Cornell University

I am currently working on a research project here at the Cornell in Washington program that deals with Information processing differences among jurors and the role they play in criminal trials and punishment assessment? Are either intuitive or rational processors particularly susceptible to bias from extralegal factors, such as attractiveness?
According to CEST (cognitive experiential self theory) information processing in humans can travel through two pathways a rational one and an experiential one. An appeal to emotion, and personal experience characterize intuitive processing. Whereas a strong emphasis on analysis, fact and logical argument is said to characterize rational processing. My hypothesis is that people who, in their natural state, tend to be more of an experiential processor are more susceptible to extralegal factors such as defendants attractiveness or age.