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Description
By providing vignettes with manipulated scientific evidence, this research examined if including more or less scientific detail affected decision-making in regards to the death penalty. Participants were randomly assigned one of the two manipulations (less science and more science) after reading a short scenario introducing the mock capital trial and their role as jury members. Survey respondents were told that a jury had previously found the defendant guilty and they would now deliberate the appropriate punishment. Before being exposed to the manipulation, respondents answered questions pertaining to their prior belief in the death penalty, as well as their level of support of procedural justice and science. These questions provided a baseline to compare to their sentencing decision. Participants were then asked what sentence they would impose \u2014 life in prison or death \u2014 and how the fMRI evidence presented by an expert witness for the defense affected their decision. Both quantitative and qualitative measures were used to identify how the level of scientific detail affected their decision. Our intended predictor variable (level of scientific detail) did not affect juror decision-making. In fact, the qualitative results revealed a variety of interpretations of the scientific evidence used both in favor of death and in favor of life. When looking at what did predict juror decision-making, gender, prior belief in the death penalty, and political ideology all were significant predictors. As in previous literature, the fMRI evidence in our study had mixed results with regards to implementation of the death penalty. This held true in both of our manipulations, showing that despite the level of detail in evidence intended for mitigation, jurors with preconceived notions may still disregard the evidence, and some jurors may even view it is aggravating and thus increase the likelihood of a death sentence for a defendant with such brain abnormalities.
ContributorsBerry, Megan Cheyenne (Author) / Fradella, Hank (Thesis director) / Pardini, Dustin (Committee member) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12
Description
The US Department of Homeland Security has routinely identified terrorism as the largest threat to the security and prosperity of the United States and as a result, the US Government has devoted significant military, monetary, and law enforcement resources to safeguarding our country against terror attacks. When most people Americans think about terrorism, the first thing that pops into their heads are Islamic groups such as ISIS, Al Qaeda, and the Taliban. However, right-wing domestic terrorist groups continue to operate within the United States but seem to draw little attention from both the US government and the public. This paper will use data collected by several United States government agencies as well as private research databases to investigate if radical Islamic terrorists or right-wing domestic terrorists pose a greater threat to the security of the United States and its citizens. It is hoped that the data gathered will inform the readers about various terrorist organizations and provide valuable insights into what areas require more resources and attention as well as what changes should be made to increase our ability to safeguard our country against all terrorist threats.
ContributorsBennett, Hunter (Co-author) / Baker, Jake (Co-author) / den Heyer, Garth (Thesis director) / DeMarino, Anthony (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / School of Criminology and Criminal Justice (Contributor) / Watts College of Public Service & Community Solut (Contributor) / Department of Military Science (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05