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The Eyes Really Do Have It: Attribution of Character in the Eyes of Killers

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Abstract

“The eyes are the window of the soul” is a staple cliché in many cultures, but is there any truth to this concept, of any potential importance in the forensic realm? The present study addressed this question in two experiments. It was shown that observation of the eyes and ocular regions of normal control individuals, and of serial killers, enabled average respondents to distinguish these individuals clearly in terms of trustworthiness, likability, and general “goodness.” In both experiments, and based on nothing but this observation, serial killers were consistently rated lower on all three indices. No sex or individual differences were observed in this pattern of results. These findings are consistent with current evolutionary and cognitive theory, and may highlight the importance of the perception of defendants by witnesses and jurors in criminal proceedings.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank Richard Herrera for his expertise and assistance in generating the digital stimuli employed in this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, California State University, Fresno, CA, USA

    Matthew J. Sharps & Megan R. Herrera

Authors
  1. Matthew J. Sharps
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  2. Megan R. Herrera
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Matthew J. Sharps.

Ethics declarations

This article is based entirely on original work conducted by the authors. Full ethical approval per University and OHARP regulations was obtained from the appropriate CSU Institutional Review Board in advance, and the study was IRB-designated “minimal risk.”

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Informed Consent

Full informed consent, in writing, was received from all respondents and the completed informed consent forms are stored separately from the data under locked conditions, as per American Psychological Association regulations.

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Sharps, M.J., Herrera, M.R. The Eyes Really Do Have It: Attribution of Character in the Eyes of Killers. J Police Crim Psych 34, 105–108 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11896-018-9271-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11896-018-9271-3

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