NCJ Number
146294
Journal
Law and Human Behavior Volume: 17 Issue: 6 Dated: (December 1993) Pages: 661-677
Date Published
1993
Length
17 pages
Annotation
Because the Legal Attitudes Questionnaire (LAQ) predicts juror bias but little evidence is available on its reliability and construct validity, two studies were conducted to evaluate the LAQ's reliability and validity.
Abstract
The first study employed a questionnaire containing original and revised LAQ versions, measures of related and unrelated constructs, and demographic questions. Questionnaires were completed by 294 undergraduate psychology students. In the second study, shortened questionnaires were completed by 102 jury-eligible adults. Results of both studies indicated that the revised LAQ version was superior to the original LAQ version in terms of missing data, internal reliability, and construct validity. The ipsative nature of the original LAQ created psychometric problems that were somewhat ameliorated by the revised LAQ. Study findings also highlighted the underlying importance of methodological concerns in jury research. A refined version of the revised LAQ is presented, evaluated, and recommended for future use. 20 references and 5 tables