“Character Evidence Across the Color Line: How Jurors Use Character Evidence and Stereotypes When Determining Guilt” February 20, 2012

January 13, 2012 – A social psychologist who studies stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination within the context of the criminal justice system will be the next speaker in the Colloquium Series in Psychological Sciences and Human Behavior at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College.

Dr. Jennifer Hunt of Buffalo State University will speak at Penn State Behrend at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 20, in the Reed Auditorium, located on the second floor of the Reed Union Building. Her talk is free and open to the public.

Hunt’s presentation, “Character Evidence Across the Color Line: How Jurors Use Character Evidence and Stereotypes When Determining Guilt,” will discuss her research, which shows that jurors often use character evidence in impermissible ways that result in an increased number of guilty verdicts for minority defendants.

The Colloquium Series in Psychological Sciences and Human Behavior is hosted by Penn State Behrend’s B.A. and B.S. in Psychology degree programs and its Certificate in Crime, Psychology, and Public Policy, as well as by the Psychology Coalition, the Susan Hirt Hagen Center for Community Outreach, Research and Evaluation (CORE), the School of Humanities and Social Sciences and the Student Activity Fee.

For additional information, phone Dr. Carol Wilson, assistant professor of psychology, at 814-898-6082 or e-mail clw33@psu.edu.