A CONFIDENCE-CREDIBILITY MODEL OF EXPERT WITNESS PERSUASION

MEDIATING EFFECTS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR TRIAL CONSULTATION

Cramer, Robert J.
DeCoster, Jamie
Harris, Paige B.
Fletcher, Lisa M.
Brodsky, Stanley L.

¹Department of Psychology and Philosophy, Sam Houston State University
²Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning, University of Virginia
³Department of Psychology, University of Alabama

Robert J. Cramer, Department of Psychology and Philosophy, Sam Houston State University, Box 2447, Huntsville, TX 77341 [email protected]

Submission April 13, 2011. Revision May 27, 2011. Accepted May 31, 2011.

Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research 63(2):p 129-137, June 2011. | DOI: 10.1037/a0024591

Trial consultation is a quickly growing domain of professional practice for psychologists. Preparing expert witnesses to testify is just one prime example of practice options for consultants. A wealth of evidence shows that developing expert confidence and credibility are important goals for witness training. However, research has yet to articulate a list of testimony delivery skills needed to bolster perceptions of credibility and agreement with the expert. The present study advances expert credibility theory and trial consultation practice by empirically validating a confidence-credibility mediation model of expert witness persuasion. It is argued that this model, grounded in credibility and confidence theories, can be integrated with existing methods of witness preparation training.