STEVE M. WOOD
Texas A&M University
Public Policy Research Institute
College Station, Texas 77843-4476
Email: swood@ppri.tamu.edu
Phone: (979) 458-0620
Fax: (979) 845-0249
ACADEMIC TRAINING:
Ph.D. (Anticipated December 2014)
University of Nevada, Reno
Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Program in Social Psychology
Emphasis: Social Psychology and Law
Dissertation: Decision-making in Civil Litigation: Effects of Attorney Credibility,
Evidence Strength, and Juror Cognitive Processing
Dissertation Chair: Monica K. Miller
M.S. (May 2007)
Central Michigan University
Department of Psychology
Major: Experimental Psychology (Psychology and the Law)
Thesis: Attorney Performance, Strength of Evidence, and Courtroom Outcome
Major Advisor: Terry M. Libkuman
B.S. (May 2004)
Central Michigan University
Department of Psychology
Major: Psychology
RESEARCH EXPERIENCE:
2014 – Present
Senior Research Associate
Public Policy Research Institute, College Station, TX
Data analysis, assist with survey development, and research report writing
2009 – 2014
Research Assistant
National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, Reno, NV
Enter and analyze data, create questionnaires, review case files, and write
research reports and executive summaries
2006 – 2013
Research Assistant
AJC – American Jury Centers, Sandestin, FL
Reviewed documents, created questionnaires, conducted projects, moderated jury
deliberations, analyzed data, and wrote reports
2007 – 2008
Research Assistant/Lab Manager
Florida International University, Miami, FL
Entered data, analyzed data, conducted projects, oversaw all RAs, trained RAs to
conduct studies, and worked closely with the legal psychology faculty and
graduate students
2007 – 2007
Research Assistant
Delta Litigation Consulting, Purdys, NY
Reviewed documents, conducted projects, moderated jury deliberations, and
entered data
RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS:
Journal Articles:
Miller, M., Wood, S. M., & Chomos, J. C. (2014). Relationships between support for the death penalty and cognitive
processing: A comparison of students and community members. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 41(6), 732-750.
Summers, A., Macgill, S. O., Gatowski, S. I., Russell, J. R., & Wood, S. M. (2013). A new method of assessing judicial
workload in juvenile dependency cases. Juvenile and Family Court Journal, 64(2), 35-47.
Summers, A., Wood, S. M., Russell, J. R., & Macgill, S. O. (2012). An evaluation of the effectiveness of a parent-toparent program in changing attitudes and increasing parental engagement in the juvenile dependency system.
Children and Youth Services Review, 34(10), 2036-2041.
Summers, A., Wood, S. M., & Russell, J. (2011). Assessing efficiency and workload implications of the King County
mediation pilot. Journal of Juvenile Justice, 1, 48-59.
Wood, S. M., & Russell, J. R. (2011). Effects of parental and attorney involvement on reunification in Juvenile
dependency cases. Children and Youth Services Review, 33, 1730-1741.
Wood, S. M., Russell J. R., Macgill, S. O., & Summers, A. (2014). The effects of judicial personnel on hearing and
outcome timeliness in juvenile dependency cases. Family Court Review, 52(1), 90-99.
Wood, S. M., Sicafuse, L., Miller, M. K., & Chomos, J. C. (2011). The influence of jurors' perceptions of attorneys and
their performance on verdict. The Jury Expert, 23(1), 23-41.
Manuscripts under Review:
Wood, S. M., Miller, M. K. Attorney credibility and civil litigation verdicts.
Wood, S. M., Miller, M. K., Yelderman, L. Vigilantism and moral disengagement in superhero movies.
Manuscripts in Preparation:
Summers, A., Wood, S. M., & Russell, J. R. Race, risk, and reunification: Factors influencing decision-making.
Summers, A., Wood, S. M., & Yelderman, L. Media reports of child deaths and the relationship to foster care entries and
exits.
Wood, S. M., & Murray, C. Explaining mass murder: Attributional differences between the United States and Japan.
Wood, S. M., Williams, M., Miller, M. K., & Kwiatkowski, M. Transfer, verdict, and sentencing decisions for Juvenile
offenders.
Book Chapters:
Stewart, M. W., & Wood, S. M. (2012). Civil plaintiffs, trauma, and stress in the legal system. In M. Miller, & B.
Bornstein (Eds.), Trauma, stress and wellbeing in the legal system. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
PROFESSIONAL PRESENTATIONS:
Wood, S. M., & Giewat, G. (2013, March). Damage awards: Jurors’ sense of entitlement as a predictor. Paper presented
at Pacific Sociological Association, Reno, NV.
Wood, S. M., & Miller, M. K. (2013, March). Attorney performance, evidence strength, and criminal verdicts. Paper
presented at Pacific Sociological Association, Reno, NV.
Wood, S. M., & Russell, J. R. (2013, March). Differences in Juvenile dependency experiences for Native and Non-Native
Hawaiians. Paper presented at American Psychology-Law Society, Portland, OR.
Wood, S. M., & Russell, J. R. (2013, March). Child abuse and neglect reports and Native American disproportionality.
Paper presented at American Psychology-Law Society, Portland, OR.
Wood, S. M., Williams, M., Miller, M. K., & Kwiatkowski, M. (2013, March). Transfer, verdict, and sentencing
decisions for Juvenile offenders. Paper presented at the Pacific Sociological Association Conference, Reno, NV.
Wood, S. M. (2012, June). Juror perceptions of attorney credibility and civil litigation verdicts. Poster presented at
American Society of Trial Consultants, New Orleans, LA.
Wood, S. M. (2011, March). Opening statements, verdicts, and damage awards in civil litigation. Paper presented at
American Psychology-Law Society, Miami, FL.
Wood, S. M., & Russell, J. R. (2011, March). Effects of parental and attorney involvement on reunification in Juvenile
dependency cases. Paper presented at National Conference on Juvenile and Family Law, Reno, NV.
Wood, S. M., Sicafuse, L., Miller, M. K., & Chomos, J. C. (2011, March). The influence of jurors' perceptions of
attorneys and their performance on verdict. Paper presented at American Psychology-Law Society, Miami, FL.
Summers, A., Wood, S., & Russell, J. (2010, November). Assessing efficiency and workload implications of the King
County mediation pilot. Paper presented at Conference on Empirical Legal Studies, New Haven, CT.
Wood, S., & Miller, M. K. (2010, October). Vigilantes or violent criminals? Vigilantism and moral disengagement in
superhero movies. Paper presented at Western Association of Criminal Justice, Lake Tahoe, NV.
Wood, S. (2010). A social psychological examination of the cause of mass murder. Paper presented at Western Social
Science Association, Reno, NV.
Wood, S. (2010). Rape victims, juries, and courtroom outcome. Paper presented at Western Social Science Association,
Reno, NV.
Chomos, J., Wood, S., & Miller, M. K. (2010, March). The relationship between death penalty attitudes and cognitive
processing as measured by the cognitive-experiential self-theory. Poster presented at American Psychology-Law
Society, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Wood, S. (2009, March). Attorney performance, strength of evidence, and courtroom outcome. Paper presented at
American Psychological-Law Society, San Antonio, TX.
Vallano, J. P., Schreiber-Compo, N., Wood, S. M., Villalba, D., Perry, A., Lobos, A., & Kemp, D. (2008, March).
Rapport-building and susceptibility to misinformation in an investigative mock-crime interview. Paper presented
at American Psychological-Law Society, Jacksonville, FL.
Schreiber, N., Evans, J., Ham, L., Garcia, T., Rose, S., Pignatello, V., … Alonso, T. (2007). Intoxicated witnesses: Are
they more vulnerable to misinformation? Paper presented at Seventh Biennial Meeting of the Society for Applied
Research in Memory and Cognition, Bates College, Lewiston, ME.
Wood, S. (2007, June). Attorney performance, strength of evidence, and courtroom outcome. Paper presented at
American Society of Trial Consultants (ASTC), Long Beach, CA.
Wood, S. (2007, March). Attorney performance, strength of evidence, and courtroom outcome. Poster presented at Off the
Witness Stand, New York City, NY.
Wood, S. (2004). Behavioral assessment of trial attorneys. Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant, MI.
Wood, S., Frease, W., & Glenn, J. (2004, November). The underground railroad. Central Michigan University, Mt.
Pleasant, MI.
Wood S., Kimble N., & Libkuman T. (2004, April). Behavioral assessment of trial attorneys. Student Research and
Creative Endeavors Exhibition (SRCEE), Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant, MI.
Wood, S., & Glenn, J. (2003, October). The man show. Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant, MI.
Wood, S. (2003, May). Road rage. Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant, MI.
SERVICE:
University Service
2012 – 2013 Founder and member of Social Psychology and Law Group at the University of Nevada, Reno
2011
American Psychology-Law Society Campus Representative
Ph.D. Program Service
2010 – 2012 Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Program in Social Psychology’s brown bag coordinator
Academic Field Service
2012 – 2013 Reviewer for Basic and Applied Social Psychology (reviewed one article each year)
2009 – 2012 Reviewer for American Psychology-Law Society annual conference submissions