Through the Eyes of Jurors: The Use of Schemas in the Application of 'Plain-Language' Jury Instructions
Through the Eyes of Jurors: The Use of Schemas in the Application of 'Plain-Language' Jury Instructions
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通过陪审员的眼睛：模式在“简单语言”陪审团指示的应用中的使用
DOI：
10.2139/ssrn.2133000
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发表时间：
2013
影响因子：
0.5
通讯作者：
Sara G. Gordon
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Sara G. Gordon
《通过陪审员的眼睛》是第一篇考虑所有主要认知心理学研究的法律期刊文章，这些研究探讨“图式”或陪审员对法律的预先存在的观念如何影响陪审员对陪审团指示的使用，即使这些陪审员收到的是“简单语言”指示。本文考察了图式理论的社会科学研究，以增进我们对图式如何继续影响陪审员使用陪审团指示的理解，即使这些陪审员得到了“简单语言”指示。大量法律文献研究了陪审员对陪审团指示的使用和理解，许多学者提出了提高陪审员对指示的理解的方法。本文进一步分析了这一点，认为即使陪审团给出了“通俗易懂的语言”指示，陪审员仍然会受到他们对“法律”的先入为主的看法的影响——换句话说，受到他们对法律概念预先存在的模式的影响。此外，这些模式通常在法律上是不正确的，社会科学的发现表明，即使陪审团给出了具有正确法律标准的简单语言指示，陪审员仍然可能应用这些在法律上不适当的模式。本文综合了从这些发现中得出的结果和基础理论，以检验这些图式对陪审团决策和陪审员使用陪审团指示的影响，并确定律师和法官在向陪审员介绍他们需要解释的事实之前可以抵消不适当的现有图式并激活法律上适当的图式的方法。具体而言，法院应利用认知和教育心理学原理来制定陪审员适用法律概念的图式，使他们的图式组织得更好，从而更容易理解。这样的模式将允许更深思熟虑的判断和更好、更准确的决策。
“Through the Eyes of Jurors” is the first law journal article to consider all of the major cognitive psychology studies that examine how “schemas,” or the preexisting notions jurors have about the law, shape jurors’ use of jury instructions, even when those jurors are given “plain-language” instructions. This Article examines the social science research on schema theory in order to advance our understanding of how schemas continue to influence jurors’ use of jury instructions, even when those jurors are given “plain language” instructions. A significant body of legal literature has examined jurors’ use and understanding of jury instructions, and many scholars have recommended methods to improve juror comprehension of instructions. This Article takes that analysis a step further, and argues that even when given “plain-language” jury instructions, jurors will still be influenced by their preconceived ideas of what the “law” is — in other words, by the preexisting schemas they have for legal concepts. Furthermore, these schemas are often legally incorrect, and findings from the social sciences suggest that — even when given plain-language jury instructions with the correct legal standard — jurors may still apply these legally inappropriate schemas. This Article synthesizes the results and underlying theories derived from those findings in order to examine the impact these schemas have on jury decisionmaking, and on jurors’ use of jury instructions, and to identify ways lawyers and judges can counteract inappropriate existing schemas and activate legally appropriate schemas before jurors are introduced to the facts they are expected to interpret. Specifically, courts should use principles of cognitive and educational psychology to develop jurors’ schemas for the applicable legal concepts to make their schemas better organized and therefore more accessible. Such schemas would allow for more thoughtful judgment and better, more accurate decisionmaking.