What Make An Expert Witness Credible?

Trial consultation has become a quickly growing domain of professional practice for psychologists.  By evaluating cases from a psychological perspective, trial consultants prepare expert witnesses prior to testifying, developing strategies to improve their credibility and even taking part in jury selection  A wealth of evidence shows that developing expert confidence and credibility are important goals for witness training. However, research has yet to articulate a list of testimony delivery skills needed to bolster perceptions of credibility and agreement with the expert. Research into witness preparation has been limited by ethical concerns surrounding that witness [preparation or "coaching" .  A study published in a recent issue of Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research examines the theory behind  expert credibility and how it can be used during trial consultations.   Based on a sample of more than 300 university students and use of videotaped scripts, study results empirically validated a confidence-credibility mediation model of expert witness persuasion. The research also showed a strong effect between expert witness confidence, credibility, and positive jury decisions.  It is argued that the proposed model, grounded in credibility and confidence theories, can be integrated with existing methods of witness preparation training

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