It's Not What She Says, It's How She Says It: The Influence of Language Complexity and Cognitive Load on the Persuasiveness of Expert Testimony

Mock jurors rely on a variety of heuristics and stereotypes about expert witnesses when evaluating their testimony. Research indicates that these extra-legal cues have their greatest impact when expert testimony is complex and so processed in a less effortful manner. Previous work suggests that language complexity may also be related to stereotypes about expert gender. This research tested the hypothesis that complex language is seen as stereotypically associated with male experts, whereas simple language is associated with female experts, and that such expectations about the gender orientation of the expert's language influence mock jurors' judgments such that they would be more persuaded when an expert used language that matched his/her gender. Results provided some support for predictions, primarily when the expert was female

Using laboratory experiments to study law and crime

The 19th and 20th centuries produced breakthroughs in physics, chemistry, and the biological sciences. Laboratory research played an important role in the rapid advances made in these fields. Laboratory research can also contribute progress in the social sciences and, in particular, to law and criminology. To make this argument, we begin by discussing what laboratory experiments can and cannot do. We then provide three illustrations of lab experiments that have contributed to understanding of crime and law and discuss how these laboratory data complement those gained through other methods