Juror adjustments to the reasonable doubt standard of proof

The standard of proof beyond a reasonable doubt is based on the law's primary motivation to avoid false conviction even at the expense of increasing the probability of false acquittal. Individual jurors, however, have common sense motivations to make factually correct decisions by avoiding both types of error. As a result jurors may interpret the standard of reasonable doubt correctly but deviate from that interpretation in predictable ways when they apply the standard in court. This study makes three hypotheses: (1) jurors are less confident when deciding on acquittal than when deciding upon conviction, (2) conviction is associated with a downward adjustment of the interpreted stringency of the standard at the time of application, and (3) a highly stringent interpretation of the standard is associated with a severe downward adjustment of that stringency at the time of application. The study asked 260 juror-eligible participants to examine a trial scenario. The participants first interpreted the stringency of the legal standard on a probability scale. They then judged the probability of the defendant's guilt, decided on a verdict, and rated their confidence in that verdict. The findings strongly supported all three hypotheses. Application and implication of the study were discussed.     

The Implications of Framing Effects for Citizen Competence

Social scientists have documented framing effects in a wide range of contexts, including surveys, experiments, and actual political campaigns. Many view work on framing effects as evidence of citizen incompetence—that is, evidence that citizens base their preferences on arbitrary information and/or are subject to extensive elite manipulation. Yet, we continue to lack a consensus on what a framing effect is as well as an understanding of how and when framing effects occur. In this article, I examine (1) the different ways that scholars have employed the concepts of framing and framing effects, (2) how framing effects may violate some basic criteria of citizen competence, and (3) what we know about how and when framing effects work. I conclude that while the evidence to date suggests some isolated cases of incompetence, the more general message is that citizens use frames in a competent and well-reasoned manner.     

A model for adoption of mobile banking services using classification and regression trees

The analysis and improvements of bank performance is a challenging issue for bank managers. Among various banking services, mobile banking is one of the most risky fields that is prone to customer resistance. Mobile banking is a form of banking transaction carried out via a mobile phone. Mobile banking allows bank customers to check their account balances and perform credit card transaction, as well as provide information on the latest transaction made by customers. This paper summarizes experiences and results of productively using knowledge discovery and data mining techniques in a large detail bank data. Data mining is the process of extracting patterns from data. We review prior literature on mobile payments, analyze the various factors that impact mobile payment services markets, and suggest directions for future research in this risk management field. Our research work demonstrates the effectiveness and efficiency of data mining in analysis of retailing bank performance. We use classification and regression tree learning algorithm for proposing a customer adoption model of mobile banking according to some personal characteristics of customers.     

家庭决策、孝道与农民工家庭养老--基于夫妻视角的分析

利用2014年“农村流动人口发展状况”调查数据,基于夫妻视角对现代家庭决策与传统孝道观念行为对农民工家庭养老的影响进行分析的结果表明,农民工夫妻在父母经济支持和日常照料方面不存在显著差异,但在情感支持方面差异显著。影响因素分析结果表明：在经济支持和情感支持方面,对丈夫而言,平等的家庭决策和孝道观念是重要因素;对妻子而言,影响因素主要体现在孝道行为。在日常照料方面,影响因素仅仅体现在家庭决策方面,丈夫表现在现金支配决策方面,妻子表现在子女教育和自己外出打工决策方面。     

论国际犯罪的管辖机制

国际犯罪的管辖问题是国际刑法中最基本和最首要的问题。现行的普遍管辖、“或引渡或起诉”、并行管辖以及国际刑事法庭管辖所形成的管辖机制存在着一些不足,有待完善。应建立优先管辖原则、修正“或引渡或起诉”原则、确立国家拒绝对国际犯罪进行管辖和起诉的法律责任。     

试论多元化纠纷解决机制的法理特征与困境

多元化纠纷解决机制是现实社会中解决矛盾与纠纷的重要手段,承载着解决民事纠纷的重要功能。其表现在法理上的特征值得仔细研究,对其司法调解中的限度问题值得关注,尤其是当前法治中的现实困境对纠纷解决机制也产生了不可忽视的影响。     

论回避宪法判断原则

作为"权利的宣言书",宪法最明快地保护人权,理当在实践中发挥作用.但即使在宪法审查制度发达的国家,法院在引用宪法上也恪守消极主义立场,尽量回避宪法性判断,在法律层面上处理案件,充分尊重普通法律的稳定和立法权的独立.然而法律的制定常受现实的影响,从而忽略宪法的基本原则,如果盲目坚持回避宪法判断的原则,就会姑息纵容损害基本权的立法行为.所以当基本权受到明显的、持续的、严重的侵犯时,各国法院仍会积极适用宪法判断.这一点也值得国内实务界和学术界适当借鉴,以应付以宪法为诉讼依据的案件和事件.     

由双边契约到习惯规范：一种演化机制的阐释

对于习惯规范产生问题的阐释,除了＂法的确信＂理论外,另有＂契约机制＂理论。于契约机制而言,习惯规范的产生是一个由双边契约演化而生发的过程。在双边契约的演化机制中,主要包括两个部分,即双边契约的扩散机制和前置模式。其中,扩散机制是演化的主体,而前置模式则是必不可少的组成部分。     

At the Polls

ABSTRACT

In this study, the authors attempt to add to existing knowledge on voter psyche during elections by examining the roles of voter concern and voters' desire to “keep up to date,” both of which have hitherto not been studied in this context. The analysis of data collected during a specific election in Australia reveals significant relationships with several well known psychological factors. The authors discuss these findings in the context of political marketing and furnish directions for future research.