Introduction
The research that was conducted was aimed at checking the effect of defendant facial expression on mock juror decision-making especially the power of remorse. Researchers had an interest in the facial expression of the defendant and this led them to experimentally manipulate the exhibit of remorse and anger in the defendant pictures so that they could assess the weight that could lead to decision making b y the mock jurors. The research discovered that, the defendants who were remorseful had more lenient verdicts when they were compared to those of an angry defendant. (Christian, 2001).
There was a major relationship between remorse and guilt of the defendants. The individual whose facial photographs indicated that they were remorse had a higher chance of not being guilty that the ones who demonstrated anger and frustrations but this did not alter the way the jury made decisions. The United States legal system had mandated the juries to make decisions of whether an individual was guilty and determine the sentence.
The hypothesis of the research stated that, “facial expression of the defendant determines the effect of decision-making by the juror concentrating on the power of remorse. The most factor of the research was the interest in the use of the facial expressions of the defendant. The goal of the research was to test a theory. It aimed at coming up with the relationship of the facial expressions of the defendant and the decision that the jury makes. The goal also had an interest in using the defendant photographs especially the facial ones as a form of manipulated stimulus. The research came up with conclusion and recommendations that could help the jury in decision making process.
The sample of the study involved 102 participants where 45 were men while 57 were women. The sample was a special one since it involved a young population of a mean age of 19.4%. A bigger population of the sample size was whites and was eligible in jury matters.
The variables in the research are either dependent or independent. The dependant variables are those that are influenced by other external factors. Independent variables are those that stand by themselves and can lead to a certain trend of behavior. The independent variable in the research study was the facial expressions of the dependant. The dependent variable of the study was the behavior or the guilt of the defendant since it was determined by the expression in the face of the defendant.
The experimental design that was in the research was observation. The researchers used their eyes to observe the defendant photographs so that they could make decisions if there was a relationship with remorse or anger with the decision of the jury.
The procedure involved giving the sample size informed consent documents and an information sheet that had demographic details. Afterwards, they were offered with a trial transcript which was packed with photos. The trial was made familiar to them so that they could come up with the final verdict. After they made the conclusions, the participants were required to fill a questionnaire that examined their opinions and views.
Result
The sample size was very small but it supported the hypotheses. The results that were found supported the hypotheses. The three conditions: anger, remorse and neutrality all came up with different results. ANOVAs indicated that the angry had a higher chance to show guilty verdicts of the defendants despite the small sample size. The sample that used the angry photographs recorded the highest level of confidence when comparisons were made against the participant that used the remorseful photographs. The jury was influenced by the facial expressions of the defendant in decision making in a court of law. (Downs, McLin & Caspers, 2009.
Discussion
The mock jurors’ verdicts are determined by the facial expressions of the defendant. The jury was very fast in making conclusions that the defendant is not guilty in instances that the participants saw the photographs that were remorse. In case of the angry photos, the verdict made was that the defendant took part in a second degree murder. The findings corresponded to previous ones that indicated that the situation of remorse was accompanied by leniency but the angry defendants were doomed to a harsh treatment. The photos of anger lead to hash verdicts to the defendant whereas the neutral and remorse photos made the jury to provide manslaughter decisions rather than guilty verdicts.
The results indicate that facial expressions can be used as a way to come up with a verdict. The defense attorney must step up and advise the defendants to reduce the anger and frustrations in front of a jury since this determines the decision that is made in a court of law. This presents with a challenge because in the situation where the defendant is guilty it becomes manipulative when you instruct him to paint a remorse expression on her face.
Critical reaction
The author logic is very clear. This is because; his research is supported by the results that appear. There is much sense in making conclusions that facial expressions are a factor in decision making of the jury. Reasoning is supported by the essence of defendant instincts that judges whether he is guilty or not and this can be easily read by what is observed in his face.
It is important to investigate the meaning of facial expressions because it helps us to better understand the society at large. A smile will indicates sighs of joy whereas anger will show that an individual is not in good moods and there must be something wrong that has occurred.
The participants were not appropriate in the experiment. This is because the sample size was a very small one and it involved a population of the same age mates. This could not clear reflect the truth in the findings that were presented. In future, I would advise the researcher to cover all aspects in the population in the sample size that they will use in the research.
The study can be used to study group behavior by the researchers. This is because it comes clear with an argument that the facial expressions of a person can tell more about his attitude and moods. This can be used to determine whether an individual behavior is either positive or negative.
There is a connection between this article and what is learnt from the textbook. This is because facial expression is seen as a way of an individual to indicate whether he is in good terms or not. The remorsefulness of an individual indicates that everything about him is going on well and the social well being of an individual is observed (Downs, MacLin & Caspers, 2009).
References
M. Kimberly MacLin, Corynn Downs, Otto H. MacLin, Heather M. Caspers, (2009). The Effect of Defendant Facial Expression on Mock Juror Decision-Making: The Power of Remorse. North American Journal of Psychology, Vol. 11, No. 2, 323-332.
