Abstract
Jury trials play a centrally important role in the law, and they are also of interest to psychologists. The manner in which individual jurors perceive, interpret, and remember evidence, as well as the group processes involved in jury deliberation, can be described in terms of fundamental cognitive and social psychological concepts. Juries provide a real-world laboratory for examining theoretical issues related to reasoning, memory, judgment and decision making, attribution, stereotyping, persuasion, and group behavior. Conversely, psychological research can inform trial procedures, enabling juries to benefit from fairer procedures and reach better outcomes. Thus, jury decision making has implications for psychological theory, and psychological research has implications for legal policy.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 63-67 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Current Directions in Psychological Science |
Volume | 20 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Feb 2011 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- decision making
- juries
- public policy
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Psychology