CR Spotlight: Alissa Anderson

CR Spotlight:  Alissa Anderson
 
Meet Campus Representative Alissa Anderson at the University of Toledo!  She is earning her PhD in Experimental Psychology, and she is doing an outstanding job as CR! 
Way to go, Alissa!
 
Learn about Alissa’s research and clinical interests!
My research interests primarily involve jurors' perceptions and legal decisions pertaining to child sexual abuse cases. Currently, I am interested in how jurors perceive teacher-student relationships, how culpability attributions are rendered, and why jurors engage in victim-blaming relative to sexual assault/abuse cases. I am also interested in how jurors determine a child's credibility as a witness/victim and the effects of the deliberation process on minimizing/maximizing preexisting biases brought into the courtroom.
 
What interested you in becoming a CR?
I applied for the CR position to become more involved with AP-LS and to meet other graduate students with similar research interests.  I have been an active AP-LS member since 2013 and am so impressed with and thankful for the opportunities that AP-LS provides for student members. I am so pleased to be the CR for the University of Toledo and hope to recruit more student members. I have learned so much from attending past conferences via symposiums, poster sessions, and networking with psycho-legal scholars and am eager to share my experiences with other UT students.

How did you come up with the idea for your goal/initiative/event?
My initial goal was to increase the awareness that AP-LS exists. I discussed my ideas with my research lab members to come up with the best methods to enlighten and recruit more undergraduate and graduate student members. I also reviewed the list of goals CRs have compiled over the years to come up with ideas of how to spread the word about AP-LS. In the future I hope to create a club for students interested in psycho-legal research and mentor research projects with the goal of presenting at the annual AP-LS conference.

What advice do you have for future CRs?
Contact various clubs and organizations on campus to present information about AP-LS to their student members. If you are teaching your own course, I suggest presenting a short presentation to your students about AP-LS. This is a great way to spread the word about AP-LS and stimulate your students' interests in the field of forensic psychology. Create a listserv to send out notifications and information about AP-LS opportunities and activities quickly to interested students and faculty members.

Tell us a fun fact about yourself, grad school-related or not grad school-related!
I am a firecracker baby (born on the 4th of July)! I love outdoor activities (fishing, canoeing, camping, hiking) and have a green thumb (I love gardening!). I am also planning my wedding for May, 2017.
 
 
Thanks for all of your hard work, Alissa!  We are lucky to have you as a CR!