Jury Size and Decision Making

A cornerstone of the American legal system is the jury (Abramson, 1994; Kalven & Zeisel, 1966). An impartial trial or hearing over accusations of wrong doing adjudicated by one’s peers is a fundamental moral and human right in our society. We hold high expectations for the veracity and validity of deliberative outcomes reached by juries. Studies generally show that people have relatively low tolerances for even human error associated with the results of jury trials (Arkes & Mellers, 2002). Yet, like any human group, juries are fallible and subject to many of the same factors that erode the performance of other groups (Adler, 1994; Penrod & Heuer, 1998).