San Antonio, Texas – At the University of Texas at San Antonio, research in the GROWTH lab is providing innovate insights into jury deliberations involving child witnesses, a topic with limited existing research. Under the mentorship of Assistant Professor of Psychology Monica Lawson, Tori Holland’s work is drawing attention and praise. With new funding secured, this pilot study is set to expand and deepen our understanding of juror behavior.
Under Holland’s leadership, the lab has previously focused on distilling deliberations of mock jurors from UTSA into meticulously detailed transcripts, noting every gesture and spoken word. This labor-intensive process includes translating nonverbal cues like head nods and crossed arms into a coded language readable via spreadsheet analyses.
Holland, who previously spent nearly two years coding data as part of her initial research duties at the lab, acknowledged the arduous nature of the work. However, she emphasized the value of the collected data, stating it brings rewarding insights that merit the effort.
The project recently received a significant boost from the National Institute of Justice, affirming Holland’s status as an emerging scholar. “Tori’s long-standing dedication has earned her recognition far and wide,” remarked Lawson. “This fellowship is a testament to her impactful work at the GROWTH Lab.”
The study is now looking to include a wider and more diverse range of participants from the broader San Antonio community, aiming to assemble a group that mirrors actual jury demographics more closely. Holland anticipates that recruiting from this larger pool will enhance the realism and applicability of the study’s findings.
The scarcity of research into child witnesses within jury deliberations makes Holland’s work particularly vital. The limited data available on this topic underscores the potential broader significance of her findings—not only to academia but also to practical applications in judicial education.
Holland’s ambition for the expanded project goes beyond mere data collection. She sees potential for numerous research papers stemming from this work. Additionally, she is exploring how individual differences among jurors might influence the deliberation process, which could provide fresh perspectives on the dynamics of jury decision-making.
Holland’s optimism extends to potential spin-off projects that could further explore and educate both the public and judicial figures on variations in juror decision-making processes.
This project promises to serve as a cornerstone for forthcoming scholarly papers and could well inform future judicial processes involving young witnesses. It marks an important step towards filling a glaring gap in existing scholarly literature and advancing the understanding of an under-researched facet of the justice system.
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