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Jessica Salerno

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School of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Associate Professor
Faculty, WEST Campus, Mailcode 3051
Lincoln Center Applied Ethics
Lincoln Center Affiliated Faculty
Faculty, WEST Campus, Mailcode 3051
Biography: 

Jessica M. Salerno is an assistant professor in the Social and Behavioral Sciences division of the New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences at Arizona State University. She is a founding member of the ASU program on law and behavioral science and a fellow of the Lincoln Center for Applied Ethics. She received her bachelor's degree in psychology from Middlebury College in 2003 and her doctorate in social psychology from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2012.

Salerno’s research interests include several lines of inquiry that apply social psychological theory and experimentation to legal contexts. For example, she investigates (a) the effect of emotion and intergroup dynamics in legal decision making, (b) how moral outrage drives biases against stigmatized groups in ambiguous legal contexts, and (c) how jurors evaluate the quality of scientific evidence presented by expert witnesses in court. She also explores how these decision-making processes might differ for individuals versus groups. For example, she investigates how extra-legal factors influence both individual jurors’ and juries’ decisions, with a strong emphasis on the group deliberation process.

Salerno's work has been published in empirical journals and has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the American Psychology-Law Society, the American Bar Foundation, and the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues. She serves on the editorial board for Law and Human Behavior, and Psychology, Public Policy, & Law. She has won several research awards, including the New College for Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences Outstanding Research Award and the American Psychology-Law Society's Saleem Shah Early Career Award.

CV
Binary Data Curriculum Vitae
Education: 
  • Ph.D. Social Psychology, University of Illinois-Chicago 2012
  • B.A. Psychology, Middlebury College 2003
Research Website: 
http://jessicasalerno.wixsite.com/socialpsychandlawlab
Google Scholar: 
Google Scholar Profile
Publications: 
  • Salerno, J. M., Bottoms, B. L., Najdowski, C. J., Harrington, E., Kemner, G., & Dave, R. Excusing murder? Conservative jurors' acceptance of the "gay panic" defense. Psychology, Public Policy, & Law (2015).
  • Stevenson, M. C., Najdwoski, C. N., Salerno, J. M., Wiley, T. R. A., Bottoms, B. L., Sorenson, K. M. The influence of a juvenile's abuse history on support for sex offender registration. Psychology, Public Policy, & Law (2015).
  • Bandes, S. A., & Salerno, J. M. Emotion, proof and prejudice: The cognitive science of gruesome photos and victim impact statements. Arizona State Law Review (2014).
  • Malik, S., & Salerno, J. M. Biases against LGBT individuals in the legal system. The Jury Expert (2014).
  • Peter-Hagene, C. L., *Jay, A., & Salerno, J. M. The emotional components of moral outrage and their effect on mock juror verdicts. The Jury Expert (2014).
  • Salerno, J. M., Murphy, M. C., & Bottoms, B. L. Give the kid a break-But only if he’s straight: Retributive motives drive biases against gay youth in ambiguous punishment contexts. Psychology, Public Policy, & Law (2014).
  • Diamond, S. S., & Salerno, J. M. Empirical analysis of juries in tort cases. Research handbook on the economics of torts (2014).
  • Diamond, S. S., & Salerno, J. M. Empirical analysis of juries in tort cases. Research handbook on the economics of torts (2014).
  • Salerno, J. M., Stevenson, M. C., Najdowski, C. N., Wiley, T. R. A., Bottoms, B. L., & Peter-Hagene, C. L. The application of sex offender registry laws to juvenile offenders: Biases against stigmatized adolescents. Psychology, law, and the wellbeing of children (2014).
  • Haegerich, T. M., Salerno, J. M., & Bottoms, B. L. Stereotypes of juvenile offenders: Jury deliberation can minimize the effect of jurors' pre-existing stereotypes, but maximize the effect of stereotypes activated during trial. Psychology, Public Policy, & Law (2013).
  • Salerno, J. M., & Peter-Hagene, C. L. The interactive effect of anger and disgust in moral outrage and judgments. Psychological Science (2013).
  • Nysse-Carris, K. L., Bottoms, B. L., & Salerno, J. M. Experts’ and novices’ abilities to detect deception in children. Psychology, Public Policy & Law, 17, 76-98 (2011).
  • Reynolds, C. E., Najdowski, C. J., Salerno, J. M., Stevenson, M. C., Wiley, T. R A., & Bottoms, B. L. Public perceptions of registry laws for juvenile sex offenders. Youth violence: Causes, warning signs and prevention (2010).
  • Hernandez, G., Salerno, J. M., & Bottoms, B. L. Attachment to God, religious coping, and alcohol-related coping. The International Journal for the Psychology of Religion (2010).
  • Salerno, J. M., & Diamond, S. S. The promise of a cognitive perspective on jury decision-making. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review (2010).
  • Salerno, J. M., Najdwoski, C. N., Stevenson, M. C., Wiley, T. R. A., Bottoms, B. L., *Pimentel, P. S., & Vaca, R. Psychological mechanisms underlying support for juvenile sex offender registry laws: Prototypes, moral outrage, and perceived threat. Behavioral Sciences and the Law (2010).
  • Salerno, J. M., Stevenson, M. C., Bottoms, B. L., Nadjowski, C. J., Wiley, T. R. A., & * Doran, R. Public perception of juvenile sex offender registration. Protecting children from violence: Evidence based interventions (2010).
  • Ducker, J. N., Salerno, J. M., Nadjowski, C. J., Bottoms, B. L., & Goodman, G. S. Child victims, child offenders: An introduction through legal case. Children as victims, witnesses, and offenders: Psychological science and the law (2009).
Fall 2020
Course NumberCourse Title
PSY 399Supervised Research
PSY 468Psychology and Law
PSY 492Honors Directed Study
PSY 493Honors Thesis
PSY 499Individualized Instruction
PSY 592Research
PSY 593Applied Project
PSY 599Thesis
PSY 792Research
Summer 2020
Course NumberCourse Title
PSY 368Forensic Psychology
PSY 468Psychology and Law
Spring 2020
Course NumberCourse Title
PSY 399Supervised Research
PSY 468Psychology and Law
PSY 545Advanced Legal Psychology
PSY 592Research
PSY 593Applied Project
PSY 599Thesis
PSY 792Research
Fall 2019
Course NumberCourse Title
PSY 399Supervised Research
PSY 492Honors Directed Study
PSY 493Honors Thesis
PSY 499Individualized Instruction
PSY 592Research
PSY 593Applied Project
PSY 599Thesis
PSY 792Research
Summer 2019
Course NumberCourse Title
PSY 468Psychology and Law
Spring 2019
Course NumberCourse Title
PSY 399Supervised Research
PSY 468Psychology and Law
PSY 545Advanced Legal Psychology
PSY 592Research
PSY 593Applied Project
PSY 599Thesis
Fall 2018
Course NumberCourse Title
PSY 399Supervised Research
PSY 468Psychology and Law
PSY 492Honors Directed Study
PSY 493Honors Thesis
PSY 499Individualized Instruction
PSY 592Research
PSY 593Applied Project
PSY 599Thesis
PSY 792Research
Summer 2018
Course NumberCourse Title
PSY 599Thesis
Spring 2018
Course NumberCourse Title
PSY 399Supervised Research
PSY 468Psychology and Law
PSY 545Advanced Legal Psychology
PSY 592Research
PSY 599Thesis
Fall 2017
Course NumberCourse Title
PSY 350Social Psychology
PSY 399Supervised Research
PSY 468Psychology and Law
PSY 492Honors Directed Study
PSY 493Honors Thesis
PSY 499Individualized Instruction
PSY 592Research
PSY 599Thesis
Spring 2017
Course NumberCourse Title
PSY 350Social Psychology
PSY 493Honors Thesis
PSY 592Research
PSY 599Thesis
Fall 2016
Course NumberCourse Title
PSY 350Social Psychology
PSY 399Supervised Research
PSY 468Psychology and Law
PSY 492Honors Directed Study
PSY 493Honors Thesis
PSY 499Individualized Instruction
PSY 592Research
PSY 599Thesis
Spring 2016
Course NumberCourse Title
PSY 399Supervised Research
PSY 492Honors Directed Study
PSY 493Honors Thesis
PSY 499Individualized Instruction
PSY 599Thesis
Presentations: 
  • *Martin, J. D., & Salerno, J. M. Minority influence during jury deliberation: Differential information processing of Black versus White holdout jurors’ arguments. American Psychology-Law Society Conference (Mar 2014).
  • Salerno, JM. The emotional side of juror and jury decision making. Social Psychology Seminar Series, University of Iowa (Nov 2013).
  • Salerno, JM., & Peter-Hagene, CL. How gender, race, and emotion expression affect holdout jurors’influence during jury deliberatio. annual meeting of the Law and Society Association (Jun 2013).
  • Salerno, JM & Peter-Hagene, CL. Incidental-but not integral-emotional evidence moderates the effect of defendant race on guilt judgment. American Psychology-Law Society (Mar 2013).
  • Salerno, J. M., & Stevenson, M. C. Counterintuitive race effects in legal decision making: Unexpected leniency toward African American defendant. Annual meeting of the American Psychology-Law Society (Mar 2013).
  • Salerno, J. M., & Stevenson, M. C. Counterintuitive race effects in legal decision making: Unexpected leniency toward African American defendant. Annual meeting of the American Psychology-Law Society (Mar 2013).
  • Salerno, J. M., & Peter-Hagene, C. L. Incidental-but not integral-emotional evidence moderates the effect of defendant race on guilt judgment. Annual meeting of the American Psychology-Law Society (Feb 2013).
  • Salerno, J. M., *Peter-Hagene, C. L. & Lytle, B. How gender, race, and emotion expression affect holdout jurors’ influence during jury deliberation. Annual meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (Feb 2013).
  • Salerno, JM., Peter-Hagene, CL, & Lytle, B. One angry woman: Emotion expression minority influence in a jury deliberation context. Society for Personality and Social Psychology annual meeting (Jan 2013).
  • Salerno, J. M., Lytle, B., & Cunningham, J. Emotion and jury deliberation: Does expressing emotion make stereotyped holdout jurors more or less persuasive?. Annual meeting of Law and Society Association (Jun 2012).
  • Salerno, J. M., Bottoms, B. L., & Peter-Hagene, C. L. Peripheral arguments can sometimes help juries evaluate expert witness quality. Annual meeting of the American Psychology-Law Society (Mar 2012).
  • Peter-Hagene, C. L. & Salerno, J. M. The interactive effect of anger and disgust on moral outrage and jurors' verdicts. Annual meeting of the American Psychology-Law Society (Mar 2012).
  • Salerno, J. M., Murphy, M. C., & Bottoms, B. L. Give the kid a break-But only if he’s straight: Moral outrage drives biases in juvenile sex offender punishment decisions. Annual meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (Feb 2012).
Service: 
  • Teaching and Training Committee, American Psychology-Law Society, Committee Member (2014 - 2017)
  • Psychology, Public Policy, & Law, Editorial Board Member (2015 - 2016)
  • Minority Affairs Committee, American Psychology-Law Society, Committee Member (2012 - 2015)
  • Barrett Honors College West, Faculty Honors Psychology Adviser (2015 - 2015)
  • Psi Chi, Faculty Advisor (2013 - 2015)
  • ASU Residential Colleges, Faculty in Residence (2013 - 2015)
  • Psychology Assistant Professor Search, Search Committee Member (2014 - 2015)
  • Law and Human Behavior (Journal), Editorial Board (2014 - 2015)
  • Subject Pool - Psychology Department, Subject Pool Coordinator (2013 - 2015)
  • American Psychology-Law Society, Conference Submission Reviewer (2014 - 2014)
  • American Psychology-Law Society, Diversity Travel Award Judge (2014 - 2014)
  • Behavioral Sciences & the Law, Ad Hoc Reviewer (2014 - 2014)
  • Cognition & Emotion, Ad Hoc Reviewer (2014 - 2014)
  • Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Ad hoc reviewer (2014 - 2014)
  • Psychology, Crime, & Law, Ad hoc reviewer (2014 - 2014)
  • Psychology, Public Policy, & Law, Ad hoc reviewer (2014 - 2014)
  • Conference on Empirical Legal Studies, Conference Paper Reviewer (2014 - 2014)
  • Minority Affairs Committee, American Psychology-Law Society, Committee Member (2012 - 2014)
  • ASU Residential Colleges, Faculty in Residence (2013 - 2014)
  • Psi Chi, Faculty Advisor (2013 - 2014)
  • Subject Pool - Psychology Department, Subject Pool Coordinator (2013 - 2014)
  • NCUIRE Awards, Judge (2014 - 2014)
  • Psychology Lecturer Search, Search Committee Member (2014 - 2014)
  • Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Poster Award Judge (2014 - 2014)
  • Society for Personality and Social Psychology Mentor Luncheon, Mentor (2014 - 2014)
  • American Psychology-Law Society, Diversity Travel Award Judge (2013 - 2013)
  • Basic and Applied Social Psychology, Ad hoc reviewer (2013 - 2013)
  • Behavioral Decision Making, Ad hoc reviewer (2013 - 2013)
  • Journal of Empirical Legal Studies, Ad hoc reviewer (2013 - 2013)
  • Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, Ad hoc reviewer (2013 - 2013)
  • Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Ad hoc reviewer (2013 - 2013)
  • Law and Human Behavior, Ad hoc reviewer (2013 - 2013)
  • Legal and Criminological Psychology, Ad hoc reviewer (2013 - 2013)
  • Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Ad hoc reviewer (2013 - 2013)
  • Psychology, Crime, & Law, Ad hoc reviewer (2013 - 2013)
  • Psychology, Public Policy, & Law, Ad hoc reviewer (2013 - 2013)
  • American Psychology-Law Society, Diversity Travel Award Judge (2013 - 2013)
  • Behavioral Decision Making, Ad hoc reviewer (2013 - 2013)
  • Journal of Empirical Legal Studies, Ad hoc reviewer (2013 - 2013)
  • Law and Human Behavior, Ad hoc reviewer (2013 - 2013)
  • Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Poster Award Judge (2013 - 2013)
  • Society for Personality and Social Psychology Mentor Luncheon, Mentor (2013 - 2013)
  • Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, Ad hoc reviewer (2013 - 2013)
  • Law and Human Behavior, Ad hoc reviewer (2012 - 2012)
  • Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Ad hoc reviewer (2012 - 2012)
  • Journal of Applied Social Psychology, Ad hoc reviewer (2012 - 2012)
  • Psychology, Crime, & Law, Ad hoc reviewer (2012 - 2012)
Expertise Areas: 
Emotion
Jury Decision Making
Social Psychology and the Law
Moral Psychology
Legal Decision Making
Forensic and Correctional Psychology
Law and Psychology