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Group Decision-Making: An Economic Analysis of Social Influence and Individual Difference in Experimental Juries

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  • Parkinson, S.
  • Baddeley, M.

Abstract

In a jury decision-making, individuals must compromise in order to reach a group consensus. If individuals compromise for non-rational reasons, such as a preference for conformity or due to erroneous information, then the final decision of the group may be biased. This paper presents original experimental data which shows that groups do have a significant tendency to compromise in jury-like settings. Econometric evidence also shows that features of groups, including the generosity of the group overall, will dictate the extent of compromise. The data also reveal that individual traits such as gender and capacity for empathy are associated with the extent of compromise in a jury-type setting. The implications are that interactions between individual and group characteristics limit the objectivity of decision-making.

Suggested Citation

  • Parkinson, S. & Baddeley, M., 2011. "Group Decision-Making: An Economic Analysis of Social Influence and Individual Difference in Experimental Juries," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 1128, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    • Handle: RePEc:cam:camdae:1128
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Herding; social influence; legal decision-making; personality; behavioural economics;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C92 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Laboratory, Group Behavior
    • D03 - Microeconomics - - General - - - Behavioral Microeconomics: Underlying Principles
    • D72 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
    • D81 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Criteria for Decision-Making under Risk and Uncertainty

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