Applying Articulated Thought in Simulated Situations Methodology to Research Emotion Work in the Courtroom

Abstract

Emotions are omnipresent in any court of law. In this short take, I suggest applying the Articulated Thought in Simulated Situations (ATSS) paradigm as a useful addition to supplement methodologies like interviewing and observations. ATSS, which originated in social sciences to study cognitive–behavioral topics, can be easily adapted for use in legal settings because of the flexibility of the vignettes used. Based on my own experience in criminal justice, I formulate recommendations for using ATSS: to avoid participant distraction, to pretest each study and to give clear instructions to participants, and to embed research in the workflow of the legal professional. All three recommendations tap into the same strength: coming as close as possible to actual emotion work of the professional.