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Professor, Researcher, Mentor
Professor, Researcher, Mentor
I am an Assistant Professor at Tennessee Tech University. I received my PhD from Florida International University in Legal Psychology under Dr. Nadja Schreiber Compo. I completed my Master's in Experimental Psychology with Dr. Ronald Fisher.
In my spare time, I love reading sci-fi novels, cooking, playing video games with my partner, painting, and crocheting!
Research Interests
Research Interests
memory, memory improvement, investigative interviewing, witness perceptions, best-practices and improvement, bias, deception detection, interdisciplinary collaborations.
Research Highlight
Research Highlight
The Effects of Delay on Witness (In)consistency
The Effects of Delay on Witness (In)consistency
Investigating how delay affects witness' memory reports.
Ph.D. Dissertation
Expected Completion: Spring 2025
Assessing the Needs of Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners
Assessing the Needs of Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners
Exploring the needs and causes of burnout in SANEs nationally using qualitative and quantitative methods
REID Grant Funding
Expected Completion: Fall 2024
Education
Education
Ph.D. Legal Psychology
Florida International University
Ph.D. Legal Psychology
Florida International University
Received Spring 2025
Received Spring 2025
Dissertation: The Role of Delay on Witness (In)Consistencies
Committee: Nadja Schreiber Compo, Ronald P. Fisher, Deborah Goldfarb, Rob Guerette
M.S. Psychology
Florida International University
M.S. Psychology
Florida International University
Received Fall 2022
Received Fall 2022
Thesis: The impact of disbelief on the strategies used by truth-tellers and liars in investigative interviews
Committee: Ronald P. Fisher, Deborah Goldfarb, Jacqueline Evans
B.A Psychology; B.S. Biology
University of Michigan-Flint
B.A Psychology; B.S. Biology
University of Michigan-Flint
Received Spring 2017
Received Spring 2017
Minor: Gerontology
Teaching
Teaching
Assistant Professor
Assistant Professor
Tennessee Tech University
Tennessee Tech University
Information Literacy (Fall 2025)
Research Experience (Fall 2025)
Primary Instructor
Primary Instructor
Florida International University
Florida International University
Legal Psychology (Summer 2022; Fall 2022)
Senior Seminar: Wrongful Convictions (Spring 2023; Spring 2024)
Cognitive Psychology (Summer 2023)
Research Methods II (Summer 2024)
Selected Presentations
Selected Presentations
Assessing Needs and Experiences of Sexual Assault and Forensic Nurse Examiners [Talk]. American Psychology-Law Society Conference, 2024, Los Angeles, CA.
Implanting false memories of an invasive body procedure using a novel paradigm [Talk]. American Psychology-Law Society Conference, 2024, Los Angeles, CA.
Assessing Trauma, Training, and Challenges of Sexual Assault and Forensic Nurse Examiners. [Poster]. International Association of Forensic Nurses Conference, 2023 Phoenix, AZ.
The impact of disbelief on the strategies used by truth-tellers and liars in investigative interviews. [Talk]. American Psychology-Law Society, 2023, Philadelphia, PA.
Forensic interviewing in non-forensic contexts: Using the Cognitive Interview to improve contact tracing interviews. [Talk]. American Psychology - Law Society, 2022 Denver, CO
Publications
Publications
Dawson, H.R., Schreiber-Compo N., Thomas, T., Nobrega, J. (accepted) Needs, Training and Experiences of Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners across the United States. Journal of Forensic Nursing
Goldfarb, D., Chae, H., Dawson, H. R., Evans, J. R., Fisher, R. P., Daneshbodi, A., & Meissner, C. A. (2024). Efficacy of memory protocols in 9-to 89-year-olds’ memory for prior contacts. Scientific Reports
Evans J. R, Dawson H. R., Chae H., Goldfarb D., Fisher R. P., Dianiska R., Meissner C. A. (2022) Enhancing the effectiveness of contact tracing interviews: A randomized controlled experiment of an enhanced cognitive interview protocol. American Journal of Infection Control.
Fisher R. P, Powell M. B., Dawson H. R. (2021) Inconsistency, Omissions, and Confidence as Indicators of the Accuracy of Sexual Assault Victim’s Recollections. In Criminal Investigations of Sexual Offenses: Investigative Techniques and Operational Challenges (pp. 133-145). Springer.
Dawson, H.R., Schreiber-Compo N., Zuniga, R. (submitted) Drug Facilitated Sexual Assault: Perceptions, Opinions, and Experiences of Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners
Dawson, H.R., Schreiber-Compo N. (in preparation) The Role of Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners in the Justice System
Dawson, H. R., LaBat, D. E., Sparacino, M., Marciano, M., Schreiber Compo, N., (in preparation) Human Forensic Biology Experts’ Experiences with Bias and Testimony
Kloft-Heller, L., Gawryloeicz, J., Schreiber Compo, N., Dawson, H.R., Sparacino, M., Alcohol and Perpetrator Memory, Book Chapter
Lippoff, E., Dawson, H. R., Sparacino, M., Loftus., B., Schreiber Compo, N., (in preparation) Implanting False Memories of an Invasive Body Procedure Using a Novel Paradigm
Hagsand, A., Dawson, H. R., LaBat, D. E., Carlson, V., Sparacino, M., Carol, R., Schreiber Compo, N., (in preparation) Alcohol and Memory: A Study Space Analysis
Service
Service
Florida International University
President of Psychology Graduate Student Association, FIU (2019-2023)
Student Government Graduate Senator (2022-2024)
Chair of the Graduate and Professional Student Committee
Graduate Advisory Board, FIU (2021-2023)
Application Statement Feedback Program, Reviewer, UC-Denver (2021-present)
American Psychology and Law Student Committee Representative (2019-2023)
URFIU Undergraduate Judge, (2023-2023)
FIU Legal Program Representative, (2022-2023)
Invited Speaker
Invited Speaker
International Investigative Interviewing Research Group (iIIRG)
International Investigative Interviewing Research Group (iIIRG)
April, 2024
April, 2024
Pen to Paper: Overcoming Obstacles in Reading and Writing for Research
PASSing in the Future Podcast at FIU
PASSing in the Future Podcast at FIU
March, 2024
March, 2024
Expectations and tips for undergraduate RA's with FIU PhD candidate
PantherNOW Podcast at FIU
PantherNOW Podcast at FIU
November, 2023
November, 2023
Victors in Grad School Podcast at University of Michigan-Flint
Victors in Grad School Podcast at University of Michigan-Flint
May, 2023
May, 2023
It’s ok to change your mind during your educational journey with Haley Dawson
Statistical and Technical Training
Statistical and Technical Training
Data Analysis and Interpretation
Data Analysis and Interpretation
Descriptive statistics
frequencies, proportions, demographics
Inferential statistics
ANOVA, t-test, A/B testing
Multivariate analyses
multiple and multivariate regression, PCA, ANOVA, correlation, MANOVA, SEM
Non-parametric tests
Chi-square, Mann Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis
Regression analyses
logistic, multiple
Qualitative analyses
theme development
Data Management
Data Management
Data visualization
including R visualization, beamer
Data governance
confidential data, privacy
Data cleaning
excel, R
Data Analysis
Data Analysis
Experienced in R and RStudio
SPSS
MAXQDA (qualitative)
Data Analysis
Data Analysis
Experienced in R and RStudio
SPSS
MAXQDA (qualitative)
Participant Management
Participant Management
Calendly (Scheduling)
Ripple (Participant tracking)
MTurk (Recruitment)
Volunteer Science (Recruitment)
University SONA Systems (Recruitment)
Children Helping Science (Recruitment)
OSHER Lifelong Learning Institute (Recruitment)
Communication
Communication
Microsoft Office (including Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote)
GSuite (including Gmail, Sheets, Slides, Docs, and Webpages)
Slack
Zoom
Grants
Grants
Dissertation Year Fellowship, FIU University Graduate School (2024-2025)
American Psychology-Law Society Research to Enhance the Impact and Diversification of Psychology and Law Research, Received (2023)
Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues Grants in Aid, Received, 2022
FIU Travel Award (2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024)
Stephanie Nicole Ross Foundation Graduate Student Scholarship, Unfunded (2023)
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program, Unfunded (2020)
Awards
Awards
Service Award: Psychology Graduate Student Recognition Awards and Flash Talk, 2025
2nd Place Award: Psychology Graduate Student Recognition Awards and Flash Talk. SANE Experiences with Intoxicated Victims, 2025
FIU College of Arts and Science 2024 Student Awards: Service Award, 2024, 2025
Recognition of Exceptional Service, University Graduate School, Florida International University, 2024
2nd Place Award in Social and Behavioral Sciences: FIU Scholarly Forum. Enhancing the Effectiveness of Contact Tracing Interviews Using Psychological Science., 2022
2nd Place Award: Psychology Graduate Student Recognition Awards and Flash Talk. Forensic interviewing in non-forensic contexts: Using the Cognitive Interview to improve contact tracing interviews, 2022
Research Projects
Research Projects
The Role of Delay on Witness (In)Consistency
The Role of Delay on Witness (In)Consistency
January 2023 - Present
January 2023 - Present
Ph.D. Dissertation
Exploring the impact of delay on witness statement consistency, inconsistency, omissions, and commissions.
with Nadja Schreiber Compo, Deborah Goldfarb, Ron Fisher, Rob Gurette
Assessing Burnout, Needs, and Experience of Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners
Assessing Burnout, Needs, and Experience of Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners
April 2022-Present
April 2022-Present
Using qualitative and quantitative measures to assess the experiences of individual sexual assault nurse examiners.
Recipient of the APLS REID Grant and the SPSSI Grant in Aid Fall 2022
Oral Presentation at APLS 2024
Poster Presentation at IAFN Conference 2023
with Nadja Schreiber Compo, Tami Thomas, Rochella Zuniga, JC Nobrega
False Memory Plausibility
False Memory Plausibility
January 2022-Present
January 2022-Present
Assessing the effect of plausibility on the creation of invasive false memories.
Oral Presentation at APLS 2024
with Nadja Schreiber Compo, Maria Sparacino, Beth Loftus, Rick Lipoff
Human Forensic Biologist Needs and Bias
Human Forensic Biologist Needs and Bias
October 2022-Present
October 2022-Present
Collecting the research needs and perceptions of the field for the Organization of Scientific Area Committees - Human Forensic Biology Sub Committee.
Poster Presentation at APLS 2024
with Nadja Schreiber Compo, Devon LaBat, Maria Sparacino, Michael Marciano
Perpetrator Memory and Intoxication
Perpetrator Memory and Intoxication
June 2024 - November 2024
June 2024 - November 2024
A review of the scientific research on the role and considerations of alcohol in perpetrator memory.
Book Chapter
with Lily Kloft-Heller, Jillian Gawryloeicz, Nadja Schreiber Compo, and Maria Sparacino
Alcohol Study Space
Alcohol Study Space
February 2023-Present
February 2023-Present
Assessing research needs in intoxicated witness research.
with Nadja Schreiber Compo, Devon LaBat, Victoria Carlson, Maria Sparacino, Angelica Hagsand, Rolando Carol
Juror Perceptions of Inconsistencies and the Role of Closing Statements
Juror Perceptions of Inconsistencies and the Role of Closing Statements
December 2022-Present
December 2022-Present
Exploring juror's sensitivity to inconsistencies. Further exploring whether closing statements attune juror's perceptions and affect guilt decisions.
Independent project of RA Giuliana Lemes
APLS APPLE Awardee
Oral Presentation at APLS 2024 by Giuliana Lemes
with Nadja Schreiber Compo, Giuliana Lemes, Victoria Carlson
Expectations of (Dis)belief on Witness Statements
Expectations of (Dis)belief on Witness Statements
October 2020-Present
October 2020-Present
Master's Thesis
Investigating how one's expectation of (dis)belief during an interview will influence the reported strategies used by a respondent.
Oral presentation at APLS 2023
with Ronald Fisher, Deborah Goldfarb, Jacqueline Evans
Perceptions of (Dis)believed Respondents
Perceptions of (Dis)believed Respondents
November 2022-Present
November 2022-Present
Follow-Up to Master's Thesis
nvestigating the perceptions and perceived strategies used by respondents by third-party observers.
Poster presentation of RA Giuliana Lemes at APLS 2023
with Ronald Fisher, Giuliana Lemes
Model Statement Information Gain and Accuracy
Model Statement Information Gain and Accuracy
January 2020-Present
January 2020-Present
Identifying helpful features of a model answer when asked to recall a detailed episodic event, specifically examining information gain and accuracy.
with Ronald Fisher
Contact Tracing Interviewing
Contact Tracing Interviewing
May 2020 - February 2024
May 2020 - February 2024
Using principles grounded in psychological science to improve the efficiency of contact tracing interviews.
Funded by NSF-RAPID Grant
"Efficacy of memory protocols in 9- to 89-year-olds’ memory for prior contacts"
Oral Presentation at APLS 2022
Poster Presentation at APA 2021
with Jacqueline Evans, Deborah Goldfarb, Christian Meissner, Ronald Fisher, Hana Chae
Omissions, Inconsistency, and Confidence in Sexual Assault Cases
Omissions, Inconsistency, and Confidence in Sexual Assault Cases
May 2020 - February 2021
May 2020 - February 2021
A review of the scientific research on how omissions and commission errors can arise from a variety of factors that are unrelated to the quality of the witness’s memory, and the conditions that yield high confidence-accuracy relations in sexual assault cases.
Book Chapter: Inconsistency, Omissions, and Confidence as Indicators of the Accuracy of Sexual Assault Victim’s Recollections
with Ronald Fisher, Martine Powell
Biographical Memory
Biographical Memory
January 2017 - August 2019
January 2017 - August 2019
Exploring mnemonic cues based on autobiographical memory principles to help remember information about others.
Oral Presentation at APLS 2022
with Peter F. Molinaro
A Special Thanks!
A Special Thanks!
To my advisors:
To my advisors:
Thank you to Ron and Nadja for you guidance and support on my thesis and dissertation. Thank you to Debbie, Jacki, and Rob for being part of my committee and providing valuable feedback along the way. Thank you to Chris Meissner, Martine Powell, Beth Loftus, Rick Lipoff, Angelica Hagsand, and Rolando Carol for your collaborations over the years! A special thank you to Dr. Molinaro, for whom I would have never found legal psychology without your mentorship.
To my research assistants:
To my research assistants:
Thank you SO much to my wonderful RAs, I couldn't have done any of this without you!
Thank you SO much to my wonderful RAs, I couldn't have done any of this without you!
Current Members: Adriana, Athena, Cynthia, Fabiana, Haajra, Jason, Jayleen, Juliette, Katie, Maria S., Maria F., Noor, Rocio, Stephanie
Past Members: Adrianna, Anthony, April, Axel, Brenda, Brittney, Daniela, Dillyn, Elianny, Gabriel, Gabriela C., Gabriela L., Giuliana, Hiba, Ishmael, Janice, Jannatul, Jared, Jessica, Jonah, Kaitlyn, Kamila, Kevin, Lenn, Lily, Madison, Madison, Malena, Manuel, Mariana, Mark, Melanie, Michelle L., Michelle P., Michelle R., Morena, Nancy, Nicole, Nisleidys, Orlando, Rana, Raphael, Roberto, Ru, Sabrina, Sarina, Scarlett, Shabana, Sui-Ling, Theo, Valerie, Yael
Interested in becoming a research assistant?
Fill out this application and email it to hdawson@tntech.edu!
An extra special thank you to my partner, Justin. Your love and support over the years have been vital to my success. I love and appreciate you.
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