Josephine Is Sitting on a Jury Whose Task Is to Decide

question 111

Multiple Choice

Josephine is sitting on a jury whose task is to decide whether or not to give the defendant a life sentence in prison.Most of the members of the jury feel the defendant can be rehabilitated and feel a twenty-year sentence would be appropriate.However,after listening to some of the members express their opinions about how detrimental prison life can be,the jury finally recommends a sentence of only ten years.In this case,which psychological principle may have shaped the opinion?

• A) social facilitation
• B) group polarization
• C) social loafing
• D) groupthink

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Definitions:

Duty

What one ought to do, whether by virtue of his or her place or position in society (in Plato or Aristotle, for example) or by virtue of rational moral principles (as in Kant).

Obligation

A duty or commitment that one is bound to by law, promise, moral principles, or social custom.

Social Contract

A theory in political philosophy suggesting that the legitimacy of authority comes from an implicit agreement between the governing and the governed.

Legitimacy

The general belief that a rule, institution, or leader has the right to govern or dictate.