Dr. Harrison investigated whether a defendant's regional accent influences jury decision-making. He recruited his sample of participants using an opportunity sampling technique, approaching members of the public in a city centre shopping mall on a Tuesday afternoon.
Dr. Harrison presented his participants with an audio recording of a defendant's testimony in a burglary trial. In Condition A, the defendant spoke with a standard Received Pronunciation (RP) accent, and in Condition B, the defendant spoke with a strong regional accent. Participants were then asked to rate the likelihood of the defendant's guilt on a scale from 1 (definitely innocent) to 7 (definitely guilty).
Explain one weakness of Dr. Harrison using an opportunity sampling technique for his investigation.
Practise Edexcel A Level Psychology Content with exam-style questions for A Level Psychology. 1,059 questions covering Biological explanations of crime, Social explanations of crime, Cognitive and ethical interview techniques, Psychological formulation of offending, Cognitive-behavioural treatment for offenders, Biological treatment for offenders, Factors influencing eye-witness testimony, Factors influencing jury decision-making, Individual differences, and Developmental psychology, matched to the Edexcel A Level Psychology (9PS0) specification and written in Paper 1, Paper 2 and Paper 3 style. Every question includes a full worked solution and mark scheme, so you can see where marks are awarded rather than just whether you got the answer right.
