Universität zu Köln

Engel, Christoph ORCID: 0000-0001-8513-8532, Timme, Sinika ORCID: 0000-0002-7599-3583 and Glöckner, Andreas ORCID: 0000-0002-7766-4791 (2020). Coherence-Based Reasoning and Order Effects in Legal Judgments. Psychol. Public Policy Law, 26 (3). S. 333 - 353. WASHINGTON: AMER PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOC. ISSN 1939-1528

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Abstract

According to coherence-based models of legal judgment, individuals form coherent mental representations to make sense of the available evidence. In this process, evidence supporting the emerging assessment is accentuated, resulting in coherence effects. Dependent on specific implementations of coherence-based models, in legal tasks both overweighting of evidence that is presented early (a primacy effect) or late (a recency effect) can be predicted. In two studies (N-1 = 221, N-2 = 332), we investigate coherence effects, order effects, and their interrelation in a mock legal case. We manipulate the order in which the evidence is presented, and whether or not individuals are induced to assess provisionally whether they deem the defendant guilty after seeing half of the evidence (leaning). This leaning manipulation should increase primacy effects. We consistently observed recency effects and no stronger influence of primacy effects when people indicate a leaning. Order and leaning did not influence the magnitude of coherence effects. In contrast to previous findings in consumer research and risky choice tasks, coherence effects did not mediate the effect of the order in which the evidence in legal judgments is presented. If our results hold more generally, coherence-based models of legal judgment might have to be revised to give more weight to recency effects as compared to the typically predicted primacy effects. This revision would have implications for the design of criminal procedure.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID ORCID Put Code Engel, Christoph UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0001-8513-8532 UNSPECIFIED Timme, Sinika UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0002-7599-3583 UNSPECIFIED Glöckner, Andreas UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0002-7766-4791 UNSPECIFIED
URN:	urn:nbn:de:hbz:38-325006
DOI:	10.1037/law0000257
Journal or Publication Title:	Psychol. Public Policy Law
Volume:	26
Number:	3
Page Range:	S. 333 - 353
Date:	2020
Publisher:	AMER PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOC
Place of Publication:	WASHINGTON
ISSN:	1939-1528
Language:	English
Faculty:	Faculty of Human Sciences
Divisions:	Faculty of Human Sciences > Department Psychologie
Subjects:	Psychology
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Keywords Language DECISION-MAKING ORDER; INFORMATION DISTORTION; CONSISTENCY THEORIES; FORMING IMPRESSIONS; PRIMACY; RECENCY; PREFERENCES; PERSUASION; COGNITION; MEMORY Multiple languages Health Policy & Services; Law; Psychology, Multidisciplinary Multiple languages
Refereed:	Yes
URI:	http://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/id/eprint/32500