JURORS PERCEPTIONS OF CHILD VICTIM-WITNESSES IN A SIMULATED SEXUAL ABUSE TRIAL

Two studies investigated the effects of a child witness's age (5, 10, or 15 years old), communication style (powerful vs. powerless), and pr osecuting attorney questioning methods (leading vs. nonleading) on per ceptions of her testimony in a videotaped mock trial. In Experiment 1, as predicted, ratings of a child witness's credibility were most extr eme when the child's communication style contrasted with adults' age-r elated expectations. Results of Experiment 2 showed that the child's c ommunication style strongly affected perceptions of the defendant as w ell.