PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas (November 3, 2021) – How do jurors in death penalties decide whether a person lives or dies? For Logan Yelderman, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology in the Brailsford College of Arts and Sciences, this is the focus of his newly-funded study. The National Science Foundation awarded Yelderman $340,000 to research how a jury makes its critical decisions.
Logan Yelderman, Ph.D., Assistant Professor Brailsford College of Arts and Sciences
Yelderman received the $340,000 award through the National Science Foundation Build and Broaden 2.0: Enhancing Social, Behavioral, and Economic Science Research and Capacity at Minority-Serving Institutions (B2 2.0).
His research focuses on legal decision-making. The project, titled “A Moral Foundations Approach to How Jurors Weigh Aggravating Evidence,” will concentrate on the death penalty and how information influences outcomes. The primary aim is to assess the interaction and moral value of the evidence presented in a death penalty trial.
Yelderman says, “This research will assess the inherent value of the evidence and the subjective value of the juror’s appraisal of that evidence. We hope to better explain how and why jurors come to very different verdicts across similar cases and similar verdicts across very different cases.”
One of the expected research results is a better evaluation of how individuals come to make recommendations of life or death for defendants found guilty of a capital crime.
“This project will extend research on moral decision-making and help address and explain some of the variability in evidence evaluation in the death penalty sentencing phase of capital trials,” adds Yelderman.
Yelderman and Co-Principal Investigator Jamie Hughes, Psychology Department Chair and Professor at the University of Texas – Permian Basin, created a cross-university research laboratory that will benefit undergraduate and graduate students at both universities. The project will have a mentorship component that concentrates on minority and underserved students through the project.
The laboratory will serve as a bridge for students from the two universities.
Jamie Hughes, Ph.D. University of Texas – Permian Basin
PVAMU students will learn and train in a variety of research practices. They will have opportunities to interact and collaborate with students and faculty researchers from UTPB. The experience will sharpen their research presentation skills and allow them to work with a cohort that extends beyond the boundaries of the PVAMU.
Graduate and undergraduate students in Yelderman’s social psychology and law research lab are involved in the project, which started in August.
Hughes states, “This grant provides an exciting opportunity for UTPB students to become involved in research at the intersection of psychology and law. It also allows our department to fund master’s students pursuing degrees in Experimental Psychology. My students and I are thrilled to be partnering with Dr. Yelderman and his students at PVAMU.”
Magesh Rajan, Vice President for Research & Innovation, believes the project will impact the Prairie View research community by elevating the visibility of psychology research conducted at the university.
“Dr. Yelderman’s study could advance theory and offer recommendations to attorneys and judges involved in capital murder trials.” Rajan adds, “This collaboration creates an enriching research opportunity for our students and demonstrates how Prairie View A&M is an emerging research institution.”
The study should produce several research publications, which will bolster the research portfolio of the PVAMU psychology department.
Yelderman is looking forward to collaborating with Hughes and other research faculty and is excited about this project’s many possibilities for PVAMU students. The psychologist is eager to find answers to long-standing questions about the moral aspects of legal decision-making. His research may advance theories about jurors and provide recommendations for attorneys and judges involved in capital trials.
For more information, contact Logan Yelderman (936) 261-5214 or layelderman@pvamu.edu.
Key Research Interests include juror and parole board decision-making and the role of religious fundamentalist beliefs in legal decision-making.
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By Karen B. Cotton