Stephanie
Madon
Associate
Professor of Psychology
Iowa State
University
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Mailing Address: |
W112 Lagomarcino Hall,
Psychology Department, Iowa State University Ames, IA 50011 |
Iowa State psychologists Stephanie Madon (far right)
and Max Guyll (middle right) have been overseeing experiments -- like this
one by ISU students Shelby Wuebker and Lee Casavant -- on the consequences
that drive a person's confession decisions. Photo by Bob Elbert, News Service |
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E-mail: Phone: |
(515) 294-2932 |
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Research Interests: |
My current program of research
focuses on criminal confessions. A confession is the
most incriminating form of evidence in criminal law. Psychological research
using controlled laboratory procedures reveals that innocent suspects
sometimes confess to crimes they did not commit. Recent DNA exoneration cases
corroborate these empirical findings. Of the more than 250 wrongful
convictions that have surfaced thus far, 25% involved a false confession. My
research examines the underlying psychological, cognitive, and physiological
processes that lead suspects to confess to criminal behavior. My work
emphasizes the role of physiology as a cause and consequence of confession as
well as the idea that police interrogation narrows suspects’ attentional focus
to the here and now, thereby causing them to make decisions regarding a
confession more on the basis of proximal consequences (e.g., isolation,
promises of leniency, lengthy questioning) than future consequences (e.g.,
conviction, imprisonment). I also have interests in self-fulfilling
prophecies which are false beliefs that lead to their own fulfillment. Within
this content area, I have examined the link between self-fulfilling
prophecies and social problems. I run a joint lab with Dr. Max Guyll who is a
also a faculty member in the social area at Iowa State University. Click HERE to go
to Max Guyll’s homepage. |
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Undergraduate Research
Assistants: |
Undergraduate students
interested in joining our lab as a research assistant should contact Yueran
Yang (yryang@iastate.edu). Undergraduate students in our lab are primarily
involved in the running of experiments. Depending on students’ skills, they
may also help to develop experimental material, perform statistical analyses,
and engage in computer programming. Students are encouraged to collaborate on
poster presentations at regional and national psychology conferences. Because
of the nature of our research, we require that students sign up for 3 credits
per semester which translates into 9 hours of lab work per week. |
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Prospective Graduate Students: |
Students applying to the
doctoral program in social psychology at Iowa State University who wish to
work with me should have research interests in criminal confessions. My expectations
for graduate students are that they commit themselves to research with the
goal of obtaining an academic position at a research-oriented university.
Graduate students in my lab coordinate lab activities (e.g., lab meetings,
lab schedules, experimental signups, etc.), contribute heavily to all
on-going research projects, manage and organize the involvement of
undergraduate research assistants, and are authors on publications and
conference presentations. Graduate students are also encouraged to develop
their own research studies in the area of psychology and law. |
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Current Graduate Students: |
I currently have two social
psychology graduate students: Yueran Yang and Laura Smalarz. Yueran Yang’s and Laura Smalarz’s research focus
on criminal confessions. Laura Smalarz also has interests in eye witness
identification. Former students include Jennifer Willard (Assistant Professor
at Kennesaw State University, Psychology Department) and Kyle Scherr
(Assistant Professor at Central Michigan University, Psychology Department). |
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Vita: |
Vita (ß click) |
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Course Homepages: |
Psychology 280: Introduction to Social Psychology Psychology 380: Social Cognition |
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The Social Psychology Graduate
Program at Iowa State: |
The social program at ISU is
highly competitive. Our students high GRE scores and strong records of academic
achievement in college, with GPA's of 3.6 and above. Most of our Ph.D.
students acquired extensive research experience at their undergraduate
institutions prior to coming to Iowa State University. Students who graduate
from our doctoral program are qualified to work at colleges and universities
conducting research and teaching at the graduate and undergraduate level.
Almost all of our graduates have been successful in obtaining academic jobs.
A Ph.D. in social psychology also qualifies one for more applied work (e.g.,
market research), although we do not specifically train students for such
positions. |
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My Graduate Advisor: |
Dr. Lee Jussim (Rutgers
University). Click HERE for his homepage. |
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Professional Geneology
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William James |
G. Stanley Hall |
Lewis Terman |
Bernard Weiner |
Jacquelynne Eccles |
Lee Jussim |
Stephanie Madon |
