Author(s)/Creator(s)

Peter Blanck, Stanford LawFollow

Document Type

Article

Date

1987

Keywords

courtrooms|nonverbal communication

Language

English

Disciplines

Social and Behavioral Sciences

Description/Abstract

The central importance of the judge in determining the courtroom atmosphere and ultimate fairness of a trial has long been recognized in law. ''Atmosphere'' is, however, a subtle factor, often not readily apparent from the dry appellate record. Recent empirical research I conducted with two colleagues (psychologist Robert Rosenthal, Ph.D., and Judge LaDoris Hazzard Cordell '74) indicates that a trial judge's nonverbal behavior- gestures, facial expressions, tone of voice, and general demeanor-might reveal opinions and beliefs about the defendant's guilt or innocence that are at odds with the actual words spoken.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Share

COinS