Testing the Marshall Hypothesis and its antithesis: the effect of biased information on death‐penalty opinion

Deniese Kennedy-Kollar; Evan J Mandery

doi:10.1080/14786011003634480

Testing the Marshall Hypothesis and its antithesis: the effect of biased information on death‐penalty opinion

Deniese Kennedy-Kollar
, Evan J Mandery

Criminal Justice and Legal Studies

CUNY John Jay College

Research & Scholarship: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

<div class="line" id="line-5"> In his concurring opinion in  Furman v. Georgia  (408 U.S. 238, 1972), Justice Thurgood Marshall hypothesized that information about the administration and effects of the death penalty would cause those who support capital punishment to reject it as unfair and ineffective. Prior studies, which have found mixed support for the ‘Marshall Hypothesis,’ have all presumed an objective set of facts about the death penalty exists, and have all focused exclusively on the effect of these facts on death&hyphen;penalty proponents. No prior study has examined the effect of pro&hyphen;death&hyphen;penalty information on death&hyphen;penalty opponents. Researchers presented 187 undergraduates with information that either supported or opposed the death penalty, but not both. Paired sample  t &hyphen;tests compared pre&hyphen; and post&hyphen;test levels of support and found significant decreases in opposition among those opposed to capital punishment at the outset, but no significant change among those who favored capital punishment. This data supports the antithesis of the Marshall Hypothesis. </div>

Original language	American English
Journal	Criminal Justice Studies
Volume	23
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/14786011003634480
State	Published - Mar 17 2010

Keywords

death penalty
public opinion
biased assimilation
Marshall Hypothesis

Disciplines

Criminology and Criminal Justice
Other Legal Studies

Access to Document

10.1080/14786011003634480

Cite this

@article{f7c98689df91411f8372d73616533c21,

title = "Testing the Marshall Hypothesis and its antithesis: the effect of biased information on death‐penalty opinion",

abstract = " In his concurring opinion in\  Furman v. Georgia \ (408 U.S. 238, 1972), Justice Thurgood Marshall hypothesized that information about the administration and effects of the death penalty would cause those who support capital punishment to reject it as unfair and ineffective. Prior studies, which have found mixed support for the \‘Marshall Hypothesis,\’ have all presumed an objective set of facts about the death penalty exists, and have all focused exclusively on the effect of these facts on death\&hyphen;penalty proponents. No prior study has examined the effect of pro\&hyphen;death\&hyphen;penalty information on death\&hyphen;penalty opponents. Researchers presented 187 undergraduates with information that either supported or opposed the death penalty, but not both. Paired sample\  t \&hyphen;tests compared pre\&hyphen; and post\&hyphen;test levels of support and found significant decreases in opposition among those opposed to capital punishment at the outset, but no significant change among those who favored capital punishment. This data supports the antithesis of the Marshall Hypothesis. ",

keywords = "death penalty, public opinion, biased assimilation, Marshall Hypothesis",

author = "Deniese Kennedy-Kollar and Mandery, \{Evan J\}",

note = "1. Lord et al. ( , and 1979. Biased assimilation and attitude polarization: The effects of prior theories on subsequently considered evidence. 1979 Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 37(11): 2098-2109. ) examined attitude polarization among proponents and opponents of the death penalty in response to confirming and disconfirming evidence.",

year = "2010",

month = mar,

day = "17",

doi = "10.1080/14786011003634480",

language = "American English",

volume = "23",

journal = "Criminal Justice Studies",

issn = "1478-6028",

publisher = "Taylor and Francis Inc.",

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T1 - Testing the Marshall Hypothesis and its antithesis: the effect of biased information on death‐penalty opinion

AU - Kennedy-Kollar, Deniese

AU - Mandery, Evan J

N1 - 1. Lord et al. ( , and 1979. Biased assimilation and attitude polarization: The effects of prior theories on subsequently considered evidence. 1979 Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 37(11): 2098-2109. ) examined attitude polarization among proponents and opponents of the death penalty in response to confirming and disconfirming evidence.

PY - 2010/3/17

Y1 - 2010/3/17

N2 - In his concurring opinion in  Furman v. Georgia  (408 U.S. 238, 1972), Justice Thurgood Marshall hypothesized that information about the administration and effects of the death penalty would cause those who support capital punishment to reject it as unfair and ineffective. Prior studies, which have found mixed support for the ‘Marshall Hypothesis,’ have all presumed an objective set of facts about the death penalty exists, and have all focused exclusively on the effect of these facts on death&hyphen;penalty proponents. No prior study has examined the effect of pro&hyphen;death&hyphen;penalty information on death&hyphen;penalty opponents. Researchers presented 187 undergraduates with information that either supported or opposed the death penalty, but not both. Paired sample  t &hyphen;tests compared pre&hyphen; and post&hyphen;test levels of support and found significant decreases in opposition among those opposed to capital punishment at the outset, but no significant change among those who favored capital punishment. This data supports the antithesis of the Marshall Hypothesis.

AB - In his concurring opinion in  Furman v. Georgia  (408 U.S. 238, 1972), Justice Thurgood Marshall hypothesized that information about the administration and effects of the death penalty would cause those who support capital punishment to reject it as unfair and ineffective. Prior studies, which have found mixed support for the ‘Marshall Hypothesis,’ have all presumed an objective set of facts about the death penalty exists, and have all focused exclusively on the effect of these facts on death&hyphen;penalty proponents. No prior study has examined the effect of pro&hyphen;death&hyphen;penalty information on death&hyphen;penalty opponents. Researchers presented 187 undergraduates with information that either supported or opposed the death penalty, but not both. Paired sample  t &hyphen;tests compared pre&hyphen; and post&hyphen;test levels of support and found significant decreases in opposition among those opposed to capital punishment at the outset, but no significant change among those who favored capital punishment. This data supports the antithesis of the Marshall Hypothesis.

KW - death penalty

KW - public opinion

KW - biased assimilation

KW - Marshall Hypothesis

U2 - 10.1080/14786011003634480

DO - 10.1080/14786011003634480

M3 - Article

SN - 1478-6028

VL - 23

JO - Criminal Justice Studies

JF - Criminal Justice Studies

ER -