SOCIAL-WORKERS AND POLICE OFFICERS PERCEPTION OF VICTIM CREDIBILITY -PERSPECTIVE-TAKING AND THE IMPACT OF EXTRA-EVIDENTIAL FACTORS

The credibility of a victim can be influenced by factors that objectiv ely should not have any impact on the judgemental process. The present two studies examine the influence of two such factors: (1) the non-ve rbal behavior of the victim, and (2) the ethnic identity of the victim , in the context of two different perspectives of observation (victim focused or truth detecting). Study 1 focused on perspective taking, an d was included for the methodological reason that in Study 2 perspecti ve taking was necessarily confounded with subject gender. Study 1 indi cates that the perspective of the observer has a significant influence on the perceived credibility of the victim and the interpretation of non-verbal behavior. In Study 2 perspective-taking was manipulated mor e realistically by including a sample of social workers and of police officers. The other two factors were manipulated in the videotapes. Re sults suggested that the white victim exhibiting white non-verbal beha vior, judged by a social worker, is perceived as more credible and has less chance of secondary victimisation. The black victim however, exh ibiting black non-verbal behavior, who is judged by a police-officer, is perceived as least credible and runs a higher chance of secondary v ictimisation.