The document discusses group behavior and dynamics within small groups, specifically focusing on jury dynamics and behavior. It defines what a jury is and the different types of juries. It explores how jurors are selected and their roles and characteristics as group members. The document examines jury selection qualifications and decision schemes. It analyzes group behavior within mock juries and jury deliberations, referencing the film 12 Angry Men as an example of observing group dynamics at play during deliberations.
What type of group task must a jury accomplish? Unitary (cannot be divided up among individuals) Additive (expected performance of group is sum of individual inputs from group members) Intellective (involves ability of group to make a judgment) Judgmental (no clearly correct answer to posed “problem”—i.e. guilty or innocent?)
Cite CJ2 article (page 7) and textbook
Cite: http://www.uscourts.gov/uscourts/EducationalResources/CourtroomsAsClassrooms/FuncQualJuryService.pdf Before considering the use of deliberative processes in legal proceedings, the court system must understand how small groups interact and what each individual will contribute to the deliberation process. It is important to consider individual group member characteristics because the particular characteristics that jurors bring to the jury (prior knowledge/opinions) can strongly influence their deliberations and ultimately, the group outcome/decision.
Figure 8.1, page 195 in textbook Results of decisions made by mock juries using majority wins decision scheme. Decision initially favored by the majority is almost ALWAYS the decision also favored by the group. When majority of 6-member group favored voting guilty, jury almost always voted guilty, and the same with innocence. When the jury was split even 3 to 3, the jury was often “hung” (could not make a decision)
Witness/ victim testimony most often in the form of a written statement that is read to the jurors