Complete Schedule
Variations in Using Motion and form Information in Biological Motion Perception Across Tasks and Facing
Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Abstract
People with mental health issues often avoid treatment due to stigma associated with mental illness (Rusch, Angermeyer, & Corrigan, 2004). One common stereotype is that people with mental illnesses are violent and more likely to commit serious crimes (Fazel, Lichtenstein, Grann, Goodwin, & Langstrom 2010). Our research question was whether the opposite stereotype holds too—are those who commit violent crimes assumed to be mentally ill? 215 college students and 228 mTurkers read a “news article” describing a murder of a female college student. The articles manipulated the ethnicity of the suspect (name, stated ethnicity, and hometown) and method of death (gun vs. hand strangulation). Participants then rated how likely it was that the suspect was guilty and mentally ill and what a suggested sentence should be. Participants perceived shooters as more likely to be mentally ill and deserving of a lighter sentence than stranglers. White perpetrators were rated as more likely to be mentally ill than those of other races. Liberals agreed more than conservatives that if the perpetrator were mentally ill, he should receive a lighter sentence. People do seem to assume that at least some types of people who commit violent crimes are also mentally ill.
Start Date
25-4-2015 12:00 PM
End Date
25-4-2015 1:15 PM
Faculty Advisor
Helen C. Harton
Copyright
©2015 Matthew J. Kessler, Larissa C. Hall, Victoria E. Linnerson, Zheng Li, and Helen C. Harton
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Kessler, Matthew J.; Hall, Larissa C.; Linnerson, Victoria E.; Li, Zheng; and Harton, Helen C., "Variations in Using Motion and form Information in Biological Motion Perception Across Tasks and Facing" (2015). INSPIRE Student Research and Engagement Conference. 32.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/csbsresearchconf/2015/all/32
Variations in Using Motion and form Information in Biological Motion Perception Across Tasks and Facing
People with mental health issues often avoid treatment due to stigma associated with mental illness (Rusch, Angermeyer, & Corrigan, 2004). One common stereotype is that people with mental illnesses are violent and more likely to commit serious crimes (Fazel, Lichtenstein, Grann, Goodwin, & Langstrom 2010). Our research question was whether the opposite stereotype holds too—are those who commit violent crimes assumed to be mentally ill? 215 college students and 228 mTurkers read a “news article” describing a murder of a female college student. The articles manipulated the ethnicity of the suspect (name, stated ethnicity, and hometown) and method of death (gun vs. hand strangulation). Participants then rated how likely it was that the suspect was guilty and mentally ill and what a suggested sentence should be. Participants perceived shooters as more likely to be mentally ill and deserving of a lighter sentence than stranglers. White perpetrators were rated as more likely to be mentally ill than those of other races. Liberals agreed more than conservatives that if the perpetrator were mentally ill, he should receive a lighter sentence. People do seem to assume that at least some types of people who commit violent crimes are also mentally ill.
Comments
Location: Great Reading Room, Seerley Hall