Jurors_emotional_responses_CSA_testimony.csv

<b>Purpose: </b>This study aimed to understand mock jurors’ emotions in response to children’s testimony about alleged child sexual abuse (CSA), how emotions relate to case-related memory and objective verdict decisions, and whether there are identifiable profiles of emotional responding amongst jurors. <b>Methods: </b>Participants were 172 young adults acting as mock jurors (81% female; <i>M</i>_age <i>= </i>21.24 years, <i>SD </i>= 3.26). Emotions (i.e., anger, sadness, and disgust) were measured before (baseline) and after reading a transcript of a child’s CSA case testimony. Jurors reported on their moral outrage, responded to memory questions, and provided case decisions (i.e., verdict decision, verdict confidence, sentencing length), after reading the testimony.<b>Results: </b>Mock jurors experienced the highest increases in disgust, followed by anger, then sadness, after reading the child’s testimony. Memory for trial details was accurate on average (above 90%) and accuracy was associated with greater increases in disgust. A cluster analysis revealed two distinct profiles of mock juror emotion change such that individuals either had large changes across disgust, anger, and sadness (High Emotion Change group), or small changes across emotions (Low Emotion Change group). Those in the high emotion change group experienced greater moral outrage and recommended longer sentences (~13 years longer). <b>Conclusions: </b>CSA cases elicit a range of negative emotions in jurors and negative emotions predict more punitive decision-making, posing a concern for objectivity. Future research is necessary to identify effective interventions to reduce the biasing effect of emotions (particularly large increases in emotions from pre- to post-case) on juror decision-making.