Emotional victims and the impact on credibility: A systematic review

Previous research suggests that a victim's emotional expression plays an important role in credibility judgments. However, victims show different emotional responses to the consequences of a crime. Previous research has shown that the emotionality of a victim's demeanor affects the perceived credibility of the victim, also known as the emotional victim effect (EVE). The current systematic review aims to critically scrutinize the current literature on the influence of a victim's emotional demeanor on credibility ratings of that same victim. A comprehensive literature search was performed using search term combinations including victim-related terms, emotion-related terms, and credibility-related terms. A total of 25 studies, published between 1981 and 2017, and in which the emotional demeanor of the victim was manipulated, were included in the systematic review. By using a systematic approach, both in search for studies and in reporting results, the current review provides an overview under what circumstances the EVE is present. This is important because credibility is a key determinant for case advancement in the criminal justice system. A synthesis of the literature suggests that the effect of a victim's emotionality on credibility is dependent upon several factors and almost exclusively found in student samples. •A victim’s emotionality can affect his/her perceived credibility, also known as the emotional victim effect (EVE)•This systematic review investigates how robust the EVE is and which boundary conditions exist•It shows that the EVE is dependent upon several factors and is almost exclusively found in student samples•In general this systematic review highlights biases of emotionality and potential risks of secondary victimization