An Open University academic has conducted an intriguing test for the BBC\u2019s Morning Live programme on how the accents of people in a courtroom might influence judges and juries.<\/p>\n
Lara Frumkin<\/a> is a Professor of Psychology at the OU and conducted the test in a short film, one of six OU\/BBC films made in co-production with BBC\u2019s Morning Live.<\/p>\n The film states that studies show people can feel discriminated against because of how they speak, both at school and in the workplace and showed how a person\u2019s spoken testimony may affect the outcome of a court case.<\/p>\n A test was designed for a panel of people assembled in a courtroom setting. They are filmed listening to three young men standing anonymously behind a partition taking it in turns to read from the same text.<\/p>\n One has a Yorkshire accent, the second a Black Country accent and the third spoke in received pronunciation (RP) generally known as a southern English accent. See the results here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Lara, pictured, who has researched the impact of British regional accents on how eyewitness testimony is received during criminal trials, said:<\/p>\n \u201cWorking with the BBC team was brilliant. They were able to bring together the panel and mock defendants to show how we make judgements about people based on only their accent.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cThis test highlights that in high stakes courtroom settings, we need to focus on whether it is the content of what is said or the accent in which it is said that influences our decisions.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n The six films were commissioned by Broadcast and Partnerships<\/a> and are supported by the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences with particular relevance to Psychology and Counselling<\/a><\/p>\n Dr Trudi Macagnino <\/strong>\u2013 Eco Wins\n
\nProfessor Gemma Briggs<\/strong> \u2013 Distracted Driving
\nDr Jim Turner <\/strong>\u2013 Changing Your Mind
\nDr Sinead Eccles <\/strong>\u2013 Brain Health Hacks
\nProfessor Kesi Mahendran <\/strong>\u00ad\u00ad\u2013 Are You Extreme?
\nProfessor Lara Frumkin <\/strong>\u2013 Courtroom Accents<\/p>\n\n