The psychology behind the Zimmerman trial
While the facts have yet to completely emerge in this high profile case, there are psychological explanations for several of the allegations made by both parties. Allow me to engage in a step by step analysis of some of the key allegations:
- George Zimmerman "singled out" Trayvon Martin because of his race.
It is yet unknown whether Zimmerman is racist. However, Zimmerman may have perceived ambiguous activity as more suspicious if Martin closely conformed to Zimmerman's picture of the typical criminal. Referred to as a “schema,” many people envision the typical criminal as being out at night, tall, and unfortunately, black. Research supports the notion that we are more likely to find guilt when a criminal defendant conforms to our criminal schema. Is this a conscious process? Research seems to suggest that it’s not- schemas can be activated and operate outside awareness.
The verdict: Zimmerman may have been more likely to construe Martin’s behavior as suspicious because it might have conformed to his schema for the typical criminal. However, this may not have been a conscious, deliberate process, which is often the connotation underlying racism.
- A witness reports seeing Zimmerman on top of Trayvon Martin when the fatal shot was fired.
The witness stated seeing two men, “one on top of the other.” When pushed, the witness reported (albeit not very confidently) that it was likely Zimmerman on top of Martin, as this was the inference drawn from the fact that Zimmerman shot Martin. This witness may play an integral role in this case. This witness may be merely drawing on his/her schema for what typically happens in a fight. The winner gets on top of the loser, beats him, and the winner walks away. It is certainly possible that in the absence of a long, good view (the incident happened at night), this witness may be erroneously “filling in the gaps” with his/her schema. Moreover, once the outcome is known (that Martin was shot), hindsight becomes 20/20- witnesses often revise their memory to conform to their schema.
The verdict: Zimmerman may have been on top of Trayvon Martin when the gun went off. However, the credibility of this witness is likely to be heavily scrutinized at trial.
- Pre-trial publicity will render a fair trial in Florida impossible.
There is little doubt that pre-trial publicity (PTP) can bias the jury in favor of the prosecution. Yet look no further than the Casey Anthony case to know that PTP does not always equal a guilty verdict. While the concept of “fair” is difficult to define, it is feasible that the seated jury if this case goes to trial will (1) not all be biased towards the prosecution, and (2) can still be swayed by the evidence presented at trial. Although PTP impacts trial outcomes, all evidence heard before or at the beginning of trial does not render the actual trial itself irrelevant. Concepts like pre-decisional distortion show us that while PTP may anchor some jurors’ pre-trial beliefs towards guilt, that jurors’ opinions can (and often do) change during trial.
The verdict: A fair trial will be difficult, but certainly not impossible. Although PTP can be powerful, there is also PTP favorable towards Zimmerman. The key to the case outcome may be jury selection: jurors who are more likely to thoughtfully and systematically analyze case evidence may be less affected by the media circus, racial elements, and ultimately PTP than those who are less likely to process evidence in this fashion.