Project Justification for Applied Doctoral Project

Running head: PERSONALITY INVENTORIES 1

PERSONALITY INVENTORIES 9

Personality Inventories as Evidence of Personality

Matthew M. Rosario

University of the Rookies

May 15, 2018

Abstract

It can be difficult to understand law in relations to psychology and the way behavior can be explained in a more practical application. Unfortunately, the advancement of psychology and the perception of law are at a constant struggle with each other because law is specific and psychology is changing. Understanding how juror verdict come to be not from a lawyer standpoint by a psychological one can be beneficial as far a juror selection. Juror selection is the most important part during pre-trial services. Being able to use science to investigate juror personality in regards to personality evidence can create a new theory in psychology and law once the research begins and the length and understanding of the topic is better. This paper will outline information of my research topic.

Personality Inventories as Evidence of Personality

It can be difficult to understand law in relations to psychology and the way behavior can be explained in a more practical application. Unfortunately, the advancement of psychology and the perception of law are at a constant struggle with each other because law is specific and psychology is changing. Law does not change in theory, but psychology does which enhances psychological understanding of the world. Being able to identify juror in favor of a particlar postion during “Voir Dire” can be beneficial during legal preceedings. Voir dire is the ability to rehabilitate the jury by allowing the judge and attorney to observe and ask questions to eliminate bias jurors before selecting the final 12 jurors who will preside over the case (Erik, Marek, 2016). Unfortunately, this method can be used in order to evaluate which juror would be most benefical for a particlar lawyer during a trial. In other words, lawyers have the ability to munapluate the selction process in order to gain juror in their favor. According to Schuller, Erentzen, Vo, and Li (2015) it is the right for one to be tried by an impartial and independent jury from one’s peers, but this can be difficult when peers can be prejudice or possibly chosen by attorneys to benefit their position. At this time there is mininal psychological assessement being conducted in order to understand the jurors position outside of their biases. Because this is a new topic emerging in studies, more research needs to be conducted in order to understand the bases of trial science and the annotation of using trial consultant to create mock trials for juror selection for their advantage. Due to trial science being a new specialty this lead to the research topic can personality inventories indicate a juror verdict during trial? Many researchers concluded that juror background demographic information, education and personality could influence a juror verdict, but did not conduct a study outside of mata-anaysis. Therefore, the theroy that personality inventories indicate a juror verdict during trail will allow further explanation of personality and its relasionship to decsion making skills.

Essence of Research

The essence of the topic is led by the ideology of personality traits and the influence of decision making based on evidence presented in court. Understanding personality traits not just only in behavior, but in decision making based on trial and evidence can led to a different type of personality influence and personality facet in regards to evidence trait. There is no scientific framework for juror selection, but to understand juror bias introducing personality inventories to understanding juror precipitation, strengths, and weakness may be able to contribute to developing a juror’s selection personality inventories or evidence trait inventories. According to Gardner, Titcomb, Cramer, Stroud, and Bate (2013) refer to perceiver personality as an individual difference in tendencies to view other interpersonal perceptions across situations. In other words, perceived personality in juror selection can evaluate interpersonal perception in perceived information or situations regarding a particular event. Personality traits in the courtroom have a significant effect on attitudes and judgment across context in perceived similarities with juror’s personality traits. Gardner et al., (2013) investigated the potential influence of mock juror’s perceived similarity on perceptions of expert witnesses in a courtroom. Moreover over Gardner et al., (2013) believed greater global perceived personality similarity would be associated with favorable views of the expert witness in juror’s verdict. Likewise, According to Ingrishlli (2015), the sixth amendment guarantees the accused the right to a trial by an impartial jury. But a jury cannot be impartial do to personality traits and influences. In considering what personality is, the context is important. Everyday people make assessments about their personality or characteristics of other people’s personality. When considering the study of personality, the components make a difference in the definition. These components include whether the characteristic is enduring or consistent, whether it is distinctive or universal (Cervone, 2016, p. 7), both the psychological and physiological characteristics, how characteristics impact on how we respond to our environment and causes us to act, and how personality is displayed in multiple ways (Cherry, 2016).  There are many theories about personality and when our personality is shaped and how consistent it is. The general consensus is that it shaped early in life and remains fairly consistent (Vitelli, 2015). However, there is evidence that life experiences can influence personality changes, particularly life changing experiences (Cervone, 2016, p. 20-22; Vitelli, 2015). This merely contribute to stereotypes in a link demographic and personality variable (Ream, 2009). Ream (2009) conducted a meta-analysis of several researchers to focus on the sixth amendment right. Therefore, evidence trait in regards to personality inventories can help explain juror decision making beforehand based of their personality. This is a new topic emerging in our studies, more research needs to be conducted and understanding how other elements contribute to trial verdicts and the ideology behind personality or evidence influential traits effecting verdicts in the courtroom.

Relevant to Field

The research topic is relevant to the field of trial science in many contributing factors in correlation with juror selection and evidence presentation. Since, law and order in the foundation of our society and the understanding of innocent behavior proven guilty adds another element of surprise for this research topic. Understanding that juror have a prescribed or precursor of personality trait which can influence their verdict may affect the sixth amendment right because of influences and impartial personality traits that can led a juror to vote or chose a verdict in favor or against a position. The APA suggests that personality can be assessed. It is considered a proficiency in professional psychology used to refine clinical diagnosis, inform psychological interventions and increase the accuracy of behavioral prediction and must be done with specialized knowledge and the use of skills and procedures that are established (APA, 2016). A personality assessment is a set of steps to determine information about an individual’s personality and it is done to predict behavior, conduct research, and in clinical settings to provide information for diagnosis and treatment (Cervone & Pervin, 2016, p. 38-39). Understanding this can a personality assessment be created to pinpoint particular evidence based testimony which can influence a person’s particular personality to cause them to lean more towards their position being presented. The relevance to the field of trail science is that of the utmost importance because if we are able to pinpoint particular evidence based traits to personality traits in regards to evidence traits/evidence presented in a trial this can help trial consultant understand or predict how a juror would vote based on a personality assessment data or even answer to questions asked during voir dire. Moreover, this will enhance the understanding of juror selection and will improve the selection process during voir dire.

Improving Client Service and Advancement

Practitioners will be able to improve client service during trial consultation in many different ways which will be beneficial. Practitioner will be able to understand evidence based traits in regards to juror’s personality which will allow them to evaluate and explain to their client the best possible outcome during juror selection. Since voir dire allow both sides to choose the jury this process would only work best if the lawyer has a trial consultant or understand how this assessment being creating or evaluating during my research will work. Practitioners will be able to improve their service by giving their client in advantage during juror selection. If practitioners are able to utilize the information presented in my research this may change the way all trial scientist will conduct their mock trial and research for their servicing clients. This will allow practitioners to break down different personality and evidence which will allow them to educate their clients in understanding how a particular evidence and can be predetermined to effect a juror verdict based on their personality traits. It is interesting that there is no universal operationalized definition for this concept yet, but this research will help practitioners discover this. There are different studies of personality traits and different personality concepts, but we do not have a proper definition of personality evidence because it is a very difficult concept to understand and has not be research at this time. Being able to present the finding for this research will allow other practitioner to investigate similar concept or evolve the concept or thesis being presented today.

Audience for Research

The audience for this research study will be for lawyers, forensic psychologist and trial scientist. This will allow the audience to understanding not only the purpose for personality, but also how it can affect the way a person can interpret particular evidence in relation to their personality facets. The audience in which will be interested in this topic will be forensic psychologist and trial scientist because to will allow their expertise to expend and allow them to understanding the important of juror selection or even as an expert witness. Likewise, this will benefit lawyers during voir dire and allow them to have a deeper understanding of the important of juror selections. The results of the study will be used in order to educate and create an assessment which will measure juror’s personality which can affect their decisions or verdict during a trial. In other words, perceived personality in juror selection can evaluate interpersonal perception in perceived information or situations regarding a particular event. This will allow the understanding of the theory of evidence personality as it effect verdict outcomes based on a juror personality facet. Because we are a going society there will always be room for growth and advancement. The opportunity is endless when the audience is effected by the information of the research and will allow further research to be conducted in order to expend the current topic under research. In evaluating this topic I would like the audience of this topic to understand the importance of science development and how law must change with time in order to keeps it integrity in part. Law is integrity in order to improve this it is important for law to understand psychological advantages and disadvantages with knowing how juror personality can affect the verdict of the trial based on evidence personality. The idea that we all have personality of evidence which is affected by our personality facets and how we understanding a perceive information presenting in a court room. Moreover, this research will improve the audience view of law and psychology being not separate but together to serve justice for all.

Scholar and Practitioner

As a scholar and practitioner I am interested in the answer to my research question. I am interested in the answer because it is a new type of psychology which has little research. Understanding how juror verdict come to be not from a lawyer standpoint by a psychological one can be beneficial as far a juror selection. Juror selection is the most important part during pre-trial services. Being able to use science to investigate juror personality in regards to personality evidence can create a new theory in psychology and law once the research begins and the length and understanding of the topic is better. Trial science is a developing science and with any new science new research must be conduct and proven as science to make an academic or clinical stand. Because of this I am interested in research juror verdict in regards to can personality inventories indicate a juror verdict during trial. Being able to establish a new theory or new study not currently researched is important to the advancement of psychology and forensic psychology in and of itself. The application of trial science can be drawn up from understanding juror’s personality and juror’s background in order to influence judgment in a particular favor. Personality is the key to any lawyer and having the basic science and knowledge on this can allow an advantage. This is way I study the research topic presented early in this paper. Knowledge is power and in order to unlock to secret of personality and it effects of juror verdict.

References

Cervone, D., Pervin, L.A. (2016). Chapters One and Two. Personality Theory and Research, 13th

Edition. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons.  

Crocker, C. B., & Kovera, M. B. (2010). The effects of rehabilitative voir dire on juror bias and decision making. Law and Human Behavior, 34(3), 212-226. doi:10.1007/s10979-009- 9193-9

Gardner, B. O., Cramer, R. J., Titcomb, C. R., Stroud, C. H., & Bate, B. P. (n.d.). Examining the Effects of Perceived Personality Match on Perceptions of Expert Testimony. PsycEXTRA Dataset. doi:10.1037/e571212013-093

Ingriselli, Elizabeth, "Mitigating Jurors’ Racial Biases: The Effects of Content and Timing of Jury Instructions" (2015). Student Prize Papers. 119. http://digitalcommons.law.yale.edu/ylsspps_papers/119

Ream, R. A. (2009). Limited Voir Dire. Criminal Justice, 23(4), 22.

Schuller, R. A., Erentzen, C., Vo, A., & Li, D. (2015). Challenge for a cause: Bias screening procedures and their application in a Canadian courtroom. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 21(4), 407-419. doi:10.1037/law0000056

Vitelli, R. (2015). Can you change your personality? Psychology Today. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/media-spotlight/201509/can-you-change-your- personality