EFFECTS OF JURY DELIBERATION ON THE VERDICTS AND SOCIAL PERCEPTIONS OF SIMULATED JURORS - VIDMAR REVISITED

• NCJ Number: 56082
• Journal: Perceptual and Motor Skills Volume: 47 Issue: 1 Dated: (1978) Pages: 119-124
• Author(s): C C ROBERTS; M A HOFFMAN; W L JOHNSON
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 6 pages
• Corporate Author: Perceptual and Motor Skills
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

VERDICTS AND SOCIAL PERCEPTIONS OF MOCK JURORS WERE COMPARED BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTRODUCTION OF JURY DELIBERATION IN AN EXPERIMENT TO TEST THE EFFECT OF DELIBERATION.

Abstract

THE STUDY WAS A PARTIAL REPLICATION OF VIDMAR'S WORK (1972) WHICH EXAMINED THE IMPACT OF TYPE OF DECISIONS AND NUMBER OF ALTERNATIVES ON THE ATTRIBUTION OF RESPONSIBILITIES AND SOCIAL PERCEPTIONS OF SIMULATED JURORS. HIS RESULTS SHOWED THAT THE NUMBER OF NOT-GUILTY VERDICTS INCREASED AS THE SEVERITY OF THE LEAST SEVERE GUILTY ALTERNATIVE INCREASED AND THAT SIMULATED JUROR POSTDECISION SOCIAL PERCEPTIONS WERE CONSISTENT WITH VERDICTS THEY CHOSE. IN EXTENDING HIS WORK, THE INDEPENDENT VARIABLE IN THE BEFORE-AFTER DESIGN WAS TYPE OF DECISION ALTERNATIVE WHICH DIFFERED IN THE DEGREE OF CHARGE AND THE SEVERITY OF PUNISHMENT. THE PRIMARY DEPENDENT VARIABLE WAS THE SUBJECT'S DECISION. SUBJECTS INCLUDED 138 COLLEGE STUDENTS (91 FEMALES AND 47 MALES) FROM THREE DIFFERENT INTRODUCTORY PSYCHOLOGY CLASSES. THEY WERE GIVEN A PACKET OF PRECODED MATERIALS CONTAINING AN ABRIDGED TRIAL TRANSCRIPT, A PREDELIBERATION QUESTIONNAIRE CONTAINING A VERDICT DECISION QUESTION, 13 SOCIAL PERCEPTION SCALES, DIRECTIONS FOR JURY DELIBERATION, 10 DELIBERATION BALLOTS, AND A POSTDELIBERATION QUESTIONNAIRE. BEFORE DELIBERATION, SIGNIFICANTLY MORE NOT-GUILTY VERDICTS WERE FOUND IN THE FIRST-DEGREE MURDER CONDITION THAN IN THE SECOND-DEGREE CONDITION. A SIGN TEST, HOWEVER, REVEALED THAT DELIBERATION INCREASED THE TOTAL NUMBER OF NOT-GUILTY VERDICTS IN BOTH CONDITIONS. MOCK JURORS WHO CHANGED TO VERDICTS OF NOT GUILTY THOUGHT THE DEFENDANT WAS LESS VIOLENT AND LESS DANGEROUS THAN THEY HAD BEFORE. THE RESULTS OF THE STUDY SUPPORT THE FINDING OF VIDMAR THAT THE NUMBER OF NOT-GUILTY VERDICTS INCREASES AS THE SEVERITY OF GUILT INCREASES. ATTRIBUTION OF RESPONSIBILITY IS AFFECTED BY RESTRICTING ALTERNATIVE DECISIONS. SUPPORTING DATA AND REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (DEP)