READING 17

Looking Deathworthy by Eberhardt, Davies, Purdie-Vaughns, and Johnson (2006)

Please refer to the printed reader, Readings in Social Psychology 4/e, for the text of this article.

Overview

Should physical appearance be a determining factor in a jury’s decision as to whether a convicted killer will live or die? Most people would rightfully say, “Of course, not.” However, Eberhardt, Davies, Purdie-Vaughns, and Johnson found that Black defendants who have been found guilty of killing a White person were much more likely to receive the death penalty if they had stereotypically Black facial features (e.g., broad nose, thick lips, dark skin) than if they did not. The authors cite previous studies that have shown that stereotypically Black faces tend to be associated with criminality and that judges were more likely to mete out longer sentences to convicted felons with stereotypically Black features. In the present study, the finding that convicted defendants with stereotypically Black features were more likely to receive the death penalty did not extend to Black defendants accused of killing Blacks. The researchers speculate that the discrepancy is due to the fact that in cases where a Black person killed a White person, the race of the defendant became more salient, focusing jurors’ attention on the defendant’s racial characteristics. As you read this study, consider how it relates to the text’s discussion of implicit racism in Chapter 5 (Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination). Think also about how it pertains to what you read in Chapter 4 (Perceiving Persons), with regard to how we tend to perceive and evaluate others based solely on their appearance.

Critical Thinking Questions

  1. The authors cite other studies showing that people associate criminality with stereotypical Black features. How might such a perception lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy?
  2. Since this is a correlational rather than an experimental study, we cannot definitively conclude that racism is the cause for the jurors’ behavior. Can you think of an alternative explanation that would account for these results?
  3. If you were an attorney representing a defendant with stereotypically African-American features, how would you proceed to defend your client and prevent his being executed in light of this research?
  4. What does this study say about the state of prejudice in America? The study is based on court records from 1979-1999. Is there any reason to think that today’s jurors might be less likely to harbor such prejudices?
  5. Can you think of areas, outside of the law, where having stereotypically African-American features may be a liability?
  6. What can be done to eliminate such appearance-based prejudices in society, in general?

Links for Further Investigation

As the study shows, prejudice and racism continue to exist in this country, although the jurors in the study may have be unaware that they are racists. A CNN poll showed that while most Americans still consider racism to be a problem, they deny being racist themselves. To read the CNN article, Poll: Most Americans See Lingering Racism, go to:

The type of prejudice displayed by the jurors in the study is called subtle racism. An APA article titled Three Decades After King, A Report Card discusses subtle racism with regard to Blacks and other disadvantaged minorities can be accessed at:

The study highlights how juries make decisions based on defendants’ facial features in death penalty cases. A Psychology Today article titled Judging by Appearance discusses how other aspects of appearance such as clothing, jewelry, hairstyles, and attractiveness sway judges and juries. The article can be read at: