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Juror Decisionmaking, Attitudes, and the Hindsight Bias

NCJ Number
110842
Author(s)
J D Casper; K Benedict; J L Perry
Date Published
1987
Length
32 pages
Annotation
This study examines juror decisionmaking in civil suits against police officers alleged to have engaged in illegal searches.
Abstract
The experiment simulated case materials and mock jurors drawn both from adults called for jury service and a student subject pool. It assesses the impact of an information processing strategy (the 'hindsight bias') and of individual attitudes in awards and finds that both are related to juror decisions. A theoretical model was tested which specifies that both attitudes and outcome knowledge exercise their influence upon the damage award decision by means of their impact on interpretation of testimony. Causal models of the decisionmaking process appear to support the role played by interpretation evidence as a mediator between individual attributes and juror decisions. 18 references. (Author abstract modified)

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