Chris Normile, PhD

Assistant Professor of Psychology

Allegheny College

PhD (2020), Applied Experimental Psychology, Central Michigan University

M.A. (2015), Experimental Psychology, Towson University

B.A (2013), Psychology, Bloomsburg University

E-mail: cnormile@allegheny.edu

Educational Background

In 2013 I graduated magna cum laude from Bloomsburg University in Pennsylvania with a degree in psychology and a minor in criminal justice. As an undergrad, I became involved in research while working on an independent study with my mentor Dr. Jennifer Johnson (Bloomsburg University) and a former colleague of hers, Dr. Stéphane Dandeneau (Université du Québec à Montréal ) investigating techniques to buffer against feelings of ostracism. However, around the same time I learned about the Central Park 5, and my love for psychology and law topics began to bloom. In 2013, I began working with Dr. Kerri Goodwin (Towson University) investigating false confessions and their relationship to memory reconsolidation. After graduating in 2015, I began my Ph.D. program at Central Michigan University under the mentorship of Dr. Kyle Scherr where I continued to research police interrogations and false confessions among other topics. Now, I am an assistant professor of psychology at Allegheny College.

Research Interests

My main area of research explores how social-cognitive and physiological factors influence confession decision-making, with a special interest in false confessions. My other interests include juror perception of expert witness testimony and the layperson's perception of wrongfully convicted exonerees. Pedagogically speaking, I am interested in new statistics (effect sizes, confidence intervals, Bayesian statistics) and how they can be taught and used in introductory statistic courses to improve scientific literacy.

Last Updated on February 16th, 2022