the verdicts held by the appointed judges. Upon surveying judges and jurors of approximately 8000 criminal and civil trials, it was discovered that the verdicts handed down by both parties were in agreement 80% of the time. Buffering effects Jurors, like most individuals, are not free from holding social and cognitive biases. People may negatively judge individuals who do not adhere to established social norms (e.g., an individual's dress sense) or do not meet societal standards of success. Although these biases tend to influence jurors’ individual decisions during a trial, while working as part of a group (i.e., jury), these biases are typically controlled. Groups tend to exert buffering effects that allow jurors to disregard their initial personal biases when forming a credible group decision. See also Jury of matrons Blank pad rule Fourth branch of government Fifth power Notes Further reading John W. Cairns & Grant McLeod, eds. The dearest birth right of the people of England: the jury in the history of the common law. Oxford: Hart, 2002. Legal procedure