RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 The Problem of Evasive Testimony: The Expert “Waffle”
JF Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online
JO J Am Acad Psychiatry Law
FD American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law
SP 112
OP 117
VO 35
IS 1
A1 Thomas G. Gutheil
YR 2007
UL http://jaapl.org/content/35/1/112.abstract
AB Confronted with a difficult, unexpected, or confrontational question, an expert witness may answer by attempting to overwhelm the questioner with words, sometimes highly evasive ones, that avoid, rather than actually address, the question asked. Such a discursive response is sometimes called a “waffle,” as in “The expert's answer was a waffle.” This review notes some examples of this phenomenon and attempts to categorize them in a meaningful way. An ancillary goal of this discussion may be to aid experts in focusing their answers.