Well, yeah. Most trials won’t be open-and-shut. The point is, the jury can effectively say at any point, “enough of this bullshit, we’re ready to make a decision.” Lawyers on both sides would be motivated to present their strongest evidence first, and even a jury inexperienced in intricacies of law would likely be able to recognize who’s got something to say and who’s just stalling for time.
The downside is that we remember the last things the best. So if the most important things are presented first, their importance will be partly forgotten.
It is worse when the important things are presented in the middle. We are better at remembering both the first things (primacy effect) and last things (recency effect).
Well, yeah. Most trials won’t be open-and-shut. The point is, the jury can effectively say at any point, “enough of this bullshit, we’re ready to make a decision.” Lawyers on both sides would be motivated to present their strongest evidence first, and even a jury inexperienced in intricacies of law would likely be able to recognize who’s got something to say and who’s just stalling for time.
The downside is that we remember the last things the best. So if the most important things are presented first, their importance will be partly forgotten.
It is worse when the important things are presented in the middle. We are better at remembering both the first things (primacy effect) and last things (recency effect).