{"id":899644,"date":"2022-02-24T11:23:26","date_gmt":"2022-02-24T18:23:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/?p=899644"},"modified":"2022-02-24T11:23:33","modified_gmt":"2022-02-24T18:23:33","slug":"countering-the-bad-expert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/countering-the-bad-expert\/","title":{"rendered":"Countering the Bad Expert: Don\u2019t Expect Jurors to Deliberate Past the BS on Their Own"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Dr. Ken Broda-Bahm | Holland & Hart<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In my opinion, it is one of the most interesting and important areas of social science at the moment. And if it\u2019s not that, then it\u2019s certainly the sassiest. A group of researchers has been focused on our susceptibility and resistance to various forms of bad information, disinformation, misinformation, rumors, bald-claims, conspiracy theories, and fake news. And I can just picture one of the researchers plaintively raising the question, \u201cCan\u2019t we just call it \u2018bullshit<\/em>?’\u201d Well, they decided that they could, so now we have peer-reviewed scholarly articles on bullshit influence, persistence, and vulnerability. We even have the\u00a0sine qua non<\/em>\u00a0of academic tools \u2014 a validated psychometric measure called the \u201cReceptivity to Bullshit\u201d Scale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While it won\u2019t be a good look to be applying that scale to potential jurors as they come into court, the overarching concept and research findings are relevant to litigation, since it is a measure of how gullible people can be when presented with information that lacks clear meaning or foundation. The question can be particularly important when it comes to expert testimony<\/a>: you have a situation where there is complex information, as well as economic motive for a particular answer, so there\u2019s a real chance that your jurors just might be presented with some bullshit. Researchers have found that, while susceptibility is significant, people can often counter this bad information through reflection. When they have to try explain in their own words why a bullshit idea is actually valid, they become significantly less likely to support it. So, you would think that group deliberation, where individuals are called on to explain and defend their positions, would be the ideal setting for countering testimony that lacks clear meaning or foundation. And in many circumstances it is. But based on a new study, there seems to be unique susceptibility when it comes to expert testimony. In this post, I\u2019ll explain those study results and share a few implications when it comes to countering a bullshitting expert on the other side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Research: Expert Bullshit Is Different From Other Bullshit<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Defining bullshit as \u201cinformation constructed with a carefree indifference for conveying truth, accuracy, clarity, or meaning that is often used to impress, persuade, or otherwise mislead others,\u201d the study\u00a0(Littrell, Meyers & Fugelsang, 2022)\u00a0tested susceptibility to various forms of bullshit, including pseudo-profound statements and fake news headlines, as well as scientific statements that were either anonymous or sourced to experts. Specifically, they looked at whether reflection (e.g., being asked to \u201cdescribe in detail why the statement below is or is not true\u201d) could be a cure. They found that while reflection can reduce the effects of fake profundity and fake news, there is a blind spot when it comes to expert opinion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This suggests that we cannot expect jurors to reason their way out of questionable scientific testimony in the same way they deliberatively respond to other questionable information. The reason that statements from perceived experts seem to work differently comes down to something the researchers call the guru effect: \u201cPeople often perceive bullshit statements from purported experts as more meaningful and convincing than bullshit attributed to anonymous sources.\u201d To some extent, the research participants also seem to outsource responsibility for the explanation from themselves to that expert. As the researchers note, \u201cfailing to generate an explanation for how something works makes individuals doubt the knowledge they possess, but not the knowledge others possess.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Implications: Protect and Empower Your Jurors<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A good trial attorney, of course, wouldn\u2019t expect jurors to reason their way independently to a discovery of the problems with an opposing expert. That litigator has other tools \u2014 namely cross-examination and opposing experts \u2014 that were not available in the research setting. At the same time, both courts and attorneys have good reason to be sensitive to the particular risk that comes from a bad expert.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An Additional Reason for Daubert<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The classic response to the possibility of bad expert evidence has been that jurors are the gatekeepers. Now, however, in a post-Daubert<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>climate, judges are often the ones deciding whether proposed testimony has scientific merit that can be applied to the facts of the case. This research suggests that there is good reason for that. While the kinds of reflection promoted by deliberation are very valuable on a wide array of common-sense determinations, these collective tools can fail when jurors are outside the realm of their own experience and understanding. For those who\u00a0cite social science to the court, this study might add to your motion against the other side\u2019s bad expert.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An Additional Reason to Unpack the \u2018Why\u2019 and to Be the Better Teacher<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The research finding also underscores the intuition that expert witness testimony should never just be presented.<\/em> It should be taught<\/em>. The more jurors outsource their judgment to someone else, the more susceptible they are to bad information. But the more they come to understand the process, the steps, and the reasons<\/em> underlying an expert\u2019s conclusions, the more they can appreciate and use your expert\u2019s counter. This \u201cshow your work\u201d emphasis should be a reminder to your testifying expert that they are not there simply to be an \u201cauthority.\u201d They are there to be the better teacher. Ultimately, it is as much about being clear, concrete, and engaging as it is about being right.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dr. Ken Broda-Bahm | Holland & Hart In my opinion, it is one of the most interesting and important areas of social science at the moment. And if it\u2019s not that, then it\u2019s certainly the sassiest. A group of researchers has been focused on our susceptibility and resistance to various forms of bad information, disinformation,… Continue reading Countering the Bad Expert: Don\u2019t Expect Jurors to Deliberate Past the BS on Their Own<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[7],"tags":[9895,99,17],"class_list":["post-899644","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-expert-witness","tag-advise-consult","tag-expert-testimony","tag-expert-witness-2","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\nCountering the Bad Expert: Don\u2019t Expect Jurors to Deliberate Past the BS on Their Own - 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