RELATIONS AMONG MOCK JURORS ATTITUDES, TRIAL EVIDENCE, AND THEIR SELECTIONS OF AN INSANITY DEFENSE VERDICT - A PATH ANALYTIC APPROACH

This study examined an important question relevant to the domain of th e insanity defense: What are the interrelationships among important ev idential and attitudinal factors which influence how jurors decide the ir final verdicts? To answer this question, a mock trial in which the insanity defense was argued was presented to 224 college undergraduate s by means of an audiotape and slide show. Following the presentation, participants were asked to answer a series of questions regarding the trial. A path model was specified with four evidential factors as end ogenous variables, i.e., evaluation of the defendant's mental status, belief that the defendant could be rehabilitated, beliefs regarding th e accuracy of the expert witnesses, and mock-jurors' predeliberation v erdicts. In addition, three attitudinal factors were specified as exog enous variables, i.e., attitudes toward the insanity defense, attitude s towards due process vs crime control, and attitudes towards the deat h penalty. The path model was consistent with previous literature, sug gesting that jurors' attitudes toward the death penalty and the insani ty defense had a direct effect on how they evaluated the accuracy of t he expert testimony and their evaluation of the defendant's over-all m ental status. In turn, mock jurors' evaluations of the defendant's men tal status had a direct effect on their selections of verdict. Importa ntly, mock jurors' evaluations of the evidential factors, particularly the mental status of the defendant, were a stronger predictor of thei r selections of verdict than were their initial attitudes.