What research that has been conducted on alibis has examined how knowledge of the existance of a relationship between the accused and the alibi provider impacts juror verdicts. Rusbult (1980a) proposed that satisfaction, investment, and alternatives to the present relationship contribute to a couple's commitment. When commitment is present in the relationship between an alibi corroborator and a defedendant, alibi evaluators may believe that the alibi corroborator is motivated to fabricate the defendant's alibi, thus making the alibi less believable. The present research incorporated a between-subjects design examining how perceptions of relationship components affect the evaluation of a defendant's alibi and the motivations behind the alibi corroborator's testimony. Results suggested that when an alibi corroborator is in a highly satisfactory relationship with the defendant, she is perceived to be more motivated to lie for her boyfriend; however, no relationship was found between ratings of alibi believability and motivation to lie.
