Legal Psychology
Department of Psychology • Florida International University

News & Announcements

Legal Psychology Program gains two new faculty members.

The Department of Psychology has two new faculty members in the Legal psychology program- Dr. Daniel Wright and Dr. Stephen Ross.

Dr. Ross will be a Visiting Assistant Professor based on the Biscayne Bay Campus. He comes to the program from the University of Texas- El Paso where he earned his Legal Psychology doctoral degree in Spring 2008. His research on facial processing focuses on how humans process facial similarities, and how these influence facial recognition and identification. How these processes occur in different contexts- including legal settings- is of particular interest to Dr. Ross. In addition, he has done research in the area of juror decision making. Dr. Ross has examined legal authoritarianism and how this construct influences jurors' perceptions of guilt.

Dr. Daniel Wright is coming to FIU from the University of Sussex in England. A cognitive psychologist interested in human memory (in particular, eyewitness testimony) and measurement and methodology throughout the social sciences, Dr. Wright has established himself as a leading researcher in the field of Legal Psychology internationally. He has published extensively on such topics as survey methodology, memory recall, eyewitness identifications, facial recognition, and police line ups. Dr. Wright has also authored a textbook titled "Understanding Statistics"; this is just one example of his many publications in the area of methodology, research design and statistics.

Dr. Wright is already familiar with the program and university after spending a semester here during 2005. Explains Dr. Wright: “I knew that FIU was the place for legal psychology when I came on sabbatical a few years ago, and fell for the place. There is real buzz throughout the department among both staff and students. This intellectual fervor is coupled with a mellow and friendly atmosphere. And I love coffee breaks with geckos by the pond next to the library.