Dr. Stevenson's 

Social Psychology and Law Research Program

Dr. Stevenson's research interests are aimed broadly at understanding jury decision-making and more specifically at improving the justice system for marginalized groups (i.e., racial minorities and children) through methodologically rigorous research, rooted in social psychological theory. For example, because minority juvenile offenders are overrepresented in juvenile and adult court, Dr. Stevenson has examined racial bias in jurors’ perceptions of minority juvenile offenders tried in adult criminal court, finding discriminatory treatment against African American juvenile defendants (Stevenson & Bottoms, 2009). She has also extended this line of research with student research assistants and other collaborators, uncovering racial bias against juveniles who commit sex offenses (Stevenson, Sorenson, Smith, Sekely, & Dzwairo, 2009), adolescents who are physically victimized by police in schools (Watson & Stevenson, 2020), and victims of domestic violence (Winstead & Stevenson, 2021) and child sexual abuse (Stevenson & Rivers, 2023). Her research interests at the intersection of race, children, psychology, and the law are reflected in her Oxford University Press edited book, titled The Legacy of Race for Children: Psychology, Public Policy, and the Law, published in 2020 and in her work on APA's resolution call to dismantle racism in the criminal legal systems.  Dr. Stevenson's scholarship is also reflected through her service as President of the American Psychological Association, Division 37, Child and Family Policy and Practice, Section on Child Maltreatment. 

Of course, race is just one factor that likely shapes perceptions of juvenile offenders. Dr. Stevenson has also examined the influence of juvenile offender age, socio-economic status, crime type, abuse history, sexual orientation, and participants’ disgust sensitivity on perceptions of juvenile offenders (e.g., Sorenson Farnum & Stevenson, 2010; Stevenson, Smith, Sekely, & Sorenson, 2010; Stevenson, Sorenson Farnum, Skinner, & Rukudzo, 2010; Stevenson, Malik, Totton, & Reeves, 2014).  

Dr. Stevenson's broad interests in jury decision-making are reflected in several studies including, mock trial research which has received awards and grants from APA Divisions 37 and 41, and which reflects a careful content analysis of jurors’ discussions of a defendants’ history of abuse during videotaped mock jury deliberations of a death penalty sentencing trial. Due to her broad-ranging scholarship regarding jury decision-making (e.g., Stevenson, Lytle, House, McCracken, 2017; Stevenson & Caldwell, 2009; Skinner, Stevenson, & Camillus, 2015; Stevenson, Mcracken, Watson, Petty, & Plogher, 2023), she publish an edited Oxford University Press book, titled Criminal Juries in the 21st Century: Psychological Science and the Law.