All anchors are not created equal: the effects of Per Diem versus lump sum requests on pain and suffering awards.
This experiment examined whether different quantifications of the same damage award request ($175,000 lump sum, $10/hour, $240/day, $7300/month for 2 years) influenced pain and suffering awards compared to no damage award request. Jury-eligible community members (N = 180) read a simulated personal injury case in which defendant liability already had been determined. Awards were: (1) larger for the $10/hour and $175,000 conditions than the $7300/month and control conditions and (2) more variable for the $10/hour condition than the $7300/month and control conditions. No differences emerged on ratings of the parties, their attorneys, or the difficulty of picking a compensation figure. We discuss the theoretical implications of our data for the anchoring and adjustment literature and the practical implications for legal professionals.
McAuliff
Bradley D
BD
Department of Psychology, California State University, Northridge, 18111 Nordhoff Street, Northridge, CA 91330-8255, USA. bradley.mcauliff@csun.edu
Bornstein
Brian H
BH
D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000523:psychology; D000293:Adolescent; D002961:Civil Rights / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D035881:Compensation and Redress / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007600:Judgment; D010146:Pain / Q000523:psychology*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000191:economics* / Q000523:psychology*