The influence of plaintiff's body weight on judgments of responsibility: the role of weight bias.
PROBLEM
The current study investigated the influence of a plaintiff's weight and the location of an accident on a simulated jury's perceptions of plaintiff's personal responsibility for an accident.


METHODS
Participants were 185 lean and overweight male and female adults (mean self-reported body mass index: 24.87±5.45) who read one of three vignettes describing an accident that occurred while leaving one of three different establishments (fast food burger restaurant; fitness gym; department store) while viewing one of two silhouettes of the alleged plaintiff (a lean female; an obese female).


RESULTS
Participants were significantly more likely to report the plaintiff's weight entered into their perceptions of personal responsibility when they viewed the overweight plaintiff compared to the thin plaintiff. As respondent's self-reported weight bias increased, participants were more likely to hold the plaintiff responsible and more likely to blame plaintiff characteristics for the accident.


CONCLUSION
The weight of a plaintiff may affect juror perceptions of personal responsibility particularly if the juror possesses self-reported weight bias.
['White|Darrell E|DE|', 'Wott|Carissa B|CB|', 'Carels|Robert A|RA|']
D000293:Adolescent D000328:Adult D015982:Bias D015992:Body Mass Index D001835:Body Weight D005260:Female D006801:Humans D007600:Judgment D033222:Judicial Role D008297:Male D050177:Overweight D011287:Prejudice D057566:Self Report D012938:Social Perception D012941:Social Responsibility D055815:Young Adult
Weight bias Anti-fat attitudes Courtroom discrimination Juror discrimination in the courtroom Perceptions of responsibility