Christina A. Studebaker, Ph.D.
Christina A. Studebaker, Ph.D.
Vice President
ThemeVision LLC
11 South Meridian Street
Indianapolis, Indiana
46204‐3535
Direct Dial: (317) 261‐7951
General: (317) 229‐3133
Fax: (317) 231‐7433
E‐mail:
studebaker@themevision.com
Dr. Studebaker uses her scientific background and her experience as trial consultant
to help clients empirically ascertain persuasive trial themes and effective trial
strategies in civil and criminal matters pending throughout the United States. She
has designed and conducted mock trials, jury simulation studies, telephone and
Internet surveys, public opinion polls, and post‐trial juror interviews. Dr. Studebaker
has experience consulting on a wide variety of litigated matters, including products
liability litigation, intellectual property cases, complex commercial litigation,
commercial class actions, insurance coverage actions, employment discrimination
claims, sexual harassment claims, medical malpractice claims, and white collar
criminal defense matters. Dr. Studebaker is nationally recognized for her knowledge
of the impact of pretrial publicity on juror decision making and has consulted on
civil and criminal cases involving requests for changes of venue.
Dr. Studebaker received her Ph.D. in Social Psychology from Northwestern
University. She completed her post‐doctoral training in juror and jury decision
making at the University of Nebraska, where she earned an M.L.S. degree. Dr.
Studebaker received her Master of Science degree in social psychology from
Northwestern University and her Bachelor of Science in psychology summa cum
laude from Wright State University.
Prior to joining ThemeVision, Dr. Studebaker spent three years at the Federal
Judicial Center, conducting empirical research on the judicial system. She also
served as a professor of psychology for several years, teaching both undergraduate
and graduate students.
Dr. Studebaker has authored articles on topics such as pretrial publicity, damage
awards, expert testimony, and juror decision making which have been published in
Law & Human Behavior and other peer‐reviewed journals. She also routinely gives
presentations and seminars throughout the United States on jury selection, juror
decision making, and the field of trial consulting. She has been an editorial board
member of Law & Human Behavior since 2005. She is a member of the American
Psychology‐Law Society and the American Psychological Association.
LinkedIn Profile:
ThemeVision LLC
11 South Meridian St.
Indianapolis, IN 46204
317.229.3133
themevision_info@themevision.com
www.themevision.com
CHRISTINA A. STUDEBAKER, Ph.D.
EDUCATION
M.L.S. (Master of Legal Studies), University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 1998
Ph.D., Social Psychology, Northwestern University, 1996
M.S., Social Psychology, Northwestern University, 1993
B.S., summa cum laude, Psychology, Wright State University, 1990
ACADEMIC HONORS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
American Psychological Association Grant -- 2003
Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPPSI) Grant -- 1999
National Institute of Mental Health (B/Start) Research Grant -- 1998
National Institute of Mental Health Training Grant -- 1996-1998
American Psychology-Law Society Grant-in-Aid -- 1994
Northwestern University Dissertation Grant -- 1994
OTHER PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
Editorial Board Member, Law & Human Behavior -- 2005-present
Member-at-large, American Psychology-Law Society (APLS/Div. 41 of APA) Executive Committee -2002-2005
Secretary, American Psychology-Law Society (APLS/Div. 41 of APA) -- 2001-2002
Co-chair of 2002 American Psychology-Law Society Biennial Conference (Austin, TX)
Member of the APLS/Div. 41 ad hoc committee to revise the Specialty Guidelines for Forensic
Psychologists -- March 2003-2011
Guest editor of Psychology, Public Policy, and Law (journal volumes concerning the influence of the
Daubert, Joiner, & Kumho U.S. Supreme Court decisions on expert testimony in the courts) -1998-1999
Consulting editor – Psychology, Public Policy, and Law -- 2001-2008
Visiting Scientist, Netherlands Institute for Study of Criminality and Law Enforcement -- 1997
Ad hoc reviewer:
Behavioral Sciences & the Law
Criminal Justice and Behavior
Law and Human Behavior
Psychology, Crime, and Law
Psychology, Public Policy, and Law
National Science Foundation
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PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS
Studebaker, C. A.,, & Jefferson, P. (December 2012). The modern appellate brief. Barnes & Thornburg
13th Annual Appellate Practice Update. Indianapolis, Indiana.
Studebaker, C. A. (November 2012). Live direct and cross of experts: An expert’s review and
commentary. Defense Trial Counsel of Indiana 18th Annual Conference and Meeting, Nashville, Indiana.
Studebaker, C. A. (September 2012). Incorporating the perspective of litigators into juror and jury
decisionmaking research. Conference on the Future of Jury Research, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, New
York, New York.
Studebaker, C. A., & Cutler, B. L. (2011). Assessing your case: Some questions are best answered with
jury research. Connecticut Lawyer, pp. 24-27.
Stolle, D. P. & Studebaker, C. A. (2011). Trial consulting and conflicts of interest: An introduction. In
Wiener, R. L. & Bornstein, B. H. Handbook of trial consulting, Springer.
Studebaker, C. (March 2010). How I survived my first years: Tales of success as an early career
professional. Workshop presentation at 2010 American Psychology-Law Society Conference, Vancouver, British
Columbia.
Studebaker, C. (November 2009). Picking and persuading your next jury. Presentation at the Defense
Trial Counsel of Indiana 16th Annual Conference, Bloomington, Indiana.
Studebaker, C. (October 2009). The art of witness preparation: Preparing the Expert and Lay Witness.
Indiana Continuing Legal Education Forum seminar, conducted in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Stolle, D. P. & Studebaker, C. (August 2007). Developing winning trial themes. Indiana Continuing Legal
Education Program, conducted in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Studebaker, C. (June 2007). Demonstrative exhibits in court. Paper presented at the 2007 International
Congress on Law and Mental Health, Padua, Italy.
Studebaker, C. (January 2007). Jury selection: Research and practice. Continuing education workshop
presentation for the American Academy of Forensic Psychology. San Diego, CA.
Stolle, D. P. & Studebaker, C. (November 2006). Developing, testing, and presenting persuasive trial
themes. Presentation to the DuPage County Bar Association, DuPage County, IL.
Robbennolt, J. K., & Studebaker, C. A. (April 2006). Court mandates eyewitness jury instruction:
Psychological research about identification procedures informed the court’s decision. Monitor on Psychology
(American Psychological Association), p. 67.
Stolle, D. P., & Studebaker, C. (2005). Using jury research to help overcome the challenges of commonsense causation. Product Liability Law & Strategy, 24, 1.
Studebaker, C. A., & Penrod, S. D. (2005). Pretrial publicity and its influence on juror decision making. In
N. Brewer and K. Williams (Eds.), Psychology and law: An empirical perspective. Guilford: New York.
Robbennolt, J. K., & Studebaker, C. A. (March 2005). Court rules on validity of sentencing guidelines:
Psychological research can inform the debate over sentencing reform. Monitor on Psychology (American
Psychological Association), p. 69.
Studebaker, C. A., & Clair, C. (2005). Master’s programs in forensic psychology: Training researchers or
practitioners? Paper presented at 2005 Annual Conference of the American Psychology-Law Society, La Jolla, CA.
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Friedmansky, L., Studebaker, C., & Wiener, R. (2005). Victim impact evidence and the capital jury: How
does victim character and vividness of the victim impact testimony affect capital jurors’ decision-making? Paper
presented at 2005 Annual Conference of the American Psychology-Law Society, La Jolla, CA.
Robbennolt, J. K., & Studebaker, C. A. (2003). News media reporting on civil litigation and its influence
on civil justice decision making. Law and Human Behavior, 27, 5-27.
Greene, E., Chopra, S., Kovera, M., Penrod, S., Rose, V.G., Schuller, R., & Studebaker, C. (2002). Jurors
and juries: A review of the field. In J. Ogloff (Ed.), Taking psychology and law into the twenty-first century.
Kluwer/Plenum.
Groscup, J. L., Penrod, S. D., Studebaker, C. A., Huss, M. T., & O’Neil, K. M. (2002). The effects of
Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals on the admissibility of expert testimony in state and federal criminal cases.
Psychology, Public Policy and Law, 8, 339-372.
Studebaker, C. A., Robbennolt, J. K., Penrod, S. D., Pathak-Sharma, M. K., Groscup, J. L., & Devenport, J.
L. (2002). Studying pretrial publicity effects: New methods for improving ecological validity and testing external
validity. Law and Human Behavior, 26, 19-42.
Studebaker, C. (2002). Early attempts at using the Internet to study psycholegal issues: Lessons learned
from studies of pretrial publicity. Paper presented at 2002 Biennial Conference of the American Psychology-Law
Society, Austin, TX.
Adya, M., Studebaker, C., & Penrod, S. (2002). Offsetting the biasing effects of pretrial publicity:
Alternatives to traditional legal safeguards. Paper presented at 2002 Biennial Conference of the American
Psychology-Law Society, Austin, TX.
Reagan, T., Shapard, J., Studebaker, C. Medvin, N., Marsh, J., Deckman, M., and Lindquist, S. (2001).
The CJA supervising attorney: A possible tool in Criminal Justice Act administration. Federal Judicial Center report
to the Judicial Conference Committees on Defender Services, Judicial Resources, and Court Administration and
Case Management.
Studebaker, C. A., Robbennolt, J. K., Pathak-Sharma, M. K., & Penrod, S. D. (2000). Assessing pretrial
publicity effects: Integrating content analytic results, Law and Human Behavior, 24, 317-336.
Groscup, J., Huss, M., Studebaker, C., O'Neil, K., & Penrod, S. (2000). The effects of Daubert v. Merrell
Dow Pharmaceuticals on the admissibility of expert testimony in state and federal criminal cases. Paper presented
at the National Conference on Science and the Law, San Diego, CA, October 13, 2000.
Adya, M., Studebaker, C., & Penrod, S. (2000). Offsetting the biasing effects of pretrial publicity:
Alternatives to traditional legal safeguards. Paper presented at 2000 Biennial Conference of the American
Psychology-Law Society, New Orleans, LA.
Groscup, J., Stuebaker, C., Huss, M., O’Neil, K., & Penrod, S. (2000). A “scientific” analysis of the
admissibility of expert testimony: Investigating the effects of Daubert v. Merrel Dow Pharmaceuticals. Paper
presented at 2000 Biennial Conference of the American Psychology-Law Society, New Orleans, LA.
Garven, S., Patry, M., O’Neil, K., Studebaker, C. & Penrod, S. (2000). Jurors’ use of aggravating and
mitigating circumstances in death penalty decisions. Paper presented at 2000 Biennial Conference of the American
Psychology-Law Society, New Orleans, LA.
Robbennolt,J. K. & Studebaker, C. A. (1999). Anchoring in the courtroom: The effects of caps on punitive
damages. Law and Human Behavior, 23, 353-373.
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Devenport, J. L., Studebaker, C., A., & Penrod, S. D. (1999). Perspectives on jury decision making: Cases
with pretrial publicity and cases based on eyewitness identifications. In F. T. Durso, Nickerson, R., Dumais, S.,
Schvaneveldt, R., Chi, M., & Lindsay, S. (Eds.), Handbook of Applied Cognition (pp. ). New York: Wiley.
Studebaker, C., & Jackson, J. A cross-cultural comparison of Dutch and American newspaper crime
reporting. Paper presented at AP-LS/EAPL Law & Psychology Conference, Dublin, Ireland, July 8, 1999.
Groscup, J., Studebaker, C., O’Neil, K., Huss, M., & Penrod, S. (1999). A “scientific” case examination of
the admissibility of scientific expert testimony under Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals. Paper presented at
AP-LS/EAPL Law & Psychology Conference, Dublin, Ireland, July 8, 1999.
Kassin, S., & Studebaker, C. A. (1998). The admonishment to disregard and the jury. In J.M. Golding &
C.M. MacLeod (Eds.), Intentional forgetting: Interdisciplinary approaches. Lawrence Erlbaum.
Studebaker, C. A., Robbennolt, J. K., Penrod, S. D., Pathak, M. K., Devenport, J. L., & Groscup, J. L.
(1998). Examining the influence of evidence and pretrial publicity on sentencing decisions: An Internet study of
the McVeigh trial. Paper presented at the 24th International Congress of Applied Psychology, San Francisco, CA.
Studebaker, C. A., Penrod, S. D., & Ray. R. (1998). Trial consulting in change of venue cases. Paper
presented at the 24th International Congress of Applied Psychology, San Francisco, CA.
Jackson, J., Winkel, F. W., & Studebaker, C. (1998). A comparison of crime reporting in the Netherlands
and US. Paper presented at the 24th International Congress of Applied Psychology, San Francisco, CA.
Studebaker, C., Robbennolt, J., Pathak, M., Devenport, J., Groscup, J., & Penrod, S. (1998). An Internet
study of evidence evaluation in the McVeigh trial: Examining the influence of pretrial publicity. Paper presented at
the 1998 Biennial Conference of the American Psychology-Law Society, Redondo Beach, CA.
Robbennolt, J., & Studebaker, C. (1998). Placing caps on punitive damages: Examining anchoring and
instruction effects. Paper presented at the 1998 Biennial Conference of the American Psychology-Law Society,
Redondo Beach, CA.
Penrod, S., Studebaker, C., & Fondacaro, M. (1998). The incremental validity of social framework
evidence about eyewitness testimony: Does expert testimony improve decision making accuracy? Paper presented
at the 1998 Biennial Conference of the American Psychology-Law Society, Redondo Beach, CA.
Studebaker, C. A., & Penrod, S. D. (1997). Pretrial publicity: The media, the law, and common sense.
Psychology, Public Policy, and the Law, 3(2/3), 428-460.
Studebaker, C. A., & Penrod, S. D. (1997). Assessing the impact of pretrial publicity: The case of the
Oklahoma City bombing. Paper presented at the Seventh European Conference on Psychology and Law, Solna,
Sweden.
Studebaker, C. A., Huss, M. T., Penrod, S. D., & Garbin, C. P. (1997). A Multi-dimensional scaling
analysis of the influence of laypersons' preconceptions of mental illness on verdict decisions. NIMH Conference on
Primary Care and Services Research, Washington, DC.
Huss, M. T., Studebaker, C. A., Penrod, S. D., & Garbin, C. P. (1997). The influence of commonsense
notions of insanity upon verdict decisions. American Psychological Association, Chicago, IL.
Smith, V. L., & Studebaker, C. A. (1996). What do you expect? The influence of prior knowledge of
crime categories on fact-finding. Law and Human Behavior, 20, 517-532.
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Studebaker, C. A., Pathak, M. K., & Penrod, S. D. (1996). Examining pretrial publicity and public opinion:
Changing the venue for research. Paper submitted to Ninth Annual Convention of the American Psychological
Society, Washington, DC.
Fondacaro, M. R., Studebaker, C. A., & Penrod, S. D. (1996). Assessing the incremental validity of expert
psychological testimony. Paper presented at the Sixth International Conference on Psychology and Law, Siena,
Italy.
Studebaker, C. A., & Smith, V. L. (1996). A comparison of the strength of explanations based on a single
reason and the strength of explanations based on multiple reasons. Paper presented at the 1996 Biennial Conference
of the American Psychology-Law Society, Hilton Head, SC.
Studebaker, C. A., & Smith, V. L. (1994). The operation of prototypes as expectancies for typical
information in crime scenarios. Paper presented at the 1994 Biennial Conference of the American Psychology-Law
Society, Santa Fe, NM.
Studebaker, C. A., Lampinen, J., & Smith, V. L. (1993). Communicator expertise influences the encoding
of misinformation. Paper presented at the Fifth Annual Convention of the American Psychological Society,
Chicago, IL.
Smith, V. L., & Studebaker, C. A. (1993). Prototypes of crimes operate as expectancies for typical
information. Paper presented at the Fifth Annual Convention of the American Psychological Society, Chicago, IL.
REPRESENTATIVE MEDIA COMMENTARY AND COVERAGE
Television appearance on Off the Bench, hosted by Judge Robert Altice (discussed trial consulting work,
including empirical jury research studies and jury selection; also discussed ThemeVision’s IndianaViews public
opinion poll regarding Hoosiers’ views of jury trials and jury duty. Show aired early May 2007.
Live television interview with Paula Todd on The Verdict with Paula Todd, a Canadian legal and justice
affairs television program, aired on CTV (talked about the potential impact that celebrity or high-profile witnesses
might have in the fraud trial of Conrad Black in Chicago). March 2007.
A Winning Legal Strategy is More than Trial, Error, THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR, November 6, 2006, by John
Schwarb (interviewing Stolle and Studebaker regarding the work of ThemeVision LLC).
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