Whither Blind Justice? Effects of Physiognomy on Judicial Decisions

Leslie Zebrowitz, Brandeis University

Monday, February 22
Although we value ‘blind justice’, judges and juries are not blind to the physical appearance of defendants. Moreover, research shows that peoples’ facial appearance influences impressions of their honesty and judgments of their culpability, effects that have been shown to bias decisions in the courtroom. I will discuss research that documents these effects, placing them into a theoretical framework.

Play "Leslie Zebrowitz on the Effects of Physiognomy on Judicial Decisions"

Discussions

• Judith Donath
  A Reflection on Leslie Zebrowitz’ talk

Links

• Leslie's Faculty Webpage
• Zebrowitz, L.A., & Montepare, J.M. (2008). Social Psychological Face Perception:  Why Appearance Matters. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 2, 1497-1517.
• Zebrowitz LA, Luevano V, Bronstad MP, Aharon I. (2009).Neural Activation to Babyfaced Men Matches Activation to Babies. Social Neuroscience.4:1–10.
  
• Zebrowitz, L.A., Voinescu, L., & Collins, M.A. (1996). ‘Wide eyed’ and ‘crooked-faced’: Determinants of perceived and real honesty across the life span.  Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 22, 1258-1269. 
• Zebrowitz,L.A. & McDonald, S.  (1991). "The impact of litigants' babyfacedness and attractiveness on adjudications in small claims courts." Law and Human Behavior 15, 603-623.

About Leslie

Leslie Zebrowitz is the Manuel Yellen Professor of Social Relations in the Department of Psychology at Brandeis University.