SIMPSON,O.J - A THREAT TO INTERNAL VALIDITY

We examined the effects of a naturally occurring social event that had the potential to affect the results of an ongoing research project ev aluating knowledge of and beliefs about battering in a simulated batte red woman's homicide trial. When the O. J. Simpson murder allegations first unfolded, the study was 75% completed. The extent of media atten tion to issues of battering and domestic homicide necessitated the inc lusion of additional research participants and more in-depth study of several related issues. Very few differences between pre-Simpson and p ost-Simpson participants were unearthed. For the majority of participa nts, the issue of domestic violence was likely not salient and was see n as a contextual factor for understanding why the homicides might hav e occurred, rather than as an independent focal point of substantive c oncern.