PSYCH230 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Jargon, Rodney King, Death-Qualified Jury

• School: University of Waterloo
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYCH230
• Professor: John Rempel

Document Summary

There are various people trying to get you to buy into different stories in the courtroom. Our social inclusion is considered one of our primary motives (the need to belong, the need to be socially connected). Consequently, a lot of our language is reflective of this. 5 examples of language processes of lawyers being successful or unsuccessful. (oriented at triggering emotional processes) 2. (successful defense attorneys) use more abstract language, more legal jargon, and more ambiguous words. (there is a lack of clarity. ) It makes the listener feel a little bit stupid, and as if the speaker must know what they are talking about. (winning prosecutors) ask more questions referring to the witness, spoke longer, and made more assertive statements. More confident & convincing: when a lawyer allowed a witness to testify without interruptions in a narrative style, the witness becomes more believable.