Adjudication frequently turns on contested issues of fact (e.g., whethera battered woman who claims she killed in self-defense reasonably perceived an immediate threat of death), which must be determined either by juries or judges. CCP researchers are conducting experimental studies to determine how cultural values influence adjudicatory factual determinations and public reactions to the same.

Ongoing studies are being conducted on a variety of issues arising primarily in criminal law. Research for this project is being funded by the Oscar M. Ruebhausen Fundat Yale Law School, the George Washington University School of Law, and the Beasley School of Law at Temple University.

Papers:

Some Realism about Punishment Naturalism

Culture, Cognition, and Consent: Who Perceives What, and Why, in "Acquaintance Rape" Cases

Whose Eyes Are You Going to Believe? An Empirical (and Normative) Assessment of Scott v. Harris

The Self-Defensive Cognition of Self-Defense