Archive | Trial Consulting

Defensive attribution

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On February 6, 2018

Category: Jury Behavior, Jury Consultants, Jury Deliberations, Jury Research, Litigation Consultants, Litigation Research, Litigation Tips, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Psychology, Trial Consultants, Trial Consulting

Defensive attribution has been widely researched by social psychologists since the 1960s. Defensive attribution is the bias, present in most people, that leads to blaming a victim of misfortune for his/her role in the misfortune. Among the first research studies on the topic of defensive attribution was a study that found accident victims were perceived […]

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On February 6, 2018

Though I have taken graduate psychology courses, I have certainly benefited from the litigation specific tutoring and examples Melissa has provided me, and our clients, over many years. I recall one of the first times defensive attribution raised its ugly head and had to be explained to a client on the fly. Our client, a […]

A Numbers Game

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On February 1, 2018

Category: Jury Behavior, Jury Deliberations, Litigation Tips, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Psychology, Trial Consultants, Trial Consulting

It happened last week, as it has many times before. “It,” in this case, is the random outcome of a mock jury project that surprises the clients most of all. The scenario was as follows: we were engaged to conduct mock jury research using 4 panels of mock jurors to deliberate to a verdict. The […]

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On February 1, 2018

Category: Jury Behavior, Jury Deliberations, Litigation Tips, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Psychology, Trial Consultants, Trial Consulting

I have had the opportunity to observe thousands of mock jurors deliberate and, although I do not know in advance what their decisions will be, I know enough to realize people are not always who they appear to be. I have spent countless time watching and listening to people make decisions, including mock jury deliberations […]

Impression management

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On January 30, 2018

In this series of posts, I will discuss social psychological concepts that operate in everyday life, as well as within the context of my work as a litigation/trial consultant. Some of the concepts I will cover have become well known among laypersons, that is, people who do not have an advanced degree in psychology, while […]

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On January 30, 2018

This series of posts capture many of the scientific concepts at play in persuasion and human decision making. As our world largely revolves around civil litigation, issues like impression management are factors in all of our work with the fact finders – juries, mediators, arbitrators, or judges as well as with the persuaders – the […]

I like my plants better than you

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On January 23, 2018

Category: Getting Through Life and Work, Life Outside of Work, Litigation Consultants, Litigation Research, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Psychology, Trial Consultants, Trial Consulting, Work-Life

David frequently remarks that, for a social psychologist, I sometimes don’t seem too fond of people! I reply to his observation by reminding him I have had the opportunity to observe far too many people through a one way mirror, such that I know how people conduct themselves when they don’t realize anyone is watching! […]

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On January 23, 2018

I’m seeing a pattern here. Melissa prefers those people, animals, plants and things which bring her happiness and pleasure. Those which don’t, well, she’s honest enough to differentiate. And, I can attest to her seriousness of caring for the plants. For many people, me included, a focus on plant well being is not a natural […]

Portable Food/Defensive Eating

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On January 18, 2018

Category: Careers, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Jury Research, Litigation Consultants, Litigation Research, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Managing Employees, Trial Consulting

It harkens back to my Boy Scout, “Be Prepared” days, but this topic of portable food is another of those basic, seemingly common sense items, that may not be so common “sensical” to everyone. The concept is simple. Schedules change, flights get delayed, the judge decides to work through lunch, the research facility is behind […]

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On January 18, 2018

Category: Careers, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Jury Research, Litigation Consultants, Litigation Research, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Managing Employees, Trial Consulting

During my first interview for a job as a trial consultant, which took place in Manhattan, the experienced consultant who interviewed me asked if I was aware that working as a trial consultant required “defensive eating.” Maybe because I was awed at the sight of the Manhattan skyline from high above 57th Street, or uncomfortable […]

Chains or Local Restaurants?

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On January 4, 2018

Category: Business Travel, Getting Through Life and Work, Growing Old is Not for Sissies, Jury Consultants, Life Outside of Work, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Managing Employees, Travel, Trial Consultants, Trial Consulting

On this dimension, I have observed that people fall into 1 of 2 categories. There are people who prefer large, national chain restaurants over local restaurants and those, like me, who prefer local restaurants over chains, for the most part. Perhaps I learned this from my Dad, who was always on the road during his […]

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On January 4, 2018

No offense to the readers of this post who like chain restaurants, however, as a rule, I loathe them. I will go out of my way to avoid eating at a chain restaurant whenever possible. I prefer to patronize local eateries wherever I travel, both for business and pleasure. There are exceptions, of course, including […]

Jet Lag

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On December 21, 2017

Category: Business Travel, Careers, Getting the Job Done, Growing Old is Not for Sissies, Jury Consultants, Jury Research, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Managing Employees, Travel, Trial Consultants, Trial Consulting

Travel for business can be strenuous; so can personal travel, for that matter. And time zone crossing travel just adds to that stress. Having made 3 trips to Australia, I know about time zone crossing. Melissa and I don’t do international trips for work, but crossing even 1 or 2 or 3 time zones across […]

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On December 21, 2017

Believe me: I know all about jet lag. Early in my career as a trial consultant, I lived in Atlanta, but worked in Boston, for a company based in Los Angeles, where I had to go on a frequent basis. In any given week, I “commuted” from Atlanta to Boston on Monday, then traveled with […]

Look it up

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On December 19, 2017

Category: Business Frustrations, Business personalities, Careers, Common Courtesy, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Jury Consultants, Jury Research, Litigation Consultants, Litigation Research, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Managing Employees, Small Business Success, Trial Consulting

These days, information awaits us almost everywhere. Merely by typing a name, phrase, or word into any cell phone’s search engine, one can find out a plethora of information about that person, corporation, town, entity, etc. A couple of years ago, I had a “creepy feeling” about one of Magnus’ vendors. I typed his name […]

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On December 19, 2017

Before there were millennials, I sometimes turned to my younger brother, Stephen, and asked him questions to look up somewhere. If the subject was of interest to him, on sharks or alligators and rock & roll, for example, he’d be my information source. That was after my days with an outdated World Book Encyclopedia at […]

Fake Surveys

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On December 14, 2017

Category: Careers, Growing Old is Not for Sissies, Jury Behavior, Jury Consultants, Jury Deliberations, Litigation Consultants, Litigation Research, Litigation Tips, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Psychology, Trial Consultants, Trial Consulting

There is a trend in recent years for every purchase, service encounter, or dining experience to end with a customer satisfaction survey. As useful as feedback can be, it is, obvious to me that many of these “surveys” are better called “fake surveys.” That is, they lack objectivity and they lack validity. As an example, […]

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On December 14, 2017

Fake surveys, like fake news, are a disservice to those who rely on them to make decisions. When I am asked to complete a survey, I complete it honestly, whether or not my answers are positive, neutral, or negative. I don’t understand the purpose of providing feedback unless it is honest, with the goal being […]

Learn to spell

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On December 12, 2017

Category: Business Frustrations, Careers, Common Courtesy, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Jury Consultants, Litigation Consultants, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Managing Employees, Trial Consultants, Trial Consulting

Not everyone can spell well enough to win a spelling bee. However, almost everyone living in an industrialized society has access to a multitude of resources on spelling. I have known many, many people who thoughtlessly write or type something, never caring enough to ensure their words are spelled correctly, only to say, “I can’t […]

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On December 12, 2017

Building on our reading post, spelling and vocabulary are related in my mind. When one reads, he/she is often exposed to unfamiliar words. And seeing those words surely must help spelling them correctly. But, the point of my post on this topic is that misspelling (and/or using the wrong word – English can get confusing […]

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Archive | Trial Consulting

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

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David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

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Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

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Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

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