The impact of Developmental Language Disorder in a defendant’s description on mock jurors’ perceptions and judgements

Abstract

Background: While it has been posited that young people with language needs may be viewed more negatively (e.g. as more rude, less cooperative) than those without language needs, the impact of knowing about a person’s language needs on others’ perceptions has yet to experimentally tested. Aims: This study sought to examine whether the presence of a Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) diagnosis in a defendant’s information would affect mock jury ratings of guilt, sentence length, credibility and blameworthiness. Methods & Procedures: 143 jury eligible participants read a vignette of a non-violent crime. Half of the participants (N= 73) were told the defendant has a diagnosis of DLD, while half (N= 70) were not told. Outcomes & Results: Preregistered analyses found that DLD information affected ratings of credibility and blameworthiness, though not judgements of guilt or sentence length. Unregistered content analyses were applied to the justifications participants gave for their ratings: these suggested that participants who did not have the DLD information judged the defendant more on his personality and attitude, and drew more links to his (perceived) background, while participants who received the DLD information condition made more reference to him having cognitive problems. Conclusions & implications: Unlike in previous studies of the impact of autism information, information about a defendant’s DLD did not affect mock jurors’ likelihood of finding them guilty, or lead participants to give longer sentence. However, our findings suggest knowing a person has DLD does affect others’ perceptions of credibility and blameworthiness.

Camouflaging in Developmental Language Disorder: The Views of Speech and Language Pathologists and Parents

“…Indeed, some scholars have argued that for young offenders, a population in which undetected language problems are common, unrecognized language needs may lead young offenders to appear rude, reticent, lazy, or uncooperative and may negatively impact the success of interventions and programs aimed at reducing reoffending behavior (Snow & Sanger, 2011). Recent experiments testing the perceptions naive adults make of young people with DLD suggest that not knowing that a person has DLD leads participants to judge an individual as less honest, less likable, and more blameworthy (Hobson, Woodley et al, 2022). In addition, given the emerging links between camouflaging and poor mental health outcomes in autism (Cassidy et al, 2020), the study of camouflaging in DLD could assist in understanding why this population is at greater risk of depression and anxiety (Conti-Ramsden & Botting, 2008).…”