Trivial persuasion in the courtroom: the power of (a few) minor details.

@article{Bell1989TrivialPI,
  title={Trivial persuasion in the courtroom: the power of (a few) minor details.},
  author={Brad E. Bell and Elizabeth F. Loftus},
  journal={Journal of personality and social psychology},
  year={1989},
  volume={56 5},
  pages={
          669-79
        }
}
  • B. Bell, E. Loftus
  • Published 1 May 1989
  • Psychology, Law
  • Journal of personality and social psychology
Investigated the influence of trivial testimonial detail on judgments of 424 undergraduates who served as mock jurors. Ss read a summary of a court case involving robbery and murder. In Experiment 1, detailed testimony influenced judgments of guilt, even when the detail was unrelated to the culprit. In Experiment 2, detailed testimony was especially powerful when an opposing witness testified that she could not remember the trivial details. Subsequent analyses suggest that the impact of… 
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230 Citations
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Methods Citations
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Results Citations
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