Jury perceptions, personality, and self-esteem

Many noteworthy questions are being posed by attorneys about how well psychological research will interface with real life Court. The influence such research may have on the prospective jury pool is at the forefront of such questions. This research design has provided background information concerning those questions, as well as looking at other factors, including self esteem and the "big five" personality traits. In addition, this research will focus on providing a framework for a "local" base rate in three areas of trial consultation. This framework will assist attorneys in their job of: public perceptions of witness preparation with criminal defendants, expectations of criminal defendant demeanor, and judgments with respect to expert-witness characteristics that might be associated with being a "hired gun". A correlational study of jury characteristics utilizing self-esteem scales and personality traits will be conducted.