Using transcripts from an actual civil trial,Miller and Campbell found that when arguments by both the plaintiff and defence were presented together,opinions of mock jurors reflected the ____________.When the testimony of the plaintiff and defence were presented a week apart,mock jurors were more likely to form their opinions according to the ______________.

Question

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The primacy effect refers to the tendency for people to remember information that was presented first, while the recency effect refers to the tendency to remember information that was presented last. When both the plaintiff and defence arguments are presented together, the primacy effect is likely to dominate as whichever side presents their argument first will have a stronger impact on the jurors. However, when the testimony is presented a week apart, jurors may not remember the first argument as well and be more influenced by the recency effect of the second argument. Therefore, the opinions of the mock jurors reflect the primacy effect when the arguments are presented together and the recency effect when presented a week apart.

Using Transcripts from an Actual Civil Trial,Miller and Campbell Found