Doctoral Dissertation Research: Preventive Law Through Plain Language: Testing a Pyscholegal Audience Based Evaluation of Contract Perception and Comprehension

博士论文研究：通过简单语言预防法：测试基于心理观众的合同感知和理解评估

• 批准号: 9618365
• 负责人: Steven Penrod
• 金额: $ 0.55万
• 依托单位: University of Nebraska-Lincoln
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 1997
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1997-04-01 至 1998-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9618365&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Research; Preventive; Law

Penrod 9618365 Standardized form contracts are used in the majority of modern contractual transactions and have become an indispensable part of contemporary commerce. Many times the meaning of these contracts is unclear to the public because they are written in arcane language that is difficult for lawyers and non-lawyers to decipher. This research uses a two-stage empirical process to study plain language provisions .Both qualitative and quantitative methods are used. The first stage explores contract schema of both lawyers and laypersons elicited via focus group methods. Using the schema elicited in the first stage, questions will be developed to measure the effects of provisions of plain language statutes on comprehension, perceptions of enforceability and fairness, and attributions toward the drafting parties. A true experiment will test these effects with a sample of 232 adults. This research will inform schema theory and extend the existing research on clarity of judicial instruction to the domain of contracts. %%% Standardized form contracts are used in the majority of modern contractual transactions and have become an indispensable part of contemporary commerce. Many times the meaning of these contracts is unclear to the public because they are written in arcane language that is difficult for lawyers and non-lawyers to decipher. This research uses a two-stage empirical process to study plain language provisions .Both qualitative and quantitative methods are used. The first stage explores contract schema of both lawyers and laypersons elicited via focus group methods. Using the schema elicited in the first stage, questions will be developed to measure the effects of provisions of plain language statutes on comprehension, perceptions of enforceability and fairness, and attributions toward the drafting parties. A true experiment will test these effects with a sample of 232 adults. This research will inform schema theory and extend the existing research on clarity of judi cial instruction to the domain of contracts. ***

标准格式合同被用于大多数现代合同交易，并已成为现代商业不可或缺的一部分。 很多时候，这些合同的含义对公众来说是不清楚的，因为它们是用《双城之战》语言写成的，律师和非律师都很难破译。本研究采用两阶段的实证研究过程，采用定性和定量相结合的方法对简明语言条款进行研究。 第一阶段探讨通过焦点小组方法得出的律师和外行人的合同图式。 使用在第一阶段引起的图式，问题将被开发来衡量的影响，对理解，理解能力和公平性的看法，并归因于起草方的平易语言法规的规定。 一个真正的实验将测试这些影响与样本的232名成年人。 本研究将为图式理论提供参考，并将现有的司法指示清晰性研究扩展到合同领域。 标准格式合同在现代合同交易中被广泛使用，并已成为现代商业不可或缺的一部分。 很多时候，这些合同的含义对公众来说是不清楚的，因为它们是用《双城之战》语言写成的，律师和非律师都很难破译。本研究采用两阶段的实证研究过程，采用定性和定量相结合的方法对简明语言条款进行研究。 第一阶段探讨通过焦点小组方法得出的律师和外行人的合同图式。 使用在第一阶段引起的图式，问题将被开发来衡量的影响，对理解，理解能力和公平性的看法，并归因于起草方的平易语言法规的规定。 一个真正的实验将测试这些影响与样本的232名成年人。 本研究将为图式理论提供参考，并将现有的司法指示清晰性研究扩展到合同领域。 ***