Question 1

Research on the effects of group deliberation by a jury suggests all of the following EXCEPT that

Accepted Answer

Deliberation does not cancel out certain biases.

Question 2

Death-qualified jurors are

Accepted Answer

Death-qualified jurors are those who have been deemed eligible to serve on a capital case because of their willingness to consider imposing the death penalty. Studies have shown that these jurors are more likely to convict in criminal cases, particularly in cases where a death sentence is a possible punishment.

Question 3

Support for capital punishment in the United States has _______ since 1994.

Accepted Answer

According to research and surveys conducted by Pew Research Center, support for capital punishment in the United States has fallen since 1994. The percentage of Americans who say they support the death penalty has decreased from 80% in 1994 to 60% in 2021.

Question 4

Research on the effects of group deliberation by a jury suggests that

Accepted Answer

Research shows that group deliberation can cancel out biases that individual jurors may hold and that groups are more accurate in their decisions than individuals. However, there is some concern that deliberation may cause jurors to use inadmissible evidence or become swayed by the opinions of more dominant jurors. There is also evidence that group deliberation may draw attention to jurors' own biases and prejudices.

Question 5

Racially mixed mock juries have been found to

Accepted Answer

Studies have shown that racially mixed mock juries tend to express more leniency in their decision-making.

Question 6

Evidence from social science research clearly indicates that

Accepted Answer

A large body of social science research indicates that the death penalty is not a significant deterrent to crime. Studies have consistently failed to provide evidence of a relationship between the use of capital punishment and a decrease in homicide rates.

Question 7

When jurors or some judges hearing a case are of like-minded people, they tend to go to extremes when making a decision as a group. This is an example of

Accepted Answer

Group polarization occurs when group discussion leads to the strengthening of the initial opinions and attitudes of the group members, resulting in more extreme decisions than an individual might make alone. In this case, jurors or judges who share similar beliefs may become more extreme in their decision-making if they discuss the case as a group. Group shift and outgroup bias are not relevant to this situation, and groupthink effect is a similar phenomenon but specifically refers to the desire for group harmony and agreement, which may not be the case in a legal setting.

Question 8

In 1986, the U.S. Supreme Court, in a split decision,

Accepted Answer

The question states that the U.S. Supreme Court made a decision in 1986 regarding death-qualified jurors. Option B is the only choice that directly addresses this issue by stating that the Court overturned a lower court ruling that death-qualified jurors are a biased sample.

Question 9

Research suggests that jurors in the minority will be most persuasive when they are all of the following EXCEPT

Accepted Answer

While all of these qualities are important for jurors in the minority to be persuasive, being well-educated is not necessarily a requirement. Research has shown that even jurors with less education can make effective arguments and influence the decision-making of the majority.

Question 10

Hastie et al., (1983) showed participants reenactments of an actual murder case and asked them to deliberate until they agreed on a verdict. After deliberation, their initial leanings

Accepted Answer

Hastie et al. (1983) found that after group deliberation, participants' initial leanings towards a verdict in a reenacted murder case had grown stronger. This phenomenon is consistent with the concept of group polarization, where discussion within a like-minded group tends to make the average opinion of group members more extreme.

Question 11

Research indicates that six-member juries

Accepted Answer

Six-member juries are less likely to include a community's diversity because they have fewer members, which reduces the likelihood of representing a wide range of perspectives and backgrounds.

Question 12

Jury researcher Michael Saks (1998) reported that

Accepted Answer

Larger juries tend to have a more diverse group of individuals, which can lead to better recall of trial testimony due to the pooling of different perspectives and memories.

Question 13

Research suggests that minorities are most likely to sway the majority when the minority

Accepted Answer

Research has shown that minorities are more likely to sway the majority in favor of acquittal rather than conviction. This is because acquittal requires a lower level of consensus and is seen as a more lenient option.

Question 14

What is meant by the "two-thirds-majority" scheme?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is meant by the "two-thirds-majority" scheme?
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Question 15

Ellsworth and Mauro (1998) reported that gender seems to be linked with verdicts only in

Accepted Answer

Ellsworth and Mauro (1998) found that gender seems to be linked with verdicts only in rape and battered woman cases.

Question 16

Research suggests that jury deliberations can be influenced by all of the following processes EXCEPT

Accepted Answer

Research suggests that jury deliberations can be influenced by group polarization, minority influence, and informational influence. However, deindividuation is not typically considered as a factor in jury decision making. Deindividuation refers to a loss of self-awareness and accountability that can occur in group settings, which may lead to impulsive or irrational behavior. While group dynamics can certainly influence jury deliberations, deindividuation specifically is not believed to be a major factor in this context.

Question 17

Which of the following statements is true of death penalty and homicide rates?

Accepted Answer

There is no clear evidence to suggest that states with the death penalty have lower homicide rates. In fact, some studies have shown that states without the death penalty have lower homicide rates. The relationship between the death penalty and homicide rates is complex and cannot be simplistically linked.

Question 18

Research suggests that jurors in the minority will be most persuasive when they

Accepted Answer

Research indicates that jurors in the minority will be most influential when they can persuade at least one member of the majority to change their position. This triggers a snowball effect and begins to sway more members of the majority toward the minority view. Therefore, choice B is the best option as it emphasizes the importance of triggering defections from the majority.

Question 19

After hearing evidence in a murder trial, ten jurors believed that the evidence was insufficient to convict the 25-year-old Black defendant. According to the group polarization hypothesis, after the jurors deliberated, they would be

Accepted Answer

According to the group polarization hypothesis, when individuals with similar beliefs and attitudes discuss an issue and come to a decision, their initial views are likely to become more extreme. In the case of the jurors, those who initially believed that the evidence was insufficient to convict the defendant are likely to become even more convinced after deliberation, leading to a stronger polarization in that direction. Therefore, the best choice is B, as the jurors are more likely to be more convinced that the evidence was insufficient to convict.

Question 20

An attorney will be defending James S., who is accused of raping a 22-year-old woman. Who among the following jurors is likely to be least sympathetic to his client's case?

Accepted Answer

Wilma, a mother of two who tends to be authoritarian, is likely to be least sympathetic to the defendant's case. As a mother, Wilma may be more inclined to believe the victim's account and be less tolerant of any behavior that could be seen as harmful or disrespectful to women. Additionally, her authoritarian tendencies may make her less likely to question authority figures, such as law enforcement or the court system, which may bias her against the defendant.

Quiz 15: Psychological Disorders