Courtroom Interrogation of Rape Victims: Verbal Response Mode Use by Attorneys and Witnesses During Direct Examination vs. Cross-Examination1

The verbal behavior of attorneys and witnesses (rape victims) in direct and cross-examinations was coded according to a taxonomy of verbal response modes (VRMs). Significant differences were found between the verbal behavior of attorneys and witnesses on direct and cross-examination. The differences are those that would be expected on the basis of the advice given by legal authors concerning the techniques that should be used in the two types of interrogation. The VRMs reflect the different techniques that attorneys use in their efforts to influence juries' impressions of witnesses' credibility.