NCJ Number
148609
Journal
Law and Human Behavior Volume: 18 Issue: 1 Dated: (February 1994) Pages: 53-61
Date Published
1994
Length
9 pages
Annotation
In a study designed to determine the effects of juror notetaking, mock jurors were permitted to take notes during a simulated trial and to have those notes available during an individualized test of recall.
Abstract
The 144 participants were university students who were eligible to serve on California State and Federal juries; 128 took part in the study to fulfill the requirements of a course, an the other 16 were paid $15 to take part. They were grouped into nine juries with 72 jurors who took notes and eight juries with 72 jurors who did not take notes. The 75- minute videotaped trial simulation was based on an actual civil case involving a highly complex case of fraud. After viewing the trial, each juror completed a questionnaire consisting of two demographic items, two multiple-choice items, 11 open-ended questions that required full responses, and four brief scales. Results revealed that jurors who took notes had superior recall and were more involved in the trial proceedings than were jurors who did not take notes. The quantity of notes taken, the accuracy of the notes, and their organization all correlated positively with the accuracy of recall. Footnotes and 14 references (Author abstract modified)