FROM THE 50'S TO THE 70'S - WOMEN IN JURY DELIBERATIONS

• NCJ Number: 48694
• Journal: SOCIOMETRY Volume: 39 Issue: 4 Dated: (DECEMBER 1976) Pages: 293-304
• Author(s): C NEMETH; J ENDICOTT; J WACHTLER
• Date Published: 1976
• Length: 12 pages
• Grant Number(s): 1 RO1 MH 25374-01
• Corporate Author: American Sociological Review
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

TWO JURY SIMULATION STUDIES EXAMINE THE TRUISM THAT FEMALE JURORS ARE MORE SYMPATHETIC, EMOTIONAL, ENVIOUS, AND PASSIVE THAN THEIR MALE COUNTERPARTS.

Abstract

SUBJECTS FOR BOTH STUDIES WERE 753 UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS TAKING INTRODUCTORY PSYCHOLOGY COURSES. ALL 753 SUBJECTS RECEIVED A PRETEST IN WHICH THEY WERE ASKED TO DECIDE A WRITTEN CASE ACCOUNT OF A MURDER. OF THIS GROUP, 453 SUBJECTS WERE SELECTED FOR THE FIRST STUDY. THEIR PLACEMENT INTO EXPERIMENTAL CONDITIONS WAS BASED ON THEIR RESPONSES TO THE PRETEST. THE EXPERIMENTAL JURIES CONSISTED OF SIX MEMBERS. SUBJECTS WERE AGAIN PRESENTED WITH THE MURDER CASE AND WERE ASKED TO DELIBERATE UNTIL THEY CAME UP WITH A UNANIMOUS OR MAJORITY VERDICT. THE DELIBERATION PROCESS WAS VIDEOTAPED WITHOUT THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE SUBJECTS. IT WAS FOUND THAT MALES AND FEMALES DID NOT DIFFER SIGNIFICANTLY ON THEIR INITIAL VERDICTS. THERE WAS ALSO NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MALES AND FEMALES WITH REGARD TO MINORITY OR MAJORITY STATUS. MALES WERE FOUND, HOWEVER, TO TAKE THE HEAD SEAT MORE OFTEN, TO COMMUNICATE MORE, AND TO BE THE TARGET OF COMMUNICATIONS MORE OFTEN THAN FEMALES. THE EFFECTIVENESS OF MALES WAS NOT JUDGED TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER THAN FEMALES. IN THE SECOND EXPERIMENT, 36 UNDERGRADUATES SAT AS JURORS (IN GROUPS OF SIX) IN A MOCK JURY SITUATION WHERE LAW STUDENTS PLAYED OUT A SCRIPT OF A TRIAL. AFTER THE TRIAL, SUBJECTS WERE ASKED FIRST FOR A PREDELIBERATION VERDICT AND THEN FOR A VERDICT AFTER DELIBERATION. SUBJECTS WERE ASKED ALSO TO COMPLETE A QUESTIONNAIRE ASSESSING THE OTHER MEMBERS OF THE JURY. IT WAS FOUND THAT MALES AND FEMALES DID NOT DIFFER IN THEIR TENDENCY TO FAVOR ONE VERDICT OVER ANOTHER. ON THE QUESTIONNAIRES, HOWEVER, MALES WERE SEEN AS MORE INFLUENTIAL, RATIONAL, STRONG, INDEPENDENT, CONFIDENT, AGGRESSIVE, AND MORE OFTEN AS LEADERS. NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES WERE FOUND FOR THE ITEMS OF FRIENDLY, INTELLIGENT, HONEST, GOOD, LIKED, PERSISTANT, TRUSTED, ACTIVE, TOLERANT, CONSISTENT, AND ETHICAL. IT IS CONCLUDED THAT NO CONSISTENT EVIDENCE WAS FOUND FOR THE CONTENTION THAT MALES AND FEMALES DIFFER WITH REGARD TO SYMPATHY FOR THE DEFENDANT, PERSUADIBILITY OR PASSIVITY DURING DELIBERATION. TABLES AND A LIST OF REFERENCES ARE PRESENTED. (MLC)