| Abstract [eng] |
Decisions, including legal ones, are influenced by intuitive ways of information processing, otherwise known as heuristics. One of them is affect heuristic. This heuristic can play a role in shaping sentencing decisions. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between affect heuristic and decision-making in a legal context. Also, to assess the impact that emotional experience such as remorse and anger has on decision-making (Also, to assess the influence of emotional experience such as remorse and anger on decision-making). The present study consisted of a sample of 90 students from three universities and one college. Age ranges from 19 to 40 years old (56,7% - female, 43,3% - male). The design of this study was – experimental. During the experiment participants were provided with material from one of the three court fables each with five case studies and asked to make a decision regarding sentencing. The results decidedly confirmed that there is a strong relationship between affect heuristic and sentencing decision-making. The information that led to experience remorse influenced lower custodial sentences. Meanwhile, the information that led to experience anger influenced higher custodial sentences. The results revealed that affect heuristic influences the decisions in a legal context. |
