Psychology Department   •   College of Behavioral & Social Sciences   •   San Francisco State University

 

Amy Elizabeth Smith, JD, PhD
Assistant Professor, Psychology

Office: EP 508

Phone:  415.338.1275
E-mail:  smithae@sfsu.edu

Courses taught:
PSY 440: Social Psychology

PSY 472: Introduction to Legal Psychology

PSY 474: The Psychology of Social Justice

PSY 475: Psychology of Policing
PSY 525: Community Psychology

PSY 693 & PSY 694: Honors Program Pro Seminar

PSY 770: Research Methods (graduate level)

 

 

Research:
Dr. Smith’s interests include both Psychology and Law and Social Justice issues. Her research involves capital punishment, the impacts of incarceration, jury decision-making, decision-making by the U.S. Supreme Court, and the intersections of Psychology and Law generally.  In addition, she volunteers on a weekly basis with a rehabilitation-focused program at San Quentin State Prison.

 

Selected Publications  –

 

Smith, A. (2008) Not “Waiving” But Drowning: The Anatomy of Death Row Syndrome and Volunteering for Execution. Boston University Public Interest Law Journal, 17, 237.

 

Tropp, L., Smith, A. & Crosby, F. (2007). The Use of Research in the Seattle and Jefferson County Desegregation Cases: Connecting Social Science and the Law. Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy, 7(1), 93-120.

 

Smith, A. E. & Crosby, F. J. (2007).  From Kansas to Michigan:  The path from desegregation to diversity. In G. Adams, M. Biernat, N. Branscombe, C. Crandall, & L. Wrightsman (Eds.), Commemorating Brown: The social psychology of racism and discrimination. Washington, DC: APA Books.

 

Crosby, F.J., & Smith, A.E.  (2007). The University of Michigan Cases:  Social scientific studies of diversity and fairness.  In R.L. Weiner, B. Bornstein, R. Schopp, & S. Willborn (Eds.),  Social Consciousness in Legal Decision Making. New York:  Springer.

 

Haney, C., & Smith, A. (2003). Science, Law, and Psychological Injury: The Daubert Standards and Beyond. In Schultz, I., and Brady, D. (Eds.), The Handbook of Psychological Injury (p. 183-201). Chicago, IL: American Bar Association.

 

Psychology & Law Lab:

The Psychology and Law Lab at San Francisco State University is directed by Dr. Smith.  Members of the lab engage in theoretical and empirical research to explore the intersections between psychology and law.  Some current research topics include the relationship between the death qualification process and level of juror comprehension during the penalty phase of capital cases; differential conditions on death row across the United States; and the effects of different types of sentencing instructions on juror comprehension of those instructions. Research assistants in the lab are expected to attend weekly lab meetings, complete readings selected weekly by Dr.  Smith, perform searches and reviews of literature relevant to current projects, and assist in the running of experiments and data analysis.

 

For further information about participating in the lab, please contact Dr.  Smith at smithae@sfsu.edu or review the application materials below.

 

Applications for the Spring 2009 semester are due on Monday December 8, 2008. The time for Spring 2009 lab meetings will be set as soon as the course schedule for Spring is available.  Students who are interested in working in the Psychology & Law Lab can find more information about the lab, together with the application, at the link below.

Click here to download the Lab Application

 

Page updated 11/16/08