2025 Publications (Vol. 20)
Recalling (Some) U.S. Presidents
F. Richard Ferraro
Department of Psychology, University of North Dakota
Undergraduates (n = 118) recalled as many U.S. Vice Presidents (VPs) as they could in 5 minutes. Only exact position names were counted as correct. The typical serial position effect (SPE) curve emerged with more recent VPs being recalled than earlier VPs. This pattern also emerged when the 49 VPs were grouped 3 at a time. These patterns partially replicate Healy and Parker (2001). Recall of VP # 48 (Pence) and VP #49 (Harris) showed decreased recall despite being the 2 most recent VPs. Several VPs who went on to be the President of the United States (Adams, Jefferson, T. Roosevelt, Nixon, L. Johnson, Bush and Biden) enjoyed high overall proportion recall (.3845). Results are discussed.
January 2025; Volume 20
F. Richard Ferraro
Department of Psychology, University of North Dakota
Undergraduates (n = 118) recalled as many U.S. Vice Presidents (VPs) as they could in 5 minutes. Only exact position names were counted as correct. The typical serial position effect (SPE) curve emerged with more recent VPs being recalled than earlier VPs. This pattern also emerged when the 49 VPs were grouped 3 at a time. These patterns partially replicate Healy and Parker (2001). Recall of VP # 48 (Pence) and VP #49 (Harris) showed decreased recall despite being the 2 most recent VPs. Several VPs who went on to be the President of the United States (Adams, Jefferson, T. Roosevelt, Nixon, L. Johnson, Bush and Biden) enjoyed high overall proportion recall (.3845). Results are discussed.
January 2025; Volume 20
| Recalling (Some) U.S. Presidents |
Empathy Unveiled: Exploring the Mediating Role of Empathy in the Sad Eyewitness Effect
Cassie A. Ridley
Jaclyn K. Maass
J. Adam Randell
Department of Psychology, University of Central Oklahoma
The emotional victim effect occurs when jurors believe distressed victims more than neutral victims. The current work sought to establish this in non-victim eyewitnesses and test possible mediating roles of empathy and misconceptions about emotional memories. Participants watched either a sad or neutral eyewitness deposition video and completed: a believability rating, Shen’s State Empathy Scale, and a perceived memory accuracy rating. Results supported the emotional eyewitness effect and the mediating role of empathy. Participants’ perceptions of the eyewitness’s sadness were a significant predictor of believability. Participants’ believability increased as perceptions of sadness increased, and this effect was driven by the participants’ state empathy. The misconception that emotional memories are more accurate than neutral ones did not mediate the effect, but belief in the accuracy of the memory played an independent role in predicting believability. This work benefits those inside and outside of the judicial system and supports future research in more applied settings.
March 2025; Volume 20
Cassie A. Ridley
Jaclyn K. Maass
J. Adam Randell
Department of Psychology, University of Central Oklahoma
The emotional victim effect occurs when jurors believe distressed victims more than neutral victims. The current work sought to establish this in non-victim eyewitnesses and test possible mediating roles of empathy and misconceptions about emotional memories. Participants watched either a sad or neutral eyewitness deposition video and completed: a believability rating, Shen’s State Empathy Scale, and a perceived memory accuracy rating. Results supported the emotional eyewitness effect and the mediating role of empathy. Participants’ perceptions of the eyewitness’s sadness were a significant predictor of believability. Participants’ believability increased as perceptions of sadness increased, and this effect was driven by the participants’ state empathy. The misconception that emotional memories are more accurate than neutral ones did not mediate the effect, but belief in the accuracy of the memory played an independent role in predicting believability. This work benefits those inside and outside of the judicial system and supports future research in more applied settings.
March 2025; Volume 20
| Empathy Unveiled |