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    The effects of group size on mock jury decision making : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology, at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1993) Dunn, Karyn
    The present investigation was a partial replication and extension of Saks' (1977) study on the effects of group size on mock jury decision making. Mock juries of size 4, 6, and 12 were formed by randomly assigning 232 student volunteer subjects to one of 30 groups, or to the condition where subjects worked alone (N=12 individuals). The case used was a written transcript adapted from Saks (1977). After reading the transcript, groups deliberated until they reached a verdict. Overall, it was found that groups of 12 came to the correct verdict more often and deliberated the longest, groups of 6, unexpectedly, produced the most hung juries, and the individuals recalled the least amount of the testimony. Groups of 4 perceived their group as being the most fair and were also the most satisfied with their group's decision. They also rated their influence on the decisions made by other members of the group as the highest. In all groups, there was a shift in the pre- and post-deliberation guilt ratings toward the group verdict, indicating an effect of group polarisation, and discussion also increased individuals' confidence in their rating of guilt, providing some support for the model of group influence proposed by Myers and Lamm (1976). In general, the results support previous findings and add to the growing literature which suggests that the effect of jury size is a complex phenomenon requiring more investigation.
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    Jurors' perceptions of the influence of extra-evidential factors on their decision making : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1997) Priest, Catherine Helen
    One of the major assumptions underlying the jury system is that juries' verdicts are based exclusively on the evidence presented in court. However, many have challenged this assumption and claim that a number of extra-evidential factors influence jurors' decision making. The present research was designed to investigate jurors' perceptions of the influence of various extra-evidential factors related to the defendant, the lawyers and the judge on their decision making, and to examine possible relationships between jurors' perceptions of the trial participants and their evaluations of the defendant, and the lawyers and their cases. Structured interviews were conducted with sixty-nine respondents who had served on a jury within the last three years, and the data collected was statistically analysed using a .05 level of statistical significance. The results indicated that respondents perceived that some of the extra-evidential factors investigated had influenced their decision making, and relationships were also found between some of these factors and respondents' evaluations. The implications of the results are limited by various methodological considerations, particularly relating to the sample and the nature of the data, but the results do suggest that extra-evidential factors may influence jurors' decision making, and that this is an area worthy of further investigation.