The Spellman Lab does research on memory and higher-order cognition and also looks at ways such research can inform intelligence analysis and the legal system. Thus, our investigations cross the border between cognitive and social psychology and students from both areas are members of the lab.
Here is a sampling of some of the issues we've looked at recently:
Social Cognition and Reasoning:
- How does knowing that someone is trying to deceive you affect the way you use information coming from that source?
- What makes an information source more or less credible?
- When is having less (but diverse) information more useful than having more (but similar) information?
- Is reasoning with information presented numerically different from reasoning with the same information presented verbally?
Memory:
- When are people good at knowing what they will remember? And why?
- Why does trying to remember some information (sometimes) hurt memories for competing information?
Legal Reasoning:
- When will / won't jurors disregard inadmissible information?
- Who should make criminal sentencing decisions--judges or juries?
- What does analogy research imply about how judges might use legal precedents when making decisions?
How important is witness confidence to witness credibility?
For more information about the Spellman Lab, please email the webmaster.
Gilmer Hall Box 400400 Charlottesville, VA 22904
(434) 243-8187