Perceived credibility of autistic witnesses and the effect of diagnostic information on credibility ratings 2013-2018

One-hundred-and-twenty-five mock jurors rated the credibility of video testimony of 17 autistic and 17 TD witness participants recalling an event. Half of the juror participants were informed that some of the witnesses were autistic and were provided with information about autism; the other half received no information about witnesses’ diagnoses.

Results indicate that disclosing one’s autism diagnosis (alongside further information about autism) may result in a positive bias in terms of witnesses’ perceived credibility. Implications for jury instructions and future research directions are discussed.

Keywords:
autism spectrum disorders, witnesses, juries, perception, criminal justice system

Cite this dataset as:
Maras, K., 2019. Perceived credibility of autistic witnesses and the effect of diagnostic information on credibility ratings 2013-2018. UK Data Service. Available from: https://doi.org/10.5255/UKDA-SN-853737.

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Creators

Katie Maras
University of Bath

Contributors

University of Bath
Rights Holder

Coverage

Collection date(s):

From 1 January 2013 to 1 February 2018

Geographical coverage:

South East England , United Kingdom

Documentation

Data collection method:

Videos of autistic and typically developing (TD) witnesses were taken from a previous experiment (Maras et al., 2013). Here, the experimenter and witness participant each performed several actions on a road traffic accident mannequin and were subsequently interviewed for their memory of the event. Interviews comprised two aspects: free recall and subsequent questioning (as per Achieving Best Evidence guidelines, Home Office, 2011). The final sample of witness participants comprised 17 autistic witnesses and 17 TD witnesses.

Funders

Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
https://doi.org/10.13039/501100000269

ESRC Future Research Leaders - Reporting by People with Autism: A New Evidence Based Supportive Model of Information Gathering for Applied Interviews Contexts
ES/N001095/1

Publication details

Publication date: 20 August 2019
by: UK Data Service

Version: 1

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5255/UKDA-SN-853737

URL for this record: https://researchdata.bath.ac.uk/id/eprint/1028

Contact information

Please contact the Research Data Service in the first instance for all matters concerning this item.

Contact person: Katie Maras

Departments:

Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences
Psychology

Research Centres & Institutes
Centre for Applied Autism Research