ABSTRACT
This chapter presents some of the most basic findings with regard to jury processes. It discusses at length a number of factors that influence the jury process. The chapter explores some of the issues that surround jury performance. It focuses on individual reactions to courtroom phenomena and more on how the jury as a collective responds to occurrences during the trial. The chapter looks at how mock jury research is conducted; how jurors combine individual preferences into a single verdict; and how various procedural factors can influence the verdict. It also discusses the use of scientific jury selection, which suggests that one can purposefully assemble a jury that will be maximally sympathetic to one's point of view. The chapter suggests that the jury is a complex entity about which much is still puzzling. It also suggests that social scientists have complained about the ignorance of behavioral research by the legal community.
