Psychology, Law, Emotions, and Attitudes (PLEA) Lab
What We Do
The Psychology, Law, Emotions, and Attitudes (PLEA) Lab is part of the Department of Psychology at Coastal Carolina University. Research conducted in the PLEA Lab focuses on the application of social and cognitive psychology to questions and issues related to law and the legal system. Learn more about our research and areas of study below.
Current Areas of Study
Eyewitness Memory
The main goal of the lab’s research on eyewitness memory is to examine the cognitive mechanisms underlying the verbal overshadowing effect. That is, why would providing a description of a previously seen perpetrator interfere with subsequent identification accuracy of that perpetrator?
Public Attitudes toward Police
The lab examines people’s general attitudes toward police as well as how they might use their attitudes to make judgments of police officer behavior. For instance, when viewing police officer and civilian confrontation videos, do people use their previous attitudes toward police when making judgments about the officer’s use of force?
Research Methodologies and Quantitative Methods in Forensic Psychology
Research in the lab examines issues regarding research methods and specific quantitative data analyses used in forensic psychological research.