Abstract
This study investigated the effects of emotionally arousing stimuli on later ‘objective’ judgments by using a brief summary of a personal injury case either with or without color slides of the victim. Information contained in such pictures is in principle extraneous to the objective facts in the case, and some courts do bar such material. An assessment was made of the actual effect of such material on judgments. Could subjects ignore it and base their decisions on objective information alone, or would their emotional arousal actually sway their opinions? Results showed that, indeed, even in the context of an objective legal setting, the slides caused a significant effect on judgments.
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Oliver, Ed ward C. Effects of cognitions of arousal and actual arousal in low-emotional and high-emotional situations. Unpublished Master’s thesis, Kansas State University, 1975.
References
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Oliver, E., Griffitt, W. Emotional arousal and ‘objective’ judgment. Bull. Psychon. Soc. 8, 399–400 (1976). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03335179
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03335179