NCJ Number
129353
Journal
Forensic Reports Volume: 3 Dated: (1989) Pages: 187-193
Date Published
1989
Length
7 pages
Annotation
Previous research has shown a low level of juror comprehension of standard judges' instructions. An experiment was performed to test if juror comprehension and recall could be improved with simplified intervening causation instruction.
Abstract
Fifty-two undergraduate psychology students from Florida International University volunteered for participation in the experiment in exchange for credit. Two methods of improvement were tried. First, revised and simplified instructions and second, combined oral instructions with written instructions. Results show that both methods improved jurors' ability to comprehend intervening causation instruction. The results support the contention that juror's poor comprehension of instructions results from the quality of instructions rather than from an ability to understand the instructions. 7 references