Sm. Kassin et Ma. Dunn, COMPUTER-ANIMATED DISPLAYS AND THE JURY - FACILITATIVE AND PREJUDICIAL EFFECTS, Law and human behavior, 21(3), 1997, pp. 269-281
Two experiments assessed the effects of computer-animated displays on
mock jurors. In both, participants watched a trial involving a dispute
over whether a man who fell to his death had accidentally slipped or
jumped in a suicide. They watched a proplaintiff or prodefendant versi
on in which the body landed 5-10 feet or 20-25 feet from the building.
Within each condition, the distance testimony was presented orally or
with an animated display. When the tape depicted the event In a neutr
al manner judgments were more consistent with the physical evidence. B
ut when the plaintiff and defense used the tape to depict their own pa
rtisan theories, participants increasingly made judgments that contrad
icted the physical evidence. Results suggest that computer-animated di
splays have greater impact than oral testimony. Whether that impact is
to facilitate or mislead a jury, however depends on the nature of the
display.