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Article

Words Matter: How Attorney Language Abstraction and Emotional Valence Shape Juror Decision-Making

1
Interdisciplinary Social Psychology Ph.D. Program, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557, USA
2
Department of Sociology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557, USA
3
Department of Psychology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Behav. Sci. 2025, 15(10), 1355; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15101355 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 15 June 2025 / Revised: 26 September 2025 / Accepted: 30 September 2025 / Published: 4 October 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Social Cognitive Processes in Legal Decision Making)

Abstract

The language used by attorneys at trial could influence case outcomes, impacting fairness and wrongful convictions. At trial, attorneys choose their words to manage impressions the jury forms of the defendant, thereby influencing case outcomes. This study examines whether the abstraction and emotional valence of attorneys’ language at trial influence jurors’ decision-making. In this 2 × 2 factorial experiment, 273 online participants read an attorney’s closing statement regarding a civil case, with the emotional valence of the attorney’s descriptions being either positive or negative, and the abstraction concrete or abstract (e.g., a negative–concrete description being “the cost of removing these cancer-causing chemicals is millions of dollars” vs. the corresponding abstract description, “the cost of removing these health-hazardous chemicals is enormous”). The results revealed that attorney language abstraction and emotional valence influenced jurors’ perceptions of the case: Participants judged the defendant as more liable when exposed to negative–concrete language than positive–concrete language—a difference not present with abstract language. Findings suggest that attorneys might benefit from tailoring their language in closing arguments and that jurors’ decisions can be influenced by how information is conveyed—highlighting implications for courtroom communication and legal outcomes.
Keywords: language abstraction; emotional valence; jury decision-making; persuasion; courtroom communication; liability language abstraction; emotional valence; jury decision-making; persuasion; courtroom communication; liability

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Healy, J.; Miller, M.K.; Yang, Y. Words Matter: How Attorney Language Abstraction and Emotional Valence Shape Juror Decision-Making. Behav. Sci. 2025, 15, 1355. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15101355

AMA Style

Healy J, Miller MK, Yang Y. Words Matter: How Attorney Language Abstraction and Emotional Valence Shape Juror Decision-Making. Behavioral Sciences. 2025; 15(10):1355. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15101355

Chicago/Turabian Style

Healy, Justice, Monica K. Miller, and Yueran Yang. 2025. "Words Matter: How Attorney Language Abstraction and Emotional Valence Shape Juror Decision-Making" Behavioral Sciences 15, no. 10: 1355. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15101355

APA Style

Healy, J., Miller, M. K., & Yang, Y. (2025). Words Matter: How Attorney Language Abstraction and Emotional Valence Shape Juror Decision-Making. Behavioral Sciences, 15(10), 1355. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15101355

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