The effects of jury size, evidence complexity, and note taking on jury process and performance in a civil trial.
A total of 567 jury-eligible men and women who were assigned to 6- or 12-person juries saw a videotaped civil trial that contained either I or 4 plaintiffs. Half the juries took notes, whereas the remainder did not. Six-person juries that did not take notes awarded multiple plaintiffs the highest amounts of compensation. Six-person juries also gave the highest punitive damages when they did not take notes and judged multiple plaintiffs. The punitive awards of 6-person juries were highly variable compared with 12-person juries. Multiple plaintiffs also increased the unpredictability of jury punitive awards. Twelve-person juries deliberated longer, recalled more probative information, and relied less than 6-person juries on evaluative statements and nonprobative evidence. Limitations and implications are discussed.
Horowitz
Irwin A
IA
Department of Psychology, Oregon State University, Corvallis 97331, USA. ihorowitz@orst.edu
Bordens
Kenneth S
KS
D000328:Adult; D003416:Criminal Law; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013997:Time Factors; D014956:Writing