and rated the defendant’s level of legal and moral responsibility, perceived level of psychopathy, gender typicality, likelihood of violent recidivism, and the likelihood of benefiting from treatment. Findings and implications from each of the studies will be discussed, along with a general discussion about the findings in their totality.

Authors

• C. Adam Coffey, University of Alabama

• Jennifer Cox, University of Alabama

• Megan Kopkin, University of Alabama