Research

Most of my current research projects fall into one of the following areas:

Perceptions of
​Moral Change

The Development of
​Punishment-Related Concepts 

The Psychological
​Roots of Inequality 

Americans often tell narratives of redemption—the idea that adverse experiences change people for the better. Yet, Americans may view some people as more "redeemable" than others. For example, formerly incarcerated individuals experience discrimination long after being imprisoned, suggesting that people may view returning citizens as unredeemable. In one project, we are investigating the extent to which children and adults view punishment as redeeming people who have transgressed. 

So far our data suggest that children--but not adults--perceive punishment as rehabilitative. Interestingly, children view punishment as a general vehicle for rehabilitation, regardless of whether the punishment is relatively mild or relatively severe.

Punishment is a ubiquitous feature of life, yet it is unclear how people think about why punishment occurs or how social input might shape these views. In this line of work, we are examining the role of social experience acquired via development and via personal relationships with incarcerated individuals in perceptions of punishment and the justice system.

So far, we have found that (1) the tendency to attribute punishment and law-breaking to behaviors is not contingent on decades of social experience, (2) the conceptual link between punishment and internal factors (e.g., moral character) wanes across development, and (3) across differences of age and social experience, people appear to underestimate the extent to which societal factors (e.g., poverty) impact the justice system.

Inequality is at the forefront of several ongoing national conversations, including those about criminal justice reform. In this program of research, we are examining how social psychological processes (e.g., moral judgment) underlie and perpetuate incarceration-based inequality. In one project, we are examining why children of incarcerated parents experience social stigma. 

Initial evidence suggests that children of incarcerated parents may experience social hardship (in part) because they are viewed as lacking moral knowledge. With age, peers become more certain that children with, versus without, an incarcerated parent are less knowledgeable about morality. Further, peers share fewer resources with children of incarcerated parents than children whose parents are not incarcerated. 

Publications

Dunlea, J. P., & Heiphetz, L. (2020). Children’s and adults’ understanding of punishment and the criminal justice system. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 87, 103913​. doi: 10.1016/j.jesp.2019.103913 [PDF]

Helm, R. K., & Dunlea, J. P. (2016). Motivated cognition and juror interpretation of scientific evidence: Applying cultural cognition to interpretation of forensic testimony. Penn State Law Review, 120, 1-15. [PDF]

Manuscripts Under Review & In Revision

Dunlea, J. P., Wolle, R. G., & Heiphetz, L. (Under review). Enduring positivity: Children of incarcerated parents report more positive than negative emotions toward close others. 

Dunlea, J. P. & Heiphetz, L. (In revision). Moral psychology as a necessary bridge between social cognition and law. 

Manuscripts In Preparation

​Dunlea, J. P., & Heiphetz, L. (In preparation). Children's and adults' views of punishment as a path to redemption.

Dunlea, J. P., & Heiphetz, L. (In preparation). Examining the social consequences of different explanations for punishment.