EFFECT OF CRIME SERIOUSNESS ON SIMULATED JURORS USE OF INADMISSIBLE EVIDENCE

The effect of crime seriousness on American student jurors' use of ina dmissible evidence was examined. Previous research has shown that some times simulated jurors disregard inadmissible evidence, and sometimes they do not. Various factors have been investigated in an attempt to a ccount for these mixed results (reactance, direction of the inadmissib le evidence, objections, and rulings). In the present study, students read a brief trial summary of a crime that was low, intermediate, or h igh in seriousness (vandalism, arson, or murder). Half of the sample w as exposed to ambiguous evidence, and the other half was exposed to da maging, inadmissible evidence. Across crimes, all factors were held co nstant except for descriptions of the crimes themselves. Only when the crime was not serious were students biased by the inadmissible eviden ce. Crime seriousness was positively correlated with guilt judgments w hen the evidence was ambiguous, but not when damaging inadmissible evi dence was added.