The Forensic Psychology Lab

Doug Carroll
Innovations in child sexual abuse prevention: The role of pre-emptive treatment among minor-attracted persons.

Tamara Smolinski
From correlates to factors to mechanisms: Understanding the mechanisms that promote desistance from sexual offending.

Sarah Telfar
Predicting and preventing maladjustment in Aotearoa New Zealand prisons.

Ashley Curtis
Mapping the Chronophilia: Investigating age-specific sexual preferences and their implications.

Oliver Ploeg
Body disposal patterns in New Zealand homicide offences

Michaela Sibbald 
Child sexual exploitation material use in New Zealand: An exploration of prevalence, user characteristics, and preventative policies.

We welcome students, researchers, and those interested in criminal justice and community psychology to engage with our work. Whether you're looking to collaborate, contribute to ongoing studies, or simply learn more about our research, your involvement is highly valued.

Join Our Studies:

Participate in our research and help us advance the understanding of psychological dynamics in the criminal justice system. Engage in experiments and surveys designed to explore complex issues.

Super Matcher Test:

Are you a super-matcher? Our research has shown that there are people with an extraordinary ability to compare or “match” complex visual patterns – something that forensic scientists train for many years to do. We have discovered that there are people in the world that are naturally gifted in this ability. Find out if you are a super-matcher by taking our test! You can also join our Research Registry to sign up to participate in more tests!

Growns, B., Dunn, J.D, Helm, R, Mattijssen, E,J.A.T, Towler, A. & Martire, K.A. (2024). Jack of all trades, Master of one: domain-specific and domain-general contributions to perceptual expertise in visual comparison. Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications.

Ploeg, O. H., Grace, R. C., & Cording, J. R. (2024). Sexual homicide: a descriptive analysis of demographics, behaviour, and body disposal in New Zealand. Journal of Sexual Aggression, 1-17.

Cording, J., Faasen, K., Carter, M. (2024). Children’s Services Flexi Fund: Phase 2 evaluation report. Wellington, NZ Police. Available from: https://www.police.govt.nz/sites/default/files/publications/childrens-services-flexi-fund-evaluation-fund-report-allen-clarke-phase-2-31-jan-2024.pdf. 

Growns, B., Towler, A., & Martire, K.A. (2024). The novel object-matching test (NOM Test): a psychometric measure of visual comparison ability. Behavior Research Methods, 56, 680-689.

Growns, B., Kukucka, J., & Helm, R.K. (2024). The Post Office Scandal in the United Kingdom: mental health and social experiences of wrongfully convicted and wrongfully accused individuals. Legal and Criminological Psychology, 29, 17-31.

Martire, K.A., Bell, P.F., Chin, J.M., David, C., Edmond, G., Growns, B.,... Ballantyne, K.N. (2024). Understanding 'error' in the forensic sciences: A primer. Forensic Science International: Synergy, 8, 1-7.

Ploeg, O. H. J., Mehigan, J., Grace, R. C., & Cording, J. R. (2024). Murder or manslaughter: the role of premeditation and associated behavioural characteristics. Psychology, Crime & Law, 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1080/1068316X.2024.2405678

Growns, B., Mattijssen, J.A.T., Salerno, J., Schweitzer, N., Cole, S., & Martire, K.A. (2023). Finding the perfect match: Fingerprint expertise facilitates statistical learning and visual comparison decision-making. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 29(2), 386-397.

Helm, R.K., Growns, B., & Wilson-Kovacs, D. (2023). Digital evidence in defence practice: prevalence, challenges, and expertise. International Journal of Evidence and Proof, 27(3), 169-256.

Kereama, J., Studdart, T., Cording, J., & Carter, M. (2023). Reducing youth reoffending in South Auckland social bond pilot: Qualitative outcomes evaluation. Wellington: Oranga Tamariki. Available from: https://www.orangatamariki.govt.nz/assets/Uploads/About-us/Research/Latest-research/Reducing-Youth-Reoffending-Qualitative-outcomes-evaluation/Reducing-Youth-Reoffending-Social-Bond-Pilot-Evaluation-002.pdf.

Nolan, T., Willis, G. M., Thornton, D., Kelley, S. M., & Beggs Christofferson, S. M. (2023). Attending to the positive: A retrospective validation of the Structured Assessment of Protective Factors-Sexual Offence Version. Sexual Abuse, 35(2), 241-260.

Chin, J, Growns, B., Sebastian, J., Page, M.J. & Nakagawa, S. (2022). The transparency and reproducibility of systematic reviews in forensic science. Forensic Science International, 340, 1-11.

Growns, B., Dunn, J.D., Helm, R., Towler, A., & Kukucka, J. (2022). The low prevalence effect in fingerprint comparison amongst forensic science trainees and novices. PLOS One, 1-14.

Growns, B., Dunn, J.D., Mattijssen, J.A.T., Quigley-McBride, A. & Towler, A. (2022). Match me if you can: evidence for a domain-general visual comparison ability. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 29(3), 1-16.

Growns, B., Towler, A., Dunn, J.D., Salerno, J., Schweitzer, N. & Dror, I. (2022). Statistical feature training improves novice and expert fingerprint comparison performance. Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications, 7, 1-21.

Helm, R.K & Growns, B. (2022). Prevalence estimates as priors: juror characteristics, perceived base rates, and verdicts in cases reliant on complainant and defendant testimony. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 1-14.

Olver, M. E., Thornton, D., & Beggs Christofferson, S. M. (2022). Understanding the latent structure of dynamic risk: Seeking empirical constraints on theory development using the VRS-SO and the theory of dynamic risk. Sexual Abuse, 34(2), 227-254.

Ward, T., Arrigo, B., Barnao, M., Beech, A., Brown, D. A., Cording, J., ... & Taxman, F. (2022). Urgent issues and prospects in correctional rehabilitation practice and research. Legal and Criminological Psychology, 27(2), 103-128.