Professor Paul Skolnick, Ph.D.
Contact
-
Chair of the Psychology Department
Office Location: SH 376
Office Phone: (818) 677-2827
E-mail: paul.skolnick@csun.edu -
Website: http://www.csun.edu/~vcpsy01s
Education
- Ph.D. 1969, Purdue University
M.S. 1967, Purdue University
B.S. 1965, University of Wisconsin
Specialty Areas: Social Psychology. Psychology and Law.
Courses Taught
- Psy 345 - Social Psychology
- Psy 370 - Dynamics of Individual Behavior
- Psy 386 - Psychology and Law
Selected Publications and Presentations
Skolnick, P. and Shaw, J.I. Is Defendant Status a Liability or a Shield?: Crime Severity and Professional Relatedness. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 1994,24, 20.1827-1836.
Shaw, J.I. and Skolnick, P. Sex Differences, Weapon Focus and Eyewitness Reliability. Journal of Social Psychology, 1994, 134, 4, 413-420.
Shaw, J.I. and Skolnick, P. Effects of Prohibitive and Informative Judicial Instructions on Jury Decision making. Social Behavior and Personality, 1995, 23, 4, 319-326.
Shaw, J.I. and Skolnick, P. When is Defendant Status a Shield or a Liability?: A Replication and Extension. Law and Human Behavior, 1996, 20, 4, 431-442.
Skolnick, P. and Shaw, J.I. The O.J. Simpson Criminal Verdict: Racism or Status Shield? Journal of Social Issues, 1997, 53, 3, 503-516.
Shaw, J.I. and Skolnick, P. Weapon Focus and Gender Differences in Eyewitness Accuracy: Arousal vs. Salience. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 1999, 29, 11, 2328-2341.
Skolnick, P. and Shaw, J.I. Effects of Criminal Motivation, Ability, and Opportunity on Mock Jurors' Verdicts. In Roesch, R., Corrado, R.R. & Dempster, R.J. (Eds.). Psychology in the courts: International advances in knowledge. London, Routledge, 2001
Skolnick, P. and Shaw, J.I. Comparison of eyewitness and physical evidence on mock jury decision making. Criminal Justice and Behavior, October, 2001.
Research Interests
A program of research in psychology and the legal system, including studies of jury decision-making and eyewitness identification. Past projects have investigated how legal decisions and judgments are affected by defendant status, weapon focus, judge's instructions, and types of evidence presented in criminal cases. We are currently conducting a juror training program with the goals of alleviating some of the defects of the current jury system and improving jurors' satisfaction with their participation in the legal process. Students participate by conducting library research, collecting data, observing mock juries, and assisting in preparation of materials for presentation and publication.