Ra. Schuller et J. Cripps, EXPERT EVIDENCE PERTAINING TO BATTERED WOMEN - THE IMPACT OF GENDER OF EXPERT AND TIMING OF TESTIMONY, Law and human behavior, 22(1), 1998, pp. 17-31
The present study investigated the impact of two variables relating to
general expert testimony pertaining to battered women on juror decisi
on processes. Specifically, the gender of the expert, as well as the t
iming of the presentation of the testimony, were investigated in a sim
ulated homicide trial involving a battered woman who had killed her ab
user. Results indicated that when the expert was female and the testim
ony was presented prior to the defendant's testimony, jurors' verdicts
were more lenient. Moreover across a range of case judgments, male ju
rors' perceptions were more favorable to the defendant when the expert
was female as opposed to male. On two of the judgments this latter pa
ttern of results was only evidenced when the testimony was presented e
arly as opposed to late. The significance of these findings is discuss
ed.