Abstract
<p>Our research, reported here last year (Randall 2013), demonstrated that low comprehension of six current Massachusetts jury instructions could be improved with Plain English versions. We found a significant difference in the proportion of t/f questions correctly answered by ≥ 90% of subjects hearing either Current or Plain English instructions: 30% vs. 52% (p &lt;.05). We now show that two linguistic factors in the instructions mattered most: the proportions of <strong>passives</strong> and <strong>unfamiliar, undefined terms</strong> inversely correlated with instruction comprehension rates. We also report on a new study investigating whether reading enhances comprehension, for both current and Plain English versions.</p>
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