PULSE Lab

Melissa Anderson

Melissa Anderson is a doctoral candidate in the Social and Personality Psychology PhD program. She has been involved in research projects regarding racial issues in the criminal legal system, and she has presented these studies at the American Psychology-Law Society and American Psychological Association conferences in 2023 and the Association for Psychological Science Convention in 2025. She has written multiple articles as part of the "Judicial Notebook" column published in APA's Monitor on Psychology, and Melissa is part of the student editorial board for the Journal of Law and Human Behavior. Melissa also works as a Research Scientist for New York State's Division of Criminal Justice Services.
 

Srishti Katuri

Srishti Katuri is a third-year graduate student in the Social and Personality Psychology PhD program. Her current research focus is civilians’ perceived freedom to exercise their legal rights. Srishti completed her undergraduate education from SUNY-Stony Brook and then earned her master's degree in psychological science from California State University, Northridge. Her thesis broadly explored racial and gender bias in group decision-making in the context of jury deliberations. She is keen on investigating racial biases in criminal legal systems with the intention of bridging the gap between scientific research and public policy. In her free time, she likes watching movies and restoring old film cameras.
 

Charlotte Parque

Charlotte Parque is a third-year graduate student in the Social and Personality Psychology PhD program at the University at Albany. She received her bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and Music from Santa Clara University in 2022. Broadly speaking, she is interested in using research to explore racial biases within the U.S. legal system, people's perceptions of police legitimacy and trust in the police, and attitudes towards extralegal forms of justice. In her free time, she enjoys playing music, cooking and enjoying local scenery.

Maggie Stevenson, PhD
Kenyon University
Department of Psychology

Hayley Cleary, PhD
Virginia Commonwealth University
School of Government and Public Affairs

Phillip Atiba Solomon, PhD
Yale University
Department of Psychology

Elise E. Fenn, PhD
California State University, Northridge
Department of Psychology

Robert Worden, PhD
University at Albany
School of Criminal Justice

Iris Blandón-Gitlin, PhD
California State University, Fullerton
Department of Psychology

Bette Bottoms, PhD
University of Illinois Chicago
Department of Psychology

Kim Bernstein, PhD
New York State Senate

Kimberly Bernstein, PhD
Deputy Chief of Staff for New York State Senator Nathalia Fernandez

Catherine Bonventre, PhD, JD and MS
Project Staff Associate for the Public Service Workshops Program at the University at Albany

Meagen (Hildebrand) Cutler, MA
Associate Director of Assessment, Evaluation, & Research, Division of Student Life at MIT

Jackson Gaffney
Industrial-Organizational Psychology master’s student at University at Albany

Melissa Noel, PhD
Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at Temple University

Rebecca Prince, MA
Intake Branch Chief for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Kaj Ramirez
Mental Health Counseling master’s student at University at Albany

Lauren Springer, MA
Program Research Specialist in Criminal Justice at the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services

Chase Waters, MA
Quality & Process Specialist at FedEx

Jennifer Weintraub, PhD
Senior Management Analyst at New York State Unified Court System

Sam Wilcox, MA
Senior Associate at Carnevale Associates

Katherine Zanotelli, MS and MBA
Licensed Mental Health Counselor for Columbia County Mental Health and Zanotelli Wellness Group

Kristale Abdulla
BA in Criminal Justice 2021

Daniel Agugliaro
BA in Criminal Justice 2019 and now a Senior System Analyst in Information Security at Con Edison

Brianna Alfaro
BA in Psychology 2024, and now a future graduate student

Nick Ardito
BA in Criminal Justice 2019, then JD at the University of Texas School of Law and now an Associate at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver, & Jacobson, LLP

Kayla Aschmutat
BA in Criminal Justice 2020, then MA in Forensic Psychology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and now an Office Coordinator at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and MSW student at Rutgers University

Reagan Boera
BA in Psychology 2023, then MS in School Psychology at the University at Albany and now PhD student in School Psychology at the University of South Florida

Tayia Boyd
BA in Psychology 2024 and now a student in MA in Forensic Psychology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Trish Breaultz
BA in Criminal Justice 2016

Alicia Cacioppo
BA in Criminal Justice 2019

Carlie Cegielski
BA in Criminal Justice 2021, then MA in Criminal Justice and now Data and Policy Analyst for Office of National Drug Control Policy in NY/NJ High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas

Kameni Chaitram
BA in Psychology 2026

Ashley Coakley
BA in Criminal Justice 2021, then MA in Forensic Mental Health Counseling at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and now a Licensed Mental Health Counselor with Diagnostic Privilege at Rikers Island Correctional Health Services

Hailey Collado
BA in Psychology 2026

Jack Davis
BA in Psychology 2025

Isabella de la Vega
BA in Psychology 2022 and now a JD Candidate at Fordham University School of Law  

Jordan Dolgos
BA in Criminal Justice 2015

Maeve Donnelly
BA in Psychology and Public Policy and Management 2024, then BA in Biology and now a Patient Care Technician at Ellis Medicine

Jessica Dubowski
BA in Criminal Justice and Sociology 2014, then JD at New York University School of Law and now an Associate at Twomey, Latham, Shea, Kelley, Dubin & Quartararo, LLP

Alicia Edwin
BA in Psychology 2024 and now a student in the Master's program in Industrial-Organizational Psychology at the University at Albany

Ee Farh
BA in Psychology 2024

Matthew Feinsilver
BA in Psychology 2026 and soon to be a MSc in Philosophy of Science student at the London School of Economics and Political Science

Laura Fleig
BA in Criminal Justice and Psychology 2013 and now a Training Facilitator & Coach at Ziksana Consulting

Sydney Foster
BA in Psychology 2026

Victoria Giorgio
BA in Criminal Justice 2020, then JD at St. John's University School of Law and now an Associate at Kirkland & Ellis

Melissa Gonzalez
BA in Psychology 2024

Jalene Graham
BA in Psychology 2025

Sean Houlihan
BA in Criminal Justice 2016, then MA and PhD in Criminology and Criminal Justice at University at Maryland, and now a Senior Planning Analyst at the Bronx County District Attorney Office

Julie Jasewicz
BA in Psychology 2022, then a MA in Industrial-Organizational Psychology at George Mason University and now a Human Capital Consultant at FMP (Federal Management Partners, LLC)  

Vlad Jean-Baptiste
BA in Psychology and Criminal Justice 2023 and now a JD Candidate at Rutgers Law School

Persia Jgin
BA in Psychology 2025 and now a Behavior Technician at Proud Moments ABA

Sharon Josephs
BA in Psychology 2025

Aliza Kaurejo
BA in Psychology 2025 and now a future graduate student  

Ellen Kim
BA in Criminal Justice 2016, then JD at Columbia Law School, and now Director Tax Counsel for Fidelity Investments

Victoria Laffin
BA in Psychology 2026

Alicia Lall
BA in Psychology 2026

Julia Lembach
BA in Criminal Justice, Psychology, and Education 2021 and now a Chatline Operator for the New York State Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Student Consultant at the Student Organization Resource Center

Michelle Marcello
BA in Criminal Justice 2020, then a MS in Forensic Accounting at the University at Albany and now a Senior Associate at KPMG US

Camilla Marzella
BA in Criminal Justice 2023, then a MA in Criminal Justice and MSW at Rutgers University and now an Associate Licensed Therapist at Calm and Centered Counseling, LLC

Frank Mazzella
BA in Psychology 2023 and now an Assistant Community Manager at RHP Properties

Hannah (McCleery) Hodder
BA in Psychology 2025 and now a MEd student at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Michael McCurdy
BA in Criminal Justice 2018 and now a Security Police Office for the US Department of Energy and Chief Operating Officer of Neural Revolution

Brianna McKernan
BA in Psychology and Criminal Justice 2021, then a Master's degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders and now a Speech Language Pathologist at the Center for Disability Services

Julia Melfi
BA in Criminal Justice and Psychology 2019 and now a Senior Global Investigator at Cisive

Daniel Nisoff
BA in Psychology 2024

Chelsey Nkrumah
BS in Cybersecurity and Biology 2025

Christianna Palermo
BA in Sociology 2021, then MA in Criminal Justice at Rutgers University-Newark and now a PhD Candidate in Criminology at Northeastern University

Nya Pemberton
BA in Psychology 2025

Kara Ploss
BA in Criminal Justice and Psychology 2020 and now a Career Specialist at Bay State Community Services, Inc.

Maria Randazzo
BA in Criminal Justice 2016 and now a Senior Associate of Public Affairs at Pacific Public Affairs

Kaitlyn Riley
BA in Psychology 2024 and now a MSW student at Florida State University

Jae Rosenberg
BA in Psychology 2021 and now a Programming Coordinator at Children's Health Fund

Rozanna Sasa
BA in Criminal Justice and Sociology 2024

Amanda Scarlata
BA in Psychology 2023, then a MA in Forensic Psychology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and now a Jury Research Coordinator at DOAR, Inc.

Kristen Seaman
BA in Psychology 2015, then a MA in Clinical Psychology at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and now a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Private Practice

Sierra Siedsma
BA in Criminal Justice 2023, then a MS in Criminal Justice and Criminology at Northeastern University and now a Counselor at Bay State Community Services, Inc.

Eddie Smith
BA in Psychology 2023, then MA in Social & Personality Psychology at the University at Albany and now a PhD Candidate in Social & Personality Psychology at the University at Albany

Sarah Smith
BA in Psychology 2023, then a MA in Psychology at Southern New Hampshire University and now an Administrative Support Assistant at Northwell Health

Ethan Snowball
BA in Psychology 2023

Zachary Sohotra
BA in Criminal Justice 2014 and now a Criminal Investigator in Columbia County Sheriff's Office

Carolyn Solimine
BS in Criminal Justice 2019 and now a Computer Forensic Analyst in the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance

Eddy Suljic
BA in Psychology 2025

Ashley Tatis
BA in Psychology 2022, then a MSW in New York University's Silver School of Social Work

August Thilberg
BA in Criminal Justice 2015, then MA in Mental Health Counseling at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and now a Licensed Mental Health Counselor at Simply Balanced Psychotherapy

Jayonna Treacy
BA in Psychology 2025

Healy Tureski
BA in Financial Analysis and Accounting 2022 and now an MBA student in the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina

Chase Waters
BA in Criminal Justice 2016, then a MA in Criminal Justice at the University at Albany and now a Quality & Process Specialist at FedEx

Krysta Woodcock
BA in Criminal Justice 2015

Zhuoning Wu 
BA in Psychology and Criminal Justice 2022, then a MA in Criminal Justice at the University at Albany and now a PhD Candidate at Rutgers School of Criminal Justice

Jessie Yuan
BA in Psychology 2024

Manshuen Yu
BA in Psychology 2021

Peter Zambetti
BA in Criminal Justice 2016, then a M.S. and Ph.D. in Behavioral Neuropsychology from the University of Washington and now an Adjunct Faculty at Bellevue College

Abstract

For trials involving police officers accused of violence against people of color, attorneys may ask prospective jurors about their support for the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement to assess their ability to evaluate the cases fairly and impartially. Does the practice of excluding prospective jurors due to their BLM-related attitudes and behavior reduce the likelihood that people of color will be selected for jury service? Moreover, does exclusion of prospective jurors who support BLM result in juries that are attitudinally predisposed toward system justification and acquittal of police officer defendants? 

Two studies—one with an undergraduate student sample and the other with an online community member sample—suggest the answers to both of these questions is "yes." Black participants and other participants of color were significantly more favorable toward the BLM movement than White participants. The less prospective jurors support the BLM movement, the more racist, supportive of group hierarchies, conservative and authoritarian they were and the more favorable their attitudes were toward the police. Finally, compared to jurors who were at risk of being excluded from service due to their BLM attitudes or behavior, other jurors were more likely to acquit a police officer defendant in a mock trial involving allegations of excessive use of force resulting in the death of a Black woman. 

A third study is in development to investigate factors related to attorneys use of prospective jurors' BLM-related attitudes and behavior during jury selection. This line of research is revealing that selection practices based on prospective jurors' favorability to the BLM movement or related protest behavior produce nonrepresentative juries and biased jury decision-making.
 

Abstract

Given that Black families and individuals from lower social status backgrounds are disproportionately more likely to be implicated in child abuse cases and wrongfully convicted, there is a critical need to understand psychological mechanisms driving these disparities. This project aims to examine contributing psychological processes, focusing on how racial stereotypes may lead to bias and misdiagnosis of child maltreatment. Specifically, the research aims to illuminate common stereotypes about child abuse and how these stereotypes, along with cognitive biases such as confirmation bias and selective evidence processing, might influence decision-making in ambiguous cases. 

In the most recent study in this line of work, we are working to identify the content of stereotypes about abuse that occurs within different racial and ethnic groups. Participants were randomly assigned to think about a Black, Asian, Latino/Hispanic, White, or racially unspecified caretaker or child in a child abuse context, and then generated stereotypes associated with the group. Data analysis is currently undergoing. By identifying the mechanisms that underlie biased judgments, we hope to inform interventions and training programs that promote more equitable outcomes in child welfare and legal contexts.

Abstract

Recent cases in which civilians involved themselves in the crime control process garnered divided reactions, with some people supporting and others disapproving of the civilians’ actions. Although existing research showed that perceptions of the police predicted support for civilians involved in crime control, the exact direction of these effects conflicted across studies.  

We addressed these conflicting findings by examining how people conceptualized police legitimacy and trust in the police, whether those conceptualizations aligned with scholarly definitions of legitimacy and trust, and whether the two constructs differentially predicted support for vigilantism. 

Additionally, we examined whether people approved of two types of civilian crime control—vigilantism and citizen’s arrest—differently.

Lastly, we explored how perceived police legitimacy and trust in the police related to people’s perceptions of citizen’s arrests, a possibility previously left unexamined. Whereas some participants believed police legitimacy and trust in the police to mean different things, other participants conflated the two constructs. We found that trust negatively predicted approval of vigilantism.  

Ultimately, perceived police legitimacy had a positive relation with approval of citizen’s arrest, specifically when participants defined citizen’s arrest appropriately. Furthermore, participants did not approve of vigilantism and citizen’s arrest differently.  

Suggestions for future research and implications were discussed.

Abstract

Evidence of racial disparities in policing and criminal legal outcomes led us to examine an understudied potential source of racial bias—civilians’ decisions to call for police service. Racial disparities in decisions to initiate contact with police may contribute to racial disparities that emerge in subsequent police and criminal legal system interactions. Previous studies have shown that White people are, in fact, more likely to call police than Black people, and, in our studies, we investigated whether this racial difference may stem from:

1. Anti-Black stereotypes impacting perceptions of criminality, and
2. White people experiencing “White racist” stereotype threat. Our studies also have sparked discussions of social desirability effects and improving research methodology for studying racial issues.

Our studies also have sparked discussions of social desirability effects and improving research methodology for studying racial issues.

Abstract

This project advances scientific understanding about the likelihood that juvenile sex offender registration and notification policies can deter adolescents from engaging in sexual behaviors that are common in their age group, yet frequently criminalized and subject to serious, long-term penalties. In particular, Dr. Najdowski and her collaborator Dr. Cleary seek to explicate the criminological processes that are prerequisites to general deterrence as well as the developmental psychological mechanisms that may condition those processes. This is imperative as prior research and pilot work suggests many adolescents are unaware of the breadth of sexual behaviors that warrant registration and notification, which both undermines policy effectiveness and puts youth at risk of being systematically and sometimes publicly labeled as sex offenders.

Dr. Najdowski and Dr. Cleary have two objectives: 1) Empirically evaluate whether legal knowledge that certain sexual behaviors may be punished with sex offender registration and notification deters adolescent sexual offending over time, and 2) Advance scientific knowledge by identifying psychological mechanisms that undermine deterrence among adolescents who are aware of registration and notification risk by (a) precluding their ability to engage in rational choice and (b) shaping the perceived net cost of sexual offending. Dr. Najdowski and Dr. Cleary are administering two electronic surveys one year apart to derive relations between adolescents’ legal knowledge related to sex offender registration and notification policy and their likelihood of committing sexual offenses over time. Specifically, Dr. Najdowski and Dr. Cleary are expanding from their two prior pilot studies by experimentally manipulating whether adolescent participants are exposed to educational information about the risk of criminal justice involvement and sex offender registration and notification associated with illegal adolescent sexual behaviors. They are also discovering whether and how, even when adolescents are (made) aware that sexual behaviors are prohibited and carry legal risks, psychosocial maturity constructs of temperance, perspective, and responsibility reduce the deterrent impact of registration and notification.

Participants are 14 to 17 years old, a range commonly targeted by juvenile registration and notification policies and a period of rapid developmental change—that is, the group most legally and behaviorally at risk of punishment. The study is taking place in Virginia, a state with relatively restrictive juvenile sex offender registration policies and where Dr. Najdowski and Dr. Cleary have already collected cross-sectional pilot data to test preliminary hypotheses and inform this study’s design. This project’s experimental and longitudinal approach and inclusion of theoretically relevant yet currently untested constructs will thereby transform current understanding of relations between criminological theory on deterrence, social-developmental psychology, and legal policy.

The intellectual merit of this scientific work lies in (a) its experimental and longitudinal design, which allows for causal determination of whether and why sex offender registration and notification policy affects adolescents’ risky sexual behavior; (b) novel integration of theories from criminology and social-developmental psychology to advance scientific understanding of adolescent sexual offending in the real world; (c) expansion of knowledge related to psychological determinants of adolescents’ risky behavior; and (d) contribution to the broader field of criminology aimed at understanding when policy effectively deters undesirable behavior.

Sex offender registration policies have become more restrictive and more frequently applied to adolescent offenders, yet whether they actually deter youth sexual offending remains unknown. This project’s findings will inform policymaking on this heavily contested issue. Findings will be foundational for future investigations of policy reform, such as whether widespread intervention with parents is needed to assist youth in managing registration risk. Dr. Najdowski and Dr. Cleary also will promote interest in psychology, criminology, and policy research among adolescent research participants and graduate student research assistants. Dr. Najdowski and Dr. Cleary will use Open Science Framework to manage and report the research publicly in line with NSF’s open science policy. A project wiki and other dissemination efforts will ensure findings are publicly accessible and facilitate discussion and collaboration with other researchers, front-line professionals, community leaders, and policymakers. The proposed interdisciplinary approach will ultimately reveal whether and how policy can effectively deter adolescent sex offending, protect developmentally vulnerable adolescents from experiencing excessively punitive outcomes, and promote justice outcomes.

Abstract

A new but growing area of research is exploring whether racial differences in perceptions of police encounters translate into racial disparities in negative criminal justice outcomes.

Our study, funded by the UAlbany Faculty Research Award Programs, is building on this foundation by considering whether African Americans and Whites have different models of agency for interactions with police officers. Given the unique abuses Black people have experienced at the hands of the state, we hypothesized that Black people feel more under the control of the state and less able to assert their freedom in police encounters relative to White people. This hypothesis is being tested by comparing Black and White civilians' reactions to hypothetical police encounters.

In the most recent phase of this research, we are exploring how both (a) race and ethnicity and (b) U.S. citizenship status shape civilians’ perceived freedom to exercise their Fourth Amendment rights—specifically, their perceived ability to withhold consent during police search requests. This will allow us to understand whether civilians who are not U.S. citizens experience heightened psychological barriers to asserting their legal rights in police encounters, as well as whether such effects manifest regardless of civilians' racial and ethnic background or whether they are particularly pronounced for Black and Hispanic civilians.

Participants were recruited both online and from the community to explore whether online samples are valid for studying issues related to race and policing. Analyses are in progress. Results could shed light on racial differences in the tendency to yield civil liberties in police encounters (e.g., consenting to be detained or searched), which both increases the likelihood of criminal justice system involvement and restricts civilians’ defense options. Thus, this study is applying social psychological theory on agency to the novel context of the criminal justice system to shed light on critical issues related to race and policing.

Abstract

This study investigates jurors’ ability to accurately evaluate juveniles’ confessions. Juveniles are disproportionately likely to give false confessions, which is a leading cause of their wrongful convictions.

Although jurors are notoriously bad at recognizing the psychological power of the interrogation to elicit false confessions from adults, my prior research suggests they may be sensitive to the circumstances of juveniles’ confessions. In one mock trial study (Najdowski & Bottoms, 2012), jurors’ verdicts were less influenced by a juvenile’s confession when it was coerced versus voluntary. Further, jurors were no more likely to convict the juvenile when she had been coerced to confess than when she maintained innocence. Consistent with attribution theory, jurors attached less weight to actual guilt as a potential cause of the juvenile’s confession when suggestibility and coercion were more plausible explanations.

In the present study, we varied the defendant’s age to directly test whether jurors are more aware of risks associated with coercion when considering juveniles versus adults. We varied the defendant’s race, too, to better understand racial disparities in wrongful convictions. Because Black children are perceived as older and less innocent than same-aged White children, we expect jurors will recognize that juveniles’ coerced confessions are unreliable only when the juvenile is White, not Black.

We are now in the process of coding qualitative data and conducting analyses to test these hypotheses. Results will help to explain why Black juveniles are overrepresented among wrongfully convicted false confessors. These studies have practical implications for attorneys’ jury selection tactics, jury instructions, and expert testimony, and therefore for improving the accuracy and fairness of decision-making in juvenile cases. This research was funded by a Psi Chi Mamie Phipps Clark Research Grant.

• Najdowski, C. J., & Stevenson, M. C. (Eds.) (2018). Criminal juries in the 21st century: Contemporary issues, psychological science, and the law. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
  • Read Katelyn Rinker’s 2019 review of the book.
• Bottoms, B. L., Najdowski, C. J., & Goodman, G. S. (Eds.). (2009). Children as victims, witnesses, and offenders: Psychological science and the law. New York: Guilford Press.
  • Read Martin Fialkov’s 2013 review of the book.
  • Read Heather Hlavka’s 2011 review of the book.
  • Read G. T. Swart's 2011 review of the book.
  • Read La Teisha Callendar’s 2010 review of the book.
  • Read Jennifer Rhodes’s 2010 review of the book.
  • Read Beth Schwartz’s 2010 review of the book.

• Najdowski, C. J., Wilcox, S. A., Brace, J. K., & Anderson, M. (2025). An exploratory study of racism in social media behavior: Effects of political orientation and motivation to control prejudice. Translational Issues in Psychological Science, 11(3), 347-360. https://doi.org/10.1037/tps0000395
• Wahrer, K. S., Najdowski, C. J., & Passarelli, J. V. (2025). Effects of dehumanization and disgust-eliciting language on attitudes toward immigration: A sentiment analysis of Twitter data. Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, 32(2), 240-265. https://doi.org/10.1080/13218719.2023.2296484
• Worden, R. E., Najdowski, C. J., McLean, S. J., Worden, K. M., Corsaro, N., Cochran, H., & Engel, R. S. (2024). Implicit bias training for police: Impacts on enforcement disparities. Special Issue: Bias in the Justice and Legal Systems in Law and Human Behavior, 48(5-6), 338-355. https://doi.org/10.1037/lhb0000568
• Najdowski, C. J. (2023). How the “Black criminal” stereotype shapes Black people’s psychological experience of policing: Evidence of stereotype threat and remaining questions. Invited submission in American Psychologist, 78(5), 695-713. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0001159 
• Najdowski, C. J., Cleary, H. M. D., & Oja, P. M. (2023). Relations between peer influence, perceived costs versus benefits, and sexual offending among adolescents aware of sex offender registration risk. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 41(2-3), 109-123. https://doi.org/10.1002/bsl.2625
• Najdowski, C. J., & Goff, P. A. (2022). Towards a psychological science of abolition democracy: Insights for improving theory and research on race and public safety. Social Issues and Policy Review, 16(1), 33-78. https://doi.org/10.1111/sipr.12083
  • One of Wiley’s most downloaded papers during its first 12 months of publication
  • Received the 2023 Gordon Allport Intergroup Relations Prize
• Najdowski, C. J., & Stevenson, M. C. (2022). A call to dismantle systemic racism in criminal legal systems. Invited submission in Law and Human Behavior, 46(6), 398-414. https://doi.org/10.1037/lhb0000510
• Noel, M., & Najdowski, C. J. (2022). Caregivers’ expectations, reflected appraisals, and arrests among adolescents who experienced parental incarceration. Youth & Society, 54(7), 1099-1125. https://doi.org/10.1177/0044118X20951068
• Bernstein, K. M., & Najdowski, C. J. (2021) First Amendment Knowledge and Competence in United States Residents. Behavioral Sciences and the Law, 39(3), 328-344. https://doi.org/10.1002/bsl.2516
• Najdowski, C. J., Bernstein, K. M., & Wahrer, K. (2020). Do racial stereotypes contribute to medical misdiagnosis of child abuse? Investigating tunnel vision in the emergency room. Wrongful Conviction Law Review, 1(2), 153-180. https://doi.org/10.29173/wclawr23
• Cleary, H. M. D., & Najdowski, C. J. (2020). Adolescents’ awareness of juvenile sex offender registration policies and self-reported sexual offending. Sexuality Research and Social Policy, 17(3), 486-499. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13178-019-00410-3
• Najdowski, C. J., & Weintraub, J. N. (2020). Juror gender and confession evidence: An exploratory study of effects on empathy and trial outcomes for juvenile defendants. Journal of Experimental Criminology, 16, 595-606. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11292-019-09396-9 
• Najdowski, C. J., & Bernstein, K. M. (2018). Race, social class, and child abuse: Content and strength of medical professionals’ stereotypes. Child Abuse & Neglect, 86, 217-222. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2018.10.006
• Najdowski. C. J. (2017). Legal responses to nonconsensual pornography: Current policy in the United States and future directions for research. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 23(2), 154-165 https://doi.org/10.1037/law0000123
• Najdowski, C. J., Cleary, H. M. D., & Stevenson, M. C. (2016). Adolescent sex offender registration policy: Perspectives on general deterrence potential from criminology and developmental psychology. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 22(1), 114-125. https://doi.org/10.1037/law0000059
• Najdowski, C. J., & Bottoms, B. L. (2015). Effects of jurors’ gender and attitudes toward intellectual disability on judgments in cases involving disabled juvenile defendants. The Journal of Forensic Psychiatry & Psychology, 26(3), 407-424. https://doi.org/10.1080/14789949.2015.1017592
• Najdowski, C. J., Bottoms, B. L., & Goff, P. A. (2015). Stereotype threat and racial differences in citizens’ experiences of police encounters. Law and Human Behavior, 39(5), 463-477. https://doi.org/10.1037/lhb0000140
• Najdowski, C. J., Bottoms, B. L., Stevenson, M. C., & Veilleux, J. C. (2015). A historical review and resource guide to the scholarship of teaching and training in psychology and law and forensic psychology. Training and Education in Professional Psychology, 9(3), 217-228. https://doi.org/10.1037/tep0000095
• Salerno, J. M., Najdowski, C. J., Bottoms, B. L., Kemner, G., Dave, R., & Harrington, E. (2015). Excusing murder? Conservative jurors’ acceptance of the gay panic defense. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 21(1), 24-34. https://doi.org/10.1037/law0000024
• Stevenson, M. C., Najdowski, C. J., Salerno, J. M., Wiley, T. R. A., Bottoms, B. L., & Sorenson, K. M. (2015).The influence of a juvenile's abuse history on support for sex offender registration. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 21(1), 35-49. https://doi.org/10.1037/law0000028
• Stevenson, M. C., Najdowski, C. J., & Wiley, T. R. A. (2013). Knowledge of juvenile sex offender registration laws as a predictor of adolescent sexual behavior. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 22(1), 103-118. https://doi.org/10.1080/10538712.2013.744376
• Thompson, R., Dancy, B. L., Wiley, T. R. A., Najdowski, C. J., Perry, S. P., Wallis, J., Mekawi, Y., & Knafl, K. (2013). African American families' expectations and intentions for mental health services. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, 40(5), 371-383. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-012-0429-5
• Bottoms, B. L., Najdowski, C. J., Epstein, M. A., & Badanek, M. J. (2012). Trauma severity and defensive emotion-regulation reactions as predictors of forgetting childhood trauma. Journal of Trauma & Dissociation, 13(3), 291-310. https://doi.org/10.1080/15299732.2011.641497
• Najdowski, C. J., & Bottoms, B. L. (2012). Understanding jurors’ judgments in cases involving juvenile defendants: Effects of confession evidence and intellectual disability. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 18(2), 297-337. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0025786
• Ullman, S. E., Najdowski, C. J., & Adams, E. (2012). Women, Alcoholics Anonymous, and related mutual aid groups: Review and recommendations for research. Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly, 30(4), 443-486. https://doi.org/10.1080/07347324.2012.718969
• Najdowski, C. J. (2011). Stereotype threat in criminal interrogations: Why innocent Black suspects are at risk for confessing falsely. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 17(4), 562-591. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0023741
• Najdowski, C. J., & Ullman, S. E. (2011). The effects of revictimization on coping and depression in female sexual assault victims. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 24(2), 218-221. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.20610
• Thompson, R., Dancy, B. L., Wiley, T. R. A., Perry, S. P., & Najdowski, C. J. (2011). The experience of mental health service use for African American mothers and youth. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 32(11), 678-686. https://doi.org/10.3109/01612840.2011.595534
• Ullman, S. E., & Najdowski, C. J. (2011). Prospective changes in attributions of self-blame and social reactions to women’s disclosures of adult sexual assault. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 26(10), 1934-1962. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260510372940
• Najdowski, C. J. (2010). Jurors and social loafing: Factors that reduce participation during jury deliberations. American Journal of Forensic Psychology, 28(2), 39-64. Reprinted in American Journal of Forensic Psychiatry, 31(3), 49-76.
• Salerno, J. M., Najdowski, C. J., Stevenson, M. C., Wiley, T. R. A., Bottoms, B. L., Vaca, Jr., R. A., & Pimentel, P. S. (2010). Psychological mechanisms underlying support for juvenile sex offender registry laws: Prototypes, moral outrage, and perceived threat. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 28(1), 58-83. https://doi.org/10.1002/bsl.921
• Ullman, S. E., & Najdowski, C. J. (2010a). Alcohol-related help-seeking in problem drinking women sexual assault survivors. Substance Use & Misuse, 45(3), 341-353. https://doi.org/10.3109/10826080903443644 
• Ullman, S. E., & Najdowski, C. J. (2010b). Understanding alcohol-related sexual assaults: Characteristics and consequences. Violence and Victims, 25(1), 29-44. https://doi.org/10.1891/0886-6708.25.1.29
• Najdowski, C. J., & Winer, E. S. (2009). The neuroscientific study of the self: Methodological and theoretical challenges. New School Psychology Bulletin, 6(1), 7-12. https://doi.org/10.1037/e741492011-001
• Najdowski, C. J., & Ullman, S. E. (2009a). Prospective effects of sexual victimization on PTSD and problem drinking. Addictive Behaviors, 34(11), 965-968. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2009.05.004
• Najdowski, C. J., & Ullman, S. E. (2009b). PTSD and self-rated recovery among adult sexual assault survivors: The effects of traumatic life events and psychosocial variables. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 33(1), 43-53. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-6402.2008.01473.x
• Najdowski, C. J., Bottoms, B. L., & Vargas, M. C. (2009). Jurors’ perceptions of juvenile defendants: The influence of intellectual disability, abuse history, and confession evidence. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 27(3), 401-430. https://doi.org/10.1002/bsl.873
• Ullman, S. E., & Najdowski, C. J. (2009). Correlates of suicidal ideation and attempts in female sexual assault survivors. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 39(1), 47-57. https://doi.org/10.1521/suli.2009.39.1.47
• Ullman, S. E., & Najdowski, C. J. (2009). Revictimization as a moderator of psychosocial risk factors for problem drinking in female sexual assault survivors. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 70(1), 41-49. https://doi.org/10.15288/jsad.2009.70.41
• Ullman, S. E., Najdowski, C. J., & Filipas, H. H. (2009). Child sexual abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder, and substance use: Predictors of revictimization in adult sexual assault survivors. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 18(4), 367-385. https://doi.org/10.1080/10538710903035263

• Hildebrand, M. M., & Najdowski, C. J. (2015). The potential impact of rape culture on juror decision making: Implications for wrongful acquittals in sexual assault trials. Albany Law Review, 78, 1059-1086.

• Najdowski, C. J. (2026). System disparities: Racial criminalization and the risk of coerced and false confessions in youth. In L. C. Malloy, R. K. Helm, & T. M. Zottoli (Eds.), Confessions and guilty pleas of youth: Developmental science and practical implications (pp. 145–159). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000495-012 
• Burke, K. C., Najdowski, C. J., & Stevenson, M. C. (2023). Racial disparities in policing: Psychological consequences over the lifespan. Invited chapter in A. D. Redlich & J. A. Quas (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of developmental psychology and the law (pp. 517-560). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780197549513.013.26
• Stevenson, M. C., & Najdowski, C. J. (2018). Criminal juries in the 21st century: A case-study introduction to contemporary issue. In C. J. Najdowski & & M. C. Stevenson (Eds.), Criminal juries in the 21st century: Contemporary issues, psychological science, and the law (pp. 1-16). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
• Najdowski, C. J. (2014). Interactions between African Americans and police officers: How cultural stereotypes create a wrongful conviction pipeline for African Americans. Invited chapter in A. D. Redlich, J. R. Acker, R. J. Norris, & C. L. Bonventre (Eds.), Examining wrongful convictions: Stepping back, moving forward (pp. 55-70). Durham, NC: Carolina Academic Press.
• Salerno, J. M., Stevenson, M. C., Najdowski, C. J., Wiley, T. R. A., Bottoms, B. L., & Peter-Hagene, C. L. (2014). The application of sex offender registry laws to juvenile offenders: Biases against stigmatized adolescents. In M. K. Miller, J. Chamberlain, & T. Wingrove (Eds.), Psychology, law, and the wellbeing of children (pp. 66-82). Oxford, OH: Oxford Press.
• Stevenson, M. C., Najdowski, C. J., Bottoms, B. L., Sorenson, K. M., & Perry, S. P. (2011). Jurors’ perceptions of juvenile offenders tried in adult criminal court. In A. E. Hasselm (Ed.), Crime: Causes, types, and victims (pp. 141-153). Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science Publishers, Inc.
• Reynolds, C. E., Najdowski, C. J., Salerno, J. M., Stevenson, M. C., Wiley, T. R. A., & Bottoms, B. L. (2011). Public perceptions of registry laws for juvenile sex offenders. In N. A. Ramsay & C. R. Morrison (Eds.), Youth violence and juvenile justice: Causes, intervention and treatment programs (pp. 331-334). Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science Publishers, Inc.
• Ullman, S. E., & Najdowski, C. J. (2011). Vulnerability and protective factors for sexual violence. Invited chapter in J. W. White, M. P. Koss, & A. E. Kazdin (Eds.), Violence against women and children: Mapping the terrain (pp. 151-172). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
• Salerno, J. M., Stevenson, M. C., Wiley, T. R. A., Najdowski, C. J., Bottoms, B. L., & Doran, R. A. (2010). Public attitudes toward applying sex offender registration laws to juvenile offenders. Invited chapter in J. M. Lampinen & K. Sexton-Radek (Eds.), Protecting children from violence: Evidence based interventions (pp. 193-217). New York: Psychology Press.
• Mongetta, J. N., Salerno, J. M., Najdowski, C. J., Bottoms, B. L., & Goodman, G. S. (2009). Children as victims, witnesses, and offenders: An introduction through legal cases. In B. L. Bottoms, C. J. Najdowski, & G. S. Goodman (Eds.), Children as victims, witnesses, and offenders: Psychological science and the law (pp. 1-15). New York: Guilford Press.
• Stevenson, M. C., Najdowski, C. J., Bottoms, B. L., & Haegerich, T. M. (2009). Understanding adults’ perceptions of juvenile offenders. In B. L. Bottoms, C. J. Najdowski, & G. S. Goodman (Eds.), Children as victims, witnesses, and offenders: Psychological science and the law (pp. 349-368). New York: Guilford Press.

• Bottoms, B. L., Perona, A. R., Sorenson, E., & Najdowski, C. J. (2007). Interviewing suspected victims of child maltreatment. In N. A. Jackson (Ed.), Encyclopedia of domestic violence (pp. 137-141). New York: Routledge.
• Najdowski, C. J., & Bottoms, B. L. (2007). Juries and children’s testimony. In B. L. Cutler (Ed.), Encyclopedia of psychology and law (pp. 82-84). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

• Anderson, M., & Najdowski, C. J. (2023, December 1). Supreme court rulings are inconsistent on racial justice [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/sound-science-sound-policy/202312/supreme-court-rulings-are-inconsistent-on-racial-justice
• Anderson, M., & Najdowski, C. J. (2023, March 7). Legally reasonable suspicion rests on unreasonable assumptions [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/sound-science-sound-policy/202303/legal-reasonable-suspicion-rests-on-unreasonable-assumptions
• Anderson, M., & Najdowski, C. J. (2023, March). Stereotypes about people and communities of color may be limiting Fourth Amendment protections. Monitor on Psychology, 54(2), 29.
• Anderson, M., & Najdowski, C. J. (2022, June 22). Racism may be built into some courtrooms [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/sound-science-sound-policy/202206/racism-may-be-built-some-courtrooms
• Anderson, M., & Najdowski, C. J. (2022, June). Legacies of racism in our halls of justice. Monitor on Psychology, 53(4), 39. 
• Worden, R. E., McLean, S. J., Engel, R. S., Cochran, H., Corsaro, N., Reynolds, D., Najdowski, C. J., & Isaza, G. T. (2020). The impacts of implicit bias awareness training in the NYPD. The John F. Finn Institute. 
• Najdowski, C. J. (2020, February 24). Legal responses to nonconsensual pornography: Current policy in the United States [Blog post].
• Bernstein, K. M., Najdowski, C. J., & Wahrer, K. S. (2020). Racial stereotyping and misdiagnosis of child abuse. Monitor on Psychology, 51.
• Weintraub, J. N., & Najdowski, C. J. (in press). Supreme Court declines to review Making a Murderer confession. Monitor on Psychology.
• Najdowski, C. J. (2020, January). Action teaching in a “Children, Psychology, and Law” course. American Psychology-Law Society (AP-LS) Newsletter.
• Najdowski, C. J. (2019, October). Action teaching in a “Children, Psychology, and Law” course. The Advocate, 42(3). 
• Noel, M., & Najdowski, C. J. (2019). When parents are incarcerated, their children are punished, too. Monitor on Psychology, 50(8), 33.
• Stevenson, M. C., & Najdowski, C. J. (2019, March). How video may influence juror decision-making for police defendants. Monitor on Psychology, 50(3), 31.
• Stevenson, M. C., & Najdowski, C. J. (2018, December 10). How video may influence juror decision-making for police defendants [Blog post]. https://blog.oup.com/2018/12/how-video-influence-juror-decision-making-police-defendants/
• Weintraub, J. N., & Najdowski, C. J. (2018, October). Supreme Court fails to use science in key decision. Monitor on Psychology, 49(9), 31.
• Bernstein, K. M., & Najdowski, C. J. (2018, March). Does partisan gerrymandering disenfranchise voters? Monitor on Psychology, 49(3), 27. 
• Najdowski, C. J., & Hildebrand, M. M. (2018, January 23). The criminalization of "revenge porn". Not just a women's issue [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/sound-science-sound-policy/201801/the-criminalization-revenge-porn
• Najdowski, C. J. (2017, November). AEC: Outstanding Young Experimental Criminologist Award. The Experimental Criminologist.
• Wilcox, S. A., & Najdowski, C. J. (2017, April). Should registered sex offenders be banned from social media? Monitor on Psychology, 48(4), 27.
• Najdowski, C. J. (2016, February 8). Stereotype threat in police encounters: Implications for miscarriages of justice. The Psych Report. (Op-ed).
• Najdowski, C. J. (2015, Summer). Scholarship and advocacy at the American Psychological Association Education Leadership Conference. The Advocate, 38(2), 6.
• Najdowski, C. J., & Woodcock, K. L. (2015, April). The questionable legality of “upskirting.” Monitor on Psychology, 46(4), 34.
• Najdowski, C. J. (2014, November). Mistake-of-law traffic stops: Potential disparate impact on minorities. Monitor on Psychology, 45(10), 22.
• Najdowski, C. J., & Bonventre, C. L. (2014, May). Deception in the interrogation room. Monitor on Psychology, 45(5), 26.
• Najdowski, C. J., & Hildebrand, M. M. (2014, January). The criminalization of ‘revenge porn.’ Monitor on Psychology, 45(1), 26.
• Najdowski, C. J. (2011, Summer). Explaining racial disparities in false confession rates: Effects of investigators’ biased attitudes and perceptions and suspects’ stereotype threat. “Actual Innocence” column in the American Psychology-Law Society News Newsletter.
• Beletsky, L., Goff, P. A., Glaser, J., Jones-Brown, D., Sidanius, J., Baldwin, M., Kahn, K. B., & Najdowski, C. J. (2010, October). Diagnosing the problem: How to address unwarranted disparate treatment. In the Consortium for Police Leadership in Equity’s report, The Contract for Policing Justice.