Joanna Pozzulo (Sabbatical)

Research Interests

The goal of Dr. Pozzulo’s research is to understand how memory in the applied context of witnessing crime differs developmentally and the cognitive/social processes eyewitnesses engage to recall the event and recognize the culprit. On an applied level, Dr. Pozzulo is interested in developing age-appropriate identification procedures that police can use with eyewitnesses. Dr. Pozzulo is focused on evidence-based, best practices for child eyewitness identification with the aim of reducing wrongful conviction.

As a secondary line of research, Dr. Pozzulo is interested in the factors that influence perceptions of historical cases of sexual misconduct within a juror-decision-making paradigm.

Dr. Pozzulo is the Director of the Mental Health and Well-being Research and Training Hub.

You can read more about Dr. Pozzulo’s research in her blog, “On the Witness Stand” (https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/on-the-witness-stand) published in Psychology Today.

PUBLICATIONS

Books:

Pozzulo, J.D., Sheahan, C., & Pica, E. (2019). Familiarity and conviction in the criminal justice system: Definitions, theory, and eyewitness research. Oxford University Press. (144pp)

Pozzulo, J.D. (2016). The young eyewitness: How well do children and adolescents describe and identify perpetrators? American Psychological Association. (232pp)

Books edited:

Pica, E., Ross, D., & Pozzulo, J. (Eds.). (2023). The impact of technological advances on the legal system: Psychological implications for eyewitness accuracy. Routledge/Taylor and Francis.

Pozzulo, J.D., Pica, E., & Sheahan, C. (Eds.). (2020). Memory and sexual misconduct: Psychological research for criminal justice. Taylor & Francis Group. (360pp)

Pozzulo, J.D., & Bennell, C. (Eds.). (2018). Working with trauma-exposed children and adolescents: Evidence-based and age-appropriate practices. Taylor & Francis Group. (340pp)

Toglia, M., Ross, D., Pozzulo, J.D., & Pica, E. (Eds.). (2014). The elderly eyewitness in court. Taylor & Francis Group. (390pp)

Articles in refereed journals:

Thompson, L. E., & Pozzulo, J. (in press). How length of and reason for delayed reporting influence mock-jurors’ judgments in a sexual assault trial. Journal of Interpersonal Violence.

Fraser, B. M., Pica, E., & Pozzulo, J. (2023). Mock-Jurors’ Judgements in a Sexual Assault Case: The Influence of Defendant Race and Occupational Status, Delayed Reporting, and Multiple Allegations. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. Advance Online Publication  https://doi.org/10.1177/08862605231153873

Pica, E., Hildenbrand, A., Fraser, L., & Pozzulo, J. (2023). Juror decision making in a child trafficking case: The impact of defendant and victim gender, defendant age, and defendant status. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. Advance Online Publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/08862605231169760

Pica, E., Hildenbrand, A., Vettese, A., Stone, A., Pozzulo, J., & Fraser, L. (2022). Abuse in sports: The influence of victim gender, defendant gender, and type of abuse. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology. Advance Online Publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11896-022-09553-3

Ross, D.F, Pica, E., Pozzulo, J., Clark, M., Swanson, S., Warren, A., Metzger, R., Silver, C., & Sinclair, H. (2022). The impact of disguise on identification of familiar faces. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology. Advance Online Publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11896-022-09552-4

Ellingwood, H., Pica, E., Pozzulo, J., & Schultheis, E. (2022). The influence of victim sexual orientation, gender, and gender identity on mock jurors’ judgments. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology. Advance Online Publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11896-022-09533-7

Thompson, L. E., Pozzulo, J., Fraser, B. M., Sheahan, C. L., Mackovichova, S., & Pratt, K. J. (2022). The impact of procedure and filler similarity on adolescent eyewitness lineup performance. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11896-022-09531-9

Sheahan, C. L., Pica, E., Thompson, L.E., Vettese, A., & Pozzulo, J. (2022). The influence of Indigenous identity and gender in perceptions of behaviour in response to racialized police communication. Race and Social Problems. Advance Online Publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12552-022-09363-6

Pica, E., Sheahan, C.L., & Pozzulo, J. (2022) University students’ perceptions of the wrongfully convicted post-exoneration. American Journal of Forensic Psychology, 40, 35-61.

Pica, E., Sheahan, C.L., & Pozzulo, J. (2022). The impact of delayed reporting, assault type, victim gender, and victim-defendant familiarity on mock-jurors’ judgments. Applied Psychology in Criminal Justice, 16(2), 258-271.

Fraser, B. M., Mackovichova, S., Thompson, L. E., Pozzulo, J., Hanna, H. R., & Furat, H. (2022). The influence of inconsistency in eyewitness reports, eyewitness age, and crime type on mock juror decision-making. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, 37(2), 351–364. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11896-021-09464-9

Knowledge Mobilization:

Pozzulo, J. (in press). It’s number 5: I’ll never forget that face! Psychology Review. 

Pozzulo, J. & Stone, A. (2023, May 8). Taking mental wellness education beyond the campus: How universities can help respond to the mental health care crisis. The Conversation.  https://theconversation.com/taking-mental-wellness-education-beyond-the-campus-how-universities-can-help-respond-to-the-mental-health-care-crisis-205006

Pozzulo, J. & Pica, E. (2023, Jan. 12). The youth of girls charged in the swarming death of Toronto man may affect trial outcomes. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/the-youth-of-girls-charged-in-the-swarming-death-of-toronto-man-may-affect-trial-outcomes-197657

Pozzulo, J. & Pica, E. (2022, Nov. 23). Eyewitness misidentification is the leading cause of known wrongful convictions. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/eyewitness-misidentification-is-the-leading-cause-of-known-wrongful-convictions-194708

Pozzulo, J. & Pica, E. (2022, Nov. 13). Abuse is widely accepted as part of children and youth sports culture but it should not be tolerated. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/abuse-is-widely-accepted-as-part-of-organized-sports-culture-but-it-should-not-be-tolerated-194164

Pozzulo, J. & Pica, E. (2022, Nov. 7). Jacob Hogard’s celebrity did not protect him from the consequences of sexual assault. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/jacob-hoggards-celebrity-did-not-protect-him-from-the-consequences-of-sexual-assault-193191