Surveillance In Mr. Lewis Problem With Slow Motion

In the “Problem With Slow Motion”, published by the New York Times, Caruso, Burns and Converse (2016), the idea of slow motion surveillance and whether or not it should be used in the trials of convicted criminals is studied. Caruso et al. (2016) are particularly referencing the John Lewis 2009 murder trial, where a surveillance video was shown in real time and slow motion determining whether or not Mr. Lewis would be sentenced to death. Mr. Lewis claimed that the use of slow motion surveillance was making it look like he had more time to think about his actions than he actually did. In the study, researchers found that participants who saw the slow motion video were more likely to convict the criminal of first-degree murder. Caruso et al. (2016) had three groups, one being the control.

This research used experimentation to study whether or not using slow motion impacted the outcome, and made the viewer feel like the actions were intentional. Experimentation is the process of keeping a factor constant while also manipulating at least one factor in order to determine whether or not a hypothesis is true. In this case, some participants were shown the regular surveillance video, as the control. Then, one set of participants were shown just slow motion and another set was show both slow motion and regular speed surveillance. They carried out their experiment by randomly assigning participants to a group. Caruso et al. (2016) also found that the participants that saw both the slow motion surveillance and regular surveillance were still more likely to convict the criminal. The