Adolescent Development and Public Policy

Mindy Dahl, As a graduate student in the lab, examines adolescent decision making using a betting paradigm.

Scientific Reasoning Study

Parent Letter

Student assent form

Current and Recent Research Activities

● Adolescent decision making
● Juror perceptions of juvenile defendants
● Scientific reasoning in junior high and high school students
● Practices and policies regarding STEM education at the junior high and high school level

Recent Publications/conferences

Renken, M.D.*, & Nuñez, N. (in press). The effect of prior belief bias on conclusions from a simple physics experiment: Does it matter whether students conduct or read about the experiment? Journal of Applied Cognitive Psychology.

Tang, C.M., Nunez, N., & Bourgeois, M.J. (in press). The effects of trial venue and pre-trial bias on the evaluation of juvenile defendants. Criminal Justice Review.

Nunez, N., Dahl, M.J. & Tang, C. M. & Jensen, B.L. (2007). Trial Venue and Verdict Decisions in Juvenile Cases: Mitigating and Extralegal Factors Count. Legal and Criminological Psychology, 12, 21-39.

Grant Activity

"The Laramie Comunity Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative: Keeping children from falling through the cracks." Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Health and Human Services, and Department of Education; Safe Schools Healthy Students Grant.

"Adults perceptions of child witnesses who violate a stereotype." National Science Foundation.

"Science Posse: Enhancing Science Awareness & Understanding in Wyoming." A National Science Foundation K-12 Project
www.scienceposse.org