CV

curriculum vitae

Jessica M. Salerno

1007 W. Harrison M/C 285, Chicago, IL 60647

jsaler4@uic.edu, 802-989-8658

 

EDUCATION

Doctoral Program (2006-present)

University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL

Major: Social Psychology

Minor: Psychology and Law; Statistics, Method, and Measurement

Advisor: Bette L. Bottoms, Ph.D.

 

Master’s of Arts (2009)

      University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL

      Major: Social Psychology

      Advisor: Bette L. Bottoms, Ph.D.

      Thesis Project: Can jurors identify junk science? Effects of a central cross-examination, deliberation, and    

       need for cognition on jurors’ decisions

 

Bachelors of Arts (2003), Magna Cum Laude

Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT

Majors: Psychology; Film

Minor: Italian

 

Middlebury College School Abroad, Florence, Italy (Spring of 2001)

 

Middlebury College Language School of Italian, Middlebury, VT (Summer of 2000)

 

SCHOLARSHIPS, ACADEMIC AWARDS, AND RESEARCH GRANTS

            ·         Society for Personality and Social Psychology sponsorship to the European
                       Association of Social Psychology Summer School 2010
·         The Christopher B. Keys Award for Early Outstanding Research Achievement
           ($500), 2009

·         Department of Psychology Travel Award ($200), Spring 2009

·         Graduate Student Council Travel Award ($300), Spring 2009

·         University of Illinois at Chicago Chancellor’s Committee on the Status of LGBT
            Issues Graduate Student Grant ($554), Fall 2008.

·         American Psychology and Law Grant-in-Aid ($460), Fall 2008.

·         UIC College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Scholarship ($1000), Spring 2008.

·         Psi Chi Graduate Research Grant ($804), Spring 2008.

·         Graduate School Travel Award ($250), Spring 2008.

·         Graduate Student Council Travel Award ($300), Spring 2008.

·         Psychology Departmental Research Funds ($300), Spring 2008.

·         Inducted into Psi Chi (2007)

·         Awarded “Highest Honors” in the Department of Psychology, Middlebury College
           (May 2003)
·         NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates Fellow, Department of Psychology,
          Middlebury College, Summer 2003.
 

PUBLICATIONS

 

Salerno, J. M., & Bottoms, B. L. (2010). Unintended consequences of toying with jurors’ emotions:

The impact of disturbing emotional evidence on jurors’ verdicts. The Jury Expert, 22, 16-25.

 

Salerno, J.M., Najdwoski, C.N., Stevenson, M.C., Wiley, T.R.A., Bottoms, B.L., Pimentel, P.S., & Vaca,

R. (2010). Psychological mechanisms underlying support for juvenile sex offender registry laws: Prototypes, moral outrage, and perceived threat. Behavioral Sciences and the Law, 28, 58-83.

 

Salerno, J.M., & Diamond, S. S. (in press). The promise of a cognitive perspective on jury decision-

making. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review.

 

Salerno, J.M., & McCauley, M. (2009). Mock jurors’ judgments about scientific experts: Do cross-

examination, deliberation, and need for cognition matter? American Journal of Forensic Psychology,27, 1-24.

 

Salerno, J.M., & Bottoms, B.L. (2009) Emotional evidence and jurors’ judgments: The promise of

neuroscience for informing psychology and law. Behavioral Sciences and the Law: Special Issue: The Neuroscience of Decision Making and Law, 27, 273-296.

 

Salerno, J.M., Stevenson, M.C., Bottoms, B.L., Nadjowski, C.J., Wiley, T.R.A., & Doran, R. (in press)

Public perception of juvenile sex offender registration. In J.M. Lampinen, & K. Sexton-Radek (Eds.)

Protecting Children from Violence: Evidence Based Interventions. New York: Psychology Press.

 

Reynolds, C. E., Najdowski, C. J., Salerno, J. M., Stevenson, M. C., Wiley, T. R A., & Bottoms, B. L. (in

press). Public perceptions of registry laws for juvenile sex offenders. To appear in F. Columbus

(Ed.), Youth violence: Causes, warning signs and prevention. Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science

Publishers, Inc.

 

Hernandez, G., Salerno, J.M., & Bottoms, B. (in press) Attachment to God, religious coping, and

alcohol-related coping. The International Journal for the Psychology of Religion.

 

Ducker, J.N., Salerno, J.M., Nadjowski, C.J., Bottoms, B. L., & Goodman, G. S. (2009). Child victims,

child offenders: An introduction through legal cases. In B. L. Bottoms, C. J. Nadjowski, & G. S. Goodman (Eds.) Child Victims, Child Offenders. New York: Guildford Press.

 

Dumas, J., Salerno, J.M., & Newhouse, P. (2006). Estrogen for the treatment of cognitive impairment and dementia. Psychiatric Times, 23, 34-

            44.

 

WORK IN PROGRESS

 

Salerno, J.M., & Bottoms, B.L. Can jurors identify junk science? Effects of a central cross-

examination, deliberation, and need for cognition on jurors’ decisions. Manuscript in preparation.

 

Nysse-Carris, K.L., Bottoms, B.L., & Salerno, J.M. Experts’ and novices’ abilities to detect deception

in children. Manuscript in preparation.

 

Salerno, J. The effects of decision rules on deliberation quality and minority influence:  Implications

            for jury decision making. Manuscript in preparation.

 

LEADERSHIP AND SERVICE POSITIONS

Committee of Graduate Studies Elected Student Representative, 2009-2010

 

American Psychology Law Society Campus Representative, 2008-2009

 

Ad Hoc Reviewer for: Child Maltreatment; Psychology, Crime, & Law; Law & Human Behavior, NSF

 

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

Research Assistant (2008 – present)

      Supervisor:    Shari S. Diamond, Ph.D., J.D., American Bar Foundation, Northwestern University

     Projects:        The Arizona Jury Filming Project: Coding real jury deliberations for discussions of scientific expert

witnesses and evidence of central and peripheral processing.  

 

Research Assistant (2006-present)

      Supervisor::   Bette Bottoms, Ph. D., University of Illinois at Chicago

      Projects:        Can jurors identify junk science? Effects of need for cognition and legal safeguards on

jurors’ decisions, How do jurors reason about science?, Perceptions of juvenile sex offender registry laws, Experts’ and novices’ ability to detect deception in child witnesses.

 

Research Project Manager (2006)

Supervisor:    John Cacioppo, Ph.D., Center for Cognitive and Social Neuroscience, University of Chicago

Projects:        Individual Differences in Affective Processing

Activities:     Managed an fMRI study involving affective processing, developed stimulus programs in E-Prime

                   program, assisted in fMRI data analysis using AFNI program.   

 

Research Project Manager (2004-2006)

Supervisors:   Paul Newhouse, M.D. & Julie Dumas, Ph. D., Clinical Neuroscience Research Unit, University of Vermont.

Projects:         Transdermal Nicotine Treatment of Mild Cognitive Impairment, Estrogen Effects on Cholinergic

                  Function in Older Women, Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Safety and Scopolamine-Reversal Study of LY593093 in Healthy Volunteers

Activities:      Involvement in development of fMRI research program, running of subjects through fMRI scanner  research protocol using Invivo fMRI software, Coordinated 2 NIH-funded protocols,   
                  administration of cognitive testing on subjects for multiple studies, preparation and maintenance of study records, assisted in developing online data management database (ACS Study  
                  Manager) including creation of electronic CRFs, worked with statistician to develop data management and data extraction plan with secured database with web-based entry, oversaw
                  maintenance of this online database.

 

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Discussion Section Instructor

 
Psychology 313, Social Psychology Lab

               (Fall 2008)

               Instructors: Bette L. Bottoms, Ph.D.

 

Psychology 100 Subject Pool/Mass-Testing Teaching Assistant

(Fall 2008, Spring 2009, Summer 2009, Fall 2009, Spring 2009)

Subject Pool Coordinator: James Larson, Ph.D.

 

 

Psychology 242, Research Methods in Psychology

               (Fall 2006, Spring 2007, Summer 2007, Fall 2007, Spring 2008)

                Instructors: Michael Ragozzino, Ph.D., David McKirnan, Ph.D., & Ed Sargis, Ph.D.

 

CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS

Salerno, J. M., Bottoms, B. L., Vaca, R., & Larkin, A. Cross-examination and jury deliberation protect against flawed expert witnesses only when they testify for the defense. Paper to be presented
        at the 2010 Meeting of the American Psychology & Law Society.

 

Salerno, J. M., Bottoms, B. L., Peter-Hagene, C. L., Roy, K., & Vargas, M. Jurors’ reliance on peripheral versus central processing of expert testimony during deliberation. Paper to be presented
        at the 2010 Meeting of the American Psychology & Law Society.

 

Najdowksi, C. N., Stevenson, M. C., Salerno, J. M., Wiley, T. R. A., Bottoms, B. L., & Sorenson, K. M. Perceptions of abuse history as a cause of juvenile sex
        offending. Poster to be presented at the 2010 Meeting of the American Psychology & Law Society.

 

Salerno, J.M., Bottoms, B. L., Larkin, A., & Vaca, R. (March 2009). Can Cross-Examination and Deliberation Improve Jurors’ Evaluation of Scientific Expert Testimony? Presentation at the
        Meeting of the American Psychology & Law Society, San Antonio, TX.

 

Salerno, J.M., Vargas, M., & Bottoms, B. L. (March 2009). Do Women Participate Less Than Men in Jury Deliberation for a Case Involving Scientific Evidence? Presentation at the Meeting of
        the American Psychology & Law Society, San Antonio, TX.

 

Salerno, J.M., Stevenson, M. C., Bottoms, B. L., Wiley, T. R. A., Najdowski, C. N., Pimentel, P., Vaca, R. (March 2009). Public support for juvenile sex offender registry laws: Reaction to
        threat or moral outrage Presentation at the Meeting of the American Psychology & Law Society, San Antonio, TX.

 

Salerno, J. M., Stevenson, M. C., Bottoms, B. L., Najdowski, C. J., Wiley, T. R. A., Vaca Jr., R., & Schmillen, R. (February, 2009). Are Juvenile Sex Offender Registry Laws Motivated By
        Perceptions of Threat or Punishment Motives? Presentation at the Meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Tampa, FL.

 

Salerno, J.M., Stevenson, M. C., Najdowski, C. J., Wiley, T. R. A., Bottoms, B. L. (May, 2008). Pubic perception of the application of sex offender registration laws to juvenile sex offenders.
        Presentation at Association for Psychological Science: Annual Convention pre-conference meeting for Preventing Child Maltreatment, May 2008, Elmhurst College, IL.

 

Salerno, J.M., Veilleux, J., & Bottoms, B.L. (March, 2008). How do jurors reason about science? Presentation at the Meeting of the American Psychology & Law Society, Jacksonville,
        FL.

 

            Salerno, J.M., & McCauley, M. (March, 2006).  Effects of cross-examination and need for cognition

        on juror participation during deliberations.  Presentation at the Meeting of the American Psychology & Law Society, St. Petersburg, FL.

 

            Newhouse, P., Dumas, J., Naylor, M., Salerno, J.M., Hancur, K., & Johnson, J. (November, 2005).

        Estrogen agonist and antagonist effects on anticholinergic-induced cognitive dysfunction in post-menopausal women.  Presentation at the Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, Washington,
        D.C.

 

Salerno, J.M. & McCauley, M. (March, 2005). Effects of cross-examination, deliberation & need for cognition on jurors’ ability to evaluate the quality of scientific testimony. Presentation at the
        Meeting of the Eastern Psychological Association, Boston, MA.

INVITED PRESENTATION

            

Emerson, K., Wisneski, D., Salerno, J. M., & Aramavich, N. (February 2010). Jurors and Scientific Expert Testimony. Invited panel presentation of graduate student research to
        visiting graduate applicants. University of Illinois at Chicago: Chicago, IL.
 
Aramavich, N., Tripathi, R., Salerno, J.M., Wisneski, D. (February, 2009). Can Jurors Identify Junk Science? Effects of Need for Cognition and Legal Safeguards on Jurors’ Decisions. Invited
        panel presentation of graduate student research to visiting graduate applicants. University of Illinois at Chicago: Chicago, IL.

 

Harmon, V., Tripathi, R., Morgan, G., & Salerno, J. M. (February, 2007). Jurors’ understanding of scientific expert testimony. Invited panel presentation of graduate student research to
        visiting graduate applicants. University of Illinois at Chicago: Chicago, IL.

 

Salerno, J. M. (February, 2005). Effects of cross-examination, deliberation and need for cognition on jurors’ ability to evaluate the quality of scientific testimony. Invited talk sponsored by Psychology
        Club: Middlebury College: Middlebury, VT.