Abstract
Although researchers have thoroughly examined juror decision making in laboratory experiments, the point at which jurors form opinions in actual jury trials remains cloaked in mystery. Recently, however, that cloak was lifted enough to provide a glimpse at the timing of juror opinion formation. The opportunity to do so came in conjunction with an evaluation of a jury reform procedure implemented in Arizona civil trials in 1995. Data collected for the evaluation included the responses of 1,385 jurors from 172 civil trials concerning when they began to form opinions about the case, whether and when they changed their minds about those opinions, and when they made up their minds about the final outcome. This Article presents three competing models of juror decision making as they pertain to the timing of opinion formation. Using these models as an analytical guide, this Article examines the data from the Arizona study to assess convergence with these models and to identify factors that affect the timing of juror opinion formation in civil trials.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2000
Publication Information
67 University of Tennessee Law Review 627-652 (2000)
Repository Citation
Hannaford-Agor, Paula; Hans, Valerie P.; Mott, Nicole L.; and Munsterman, G. Thomas, "The Timing of Opinion Formation by Jurors in Civil Cases: An Empirical Examination" (2000). Faculty Publications. 2359.
https://scholarship.law.wm.edu/facpubs/2359