A Distinct Role for Perceived Realism in Juror Decision Making

The decision-making process of jurors is complex, and jurors likely retrieve personal information and knowledge to make sense of the case. We test the hypothesis that perceived realism underpins case strength decisions, where realism reflects a good match between the case and retrieved information. To assess how realism affects juror decisions, jury-eligible subjects (N = 83) read mock criminal cases, rating the strength of each case. Participants also reported their ability to recall a similar case (autobiographical recall), their knowledge of similar cases (factual recall), and the perceived realism of the case. Perceived realism was the most influential component of mock-juror decisions. Additional analyses identified two contributions of perceived realism: a common factor combining realism with memory recall; and an independent factor, as might arise from a mismatch between memory and case evidence. These findings support the hypothesis that complex decisions rely on perceived realism in light of memory retrieval.