Joanna Pozzulo

Professor

Ph.D.
Email Joanna Pozzulo

Biography

Dr. Joanna Pozzulo is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at Carleton University. Dr. Pozzulo has received a number of awards for her teaching and research. In 2009, Dr. Pozzulo along with Drs. Bennell and Forth, received the Significant Contribution Award from the Criminal Justice Section of the Canadian Psychological Association for their textbook, Forensic Psychology (Pozzulo, Bennell, & Forth, 2008, 2nd edition). In 2008, Dr. Pozzulo received the Carleton University Teaching Achievement Award. Also for her teaching, in 2003, Dr. Pozzulo received the Capital Educator’s Award from the Ottawa Centre for Research and Innovation. In 2001, her work on child eyewitness memory received the President’s New Researcher Award from the Canadian Psychological Association.

Research Interests

The goal of Joanna’s research is to understand how memory in the applied context of witnessing crime differs developmentally and the cognitive/social processes eyewitnesses engage in to recall the event and recognize the culprit. On an applied level, She is interested in developing appropriate police procedures to be used with children. As a secondary line of research, she is interested in how identification testimony in combination with other types of evidence influences jury decision making.

Selected 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.). (2024). The impact of technological advances on the legal system: Psychological implications for eyewitness accuracy. Routledge/Taylor & Francis. (462pp)

Pozzulo, J. D., Pica, E., & Sheahan, C. (Eds.). (2020). Memory and sexual misconduct: Psychological research for criminal justice. Taylor & Francis Group. (238pp)

Articles:

Fraser, B., Pica, E., Pozzulo, J. D., Korn, J., & Scharfe, C. (2025). Beyond the evidence: How race, chronological age, and developmental age shape juror verdicts in sexual assault cases. Behavioral Sciences & the Law. https://doi.org/10.1002/bsl.2725

Pozzulo, J., Stone, A., Vettese, A. (2025). Designing a graduate level peer-wellness coaching course. Health Education Journal. https://doi.org/10.1177/00178969251334905

Vettese, A., & Pozzulo, J. (2025). Indigenous Canadians take the stand: The influence of mock-juror perceptions and verdict decisions. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11896-025-09742-w

Hildenbrand, A., Thompson, L.E., Pozzulo, J., & Sherratt, K. (2025). Mock-juror decision-making: The influence of inconsistencies, situation type, and defendant and victim race. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11896-025-09733-x

Pica, E., Bride, H., Lamirande, A., & Pozzulo, J. (2024). The influence of assault type, delayed reporting, and testimony inconsistencies on mock jurors’ judgments. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11896-024-09717-3

Thompson, L. E., & Pozzulo, J. (2024). How length of and reason for delayed reporting influence mock-jurors’ judgments in a sexual assault trial. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11896-024-09664-z

Barager, R.T., Thompson, L.E. & Pozzulo, J. (2024). Perceptions in a sexual assault trial: The influence of age and race on Canadian mock-jurors. Journal of Police Criminal Psychology, 40, 128-140.https://doi.org/10.1007/s11896-024-09721-7

Vettese, A., Pica, E., & Pozzulo, J. (2024). House of worship mass shooting: The influence of defendant age, religion, and victim religion on mock-juror decision-making. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, 39, 693–705. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11896-024-09695-6