Legal and psychological bases of expert testimony: Surveys of the law and of jurors

✍ Scribed by Dr. Michael J. Saks; Roselle L. Wissler

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1984
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 833 KB
• Volume: 2
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0735-3936
• DOI: 10.1002/bsl.2370020410

✦ Synopsis

This d i e reviews the basic nrles of evidence and procedure that provide the basis for the inaoduction of expert testimony into court. Second, it reviews some of thelindings of social psychorogV r e g d n g expert testimony, primarily the ways in which the structure of society affects what information will reach the court and what is the readiness of the factfinder to deai with that information. F i d y , it reports original data on jurors' assessments of a variety of witnesses (viz. physicians, psychia&ists, psychologists, chemists, document examiners, polygmph examiners, p o k e , eyewitnesses, $rearms experts, and accountnnts and qpmisers). Jmrs' differenM assessments of the different experts and diffemnces among juror subgroups are reported and some exphations for a few of those diiemnces are tested. Michael J. Saks, Ph.D. is an pssoeiate pmfasor a d Rmlle L. Wsrler-MA. a doctoral student. Depmtmmt of Rychdow at Boston CoUege. Correspondence should be direcfed to Dr. Michael Sob. Boston College. Chesfnut Hill. MA 02167.