Lecture 6 part 2

Question 1

Mathemical models of jury decision making

Answer 1

Jurors make mental calculations regarding importance of evidence to reach verdict

Question 2

Explanation model of jury decision making

Answer 2

• The story model
• Jurors make connections between peices of evidence
• Personal differences may influence story construction

Question 3

Final verdict

Answer 3

• Unanimous decision
• Hung jury
• US allows majority votes if deliboration lasted more than 2 hours

Question 4

Jury nullification

Answer 4

• When jury ignores law and evidence and makes verdict based on some other criteria
• May believe law is unfair in particular case

Question 5

Chaos theory

Answer 5

Jurors ignore the law and decide verdict for emotional or bias reasons

Question 6

Studying jury behaviour: post trial interviews

Answer 6

• Not allowed in Canada
• High external validity
• Cannot establish cause and effect
• Low reliability

Question 7

Studying jury behaviour: archives

Answer 7

• High external validity
• Cannot establish cause and effect
• Low reliability

Question 8

Studying jury behaviour: simulation

Answer 8

• High internal validity

- Low external validity

Question 9

Studying jury behaviour: field studies

Answer 9

• High external validity

- Difficult to control/recieve approval

Question 10

Predicting verdicts

Answer 10

• Can sometimes predict how jurors will act

- Jurors influenced by evidence and personal biases/attitudes

Question 11

Factors influencing jurors’ decisions

Answer 11

• Juror demographics
• Juror personality traits
• Defendant characteristics
• Victim/witness characteristics
• Expert testimony

Question 12

Juror demographics influence

Answer 12

• Gender
• Race
• Socioeconomic status

Question 13

Cross-race effect

Answer 13

More likely to reach guilty verdict for defendants of other race

Question 14

Black sheep effect

Answer 14

stronger evidence leads to being harsher towards in-group

Question 15

Juror personality traits influence

Answer 15

• Authoritarianism
• Dogmatism
• High in these traits more likely to convict

Question 16

Defendant characteristics influence

Answer 16

• Attractiveness
• Gender
• Race
• Socioeconomic status
• Age

Question 17

Victim characteristics influence

Answer 17

Sexual history view victim as less favourable

Question 18

Testimonial aid

Answer 18

• Increase likelihood of guilty verdicts
• Resulted in more positive perceptions of the victim
• Resulted in more negative perceptions of the defendant

Question 19

Familiarity

Answer 19

• More positive perceptions of victim when defendant was familiar
• More negative perceptions of the defendant when defendant was familiar

Question 20

Testimonial aid x familiarity

Answer 20

Higher guilt ratings when using testimonial aid and defendant was a stranger to victim