Barbara Sepellman

Barbara A. Spellman is Professor of Law and Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia.  She received a J.D. (1982) from New York University School of Law and a Ph.D. (1993) in Psychology from UCLA.  Her empirical research focuses on how people think, reason, and remember with particular emphasis on causal and analogical reasoning.  Currently, she applies psychological science to issues in judge and jury decision-making, forensic science, and evidence law.  She is engaged in educating law students about the relevance of psychology research (e.g., in courses like Behavioral Decision Making and Law and The Psychology of Wrongful Convictions) and informing psychologists about potential legal applications of their work (e.g., in symposia and handbook chapters).  With Michael Saks, Spellman co-authored The Psychological Foundations of Evidence Law (2016).