An Investigation Into the Unconscious Influence of Mortality Salience Upon Sentencing Decisions.

Bethan Robinson, Daniel R Stubbings, Joseph L Davies, Deiniol Skillicorn

Abstract read

In one paragraph

Article in Psychological reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it

0cells of the map it votes in

0citing papers in PubMed

–field-weighted citation impact

1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Bethan RobinsonDepartment of Applied Psychology, School of Sport and Health Sciences, Cardiff Metropolitan University, Cardiff, UK.

Daniel R StubbingsDepartment of Applied Psychology, School of Sport and Health Sciences, Cardiff Metropolitan University, Cardiff, UK.

Joseph L DaviesDepartment of Applied Psychology, School of Sport and Health Sciences, Cardiff Metropolitan University, Cardiff, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-6011-8591

Deiniol SkillicornDepartment of Applied Psychology, School of Sport and Health Sciences, Cardiff Metropolitan University, Cardiff, UK.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

This study aimed to explore if unconscious awareness of death influences the harshness of offender sentencing. According to Terror Management Theory death is anxiety-provoking, and self-esteem and a belief in a shared cultural worldview keep anxiety at bay. When these factors are challenged then death awareness increases. These dynamics could be relevant in a court setting in which judges have to make decisions regarding offenders who may have different world views and in cases that trigger the awareness of mortality. We used subliminal priming to activate the awareness of death and recorded the effect it had on decision-making against a hypothetical offender. Participants (

Indexed as

Attitude to DeathAwarenessCriminalsDecision MakingSubliminal StimulationUnconscious, PsychologyAdolescentAdultFemaleHumansMaleYoung Adultlegal decision makingmortality saliencesubliminal primingTerror management theory

Identifiers

PMID39444230

DOI10.1177/00332941241295971

PMCPMC13287355

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.