ABSTRACT

All trials place particular demands on jurors, but complex trials have been seen to increase these demands to the point where the competency of the lay juror has been challenged (Horowitz, ForsterLee, & Brolly, 1996; Penrod & Heuer, 1997). The research described in this chapter is concerned with the role of processing styles in juror competence in complex cases, and involves a simulation of the recent Maxwell fraud trial in the U.K. where the acquittal of all defendants gave fresh impetus to the view that “something must be done” about fraud juries (Doran & Jackson, 1997).