What makes a liar different from a truth-teller? What goes on in the mind of a liar? How can police and intelligence agents become better lie detectors?  

              These are a few of the ongoing questions that I am interested in studying. My research aims to develop, test, and apply techniques based on theory to assist deception researchers in improving the effectiveness current lie detection approaches.  Students interested in helping with this line of research may gain experience in a variety of ways, depending on the current research project underway. Possible student responsibilities include: coding qualitative (interview) data, conducting interviews, designing and carrying out mock crime experiments, creating online surveys using Qualtrics or SurveyGizmo software, or conducting literature reviews. Students interested in pursing an emphasis in legal/forensic psychology, cognitive psychology (applied or basic), or social psychology are encouraged to apply for this line of research.

Why do some viral stories feel truer than others? Why do some memories feel more available than others? Does the availability of memory influence our actions? 

             This line of research focuses on how the availability of information in memory influences our beliefs, judgments, decisions, and actions.  This line of research examines how pairing certain stimuli (e.g., a trivia statement “Dogs have better memory than cats”) alongside related information (e.g., a picture of a dog) influences belief that the stimuli is true. Initial research suggests that related information, such as a photograph can boost credibility of statements by making information in memory about the statement more available, causing people to judge that the statement is true even when it is false.  A related line of research examines how recalling true autobiographical memories (e.g., recalling a successful public speaking experience) influences behaviors (e.g., reducing anxiety and improving public speaking performance).  Students interested in health behaviors, educational research, or legal psychology research are encouraged to apply for this line of research. Project development is underway to utilize these findings for interventions in these respective areas.