Trait expectancies and stereotype expectancies affect person memory similarly in a jury context

This experiment, a simulated trial study, examined whether trait expectancies and stereotype expectancies similarly affected memory for expectancy-relevant behaviors. Participants read a description of a defendant, which was followed by testimony that induced a trait or stereotype expectancy. After viewing the evidence items and giving a guilt judgment, the participants were asked to recall as many of the evidence items as they could and to complete a thought listing measure. The results showed that, when overtly applied to the defendant, trait expectancies and stereotype expectancies had similar effects, producing incongruity effects on recall. Additional analyses examining the participants' post-hoc reports of the thoughts that they had as they processed the behaviors provided little evidence that subjects attempted to reconcile items or attempted to reconcile the items with the expectancy.