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Psychologists' Credibility in Court : The Role of Confidence and Doctoral Degrees
Weidner, Alessa (2025) Psychologists' Credibility in Court : The Role of Confidence and Doctoral Degrees.
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| Abstract: | Psychological expert witnesses are vital to the modern German legal system, and their role in court proceedings is expected to become increasingly prominent. However, existing research on biases influencing the perceived credibility of psychologists in court is primarily based on the U.S. context and may not generalize to Germany. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate which biases affect individuals’ evaluations of psychologists’ credibility in the German context. It was hypothesized that psychologists displaying higher confidence or holding a doctoral degree would be perceived as more credible and that this effect would be magnified when both factors are present. Thus, the study employed a mixed-methods, between-subjects 2 (PhD vs. no PhD) x 2 (high confidence vs. low confidence) design and collected data from 156 members of the German public via an online survey. While the self-reported credibility ratings revealed no significant main or interaction effects, the results on participants’ identification of key text passages indicated significantly more favorable evaluations for psychologists with doctoral degrees and higher confidence levels, but this effect was weakened when both were present. The findings imply that these biases may still operate on an implicit level even when attempts are made to remain objective. Thereby, the findings can help expert witnesses to mitigate biases against them and enhance the preparation and training of legal actors, especially for lay judges. The current study is the first to shed light on the evaluative process of credibility judgments in German courts and highlights the need for further investigation. These efforts can ultimately promote more transparency, fairness, and trust in the German legal system. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Master) |
| Faculty: | BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences |
| Subject: | 77 psychology |
| Programme: | Psychology MSc (66604) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/106986 |
| Export this item as: | BibTeX EndNote HTML Citation Reference Manager |
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