This study investigated the effect of a hearsay witness on perceptions of a
n alleged victim in a sexual assault trial. Male and female participants re
ad a fictional criminal court case summary involving a sexual assault, in w
hich a 7-, 16-, or 25-year-old hearsay witness testified on behalf of a 6-
or 15-year-old alleged victim. The prosecution case included the testimony
of 1 primary witness: the alleged child victim, a hearsay witness, or a cli
nical psychologist. A post hoc control group had no primary witness. The he
arsay witness led to as much support of the alleged victim as the child and
the expert witness and more support than the control group. Women were con
sistently more supportive of the alleged victim than men. A 3-way interacti
on of age of hearsay witness, age of alleged victim, and sex of participant
was discussed in terms of the effect of these: factors on how mock jurors
use hearsay testimony in a child sexual assault trial.