I work at the intersection of psychology and law. More specifically, I study the factors that influence people's ability to provide reliable evidence about events they have witnessed. Here are some of the questions that my students and I are currently trying to answer:
What effect does cross-examination have on children's testimony?
The majority of children testifying in adversarial criminal trials undergo cross-examination, during which their testimony is challenged by the opposing lawyer in an attempt to discredit it. By examining court transcripts and conducting experimental studies of children's responses to this type of questioning, we have repeatedly shown that most children make changes to their earlier testimony when cross-examined. Furthermore, these changes do not appear to be restricted to corrections of earlier mistakes. In fact, cross-examination-style questioning appears to exert an overall negative effect on children's accuracy. Our current research is aimed at finding out why this occurs, which children are most at risk, whether we can intervene to facilitate accuracy, and whether adults may also struggle to answer cross-examination questions accurately.
Can an eyewitness's evidence become contaminated through discussions with another witness to the same crime?
Crimes often involve more than one witness, and eyewitnesses are highly likely to discuss what they saw with each other before investigators arrive on the scene. Unfortunately, incorrect information provided by one eyewitness can contaminate another witness's evidence. We recently demonstrated that this effect extends well beyond witness's verbal reports about what they saw, by providing empirical evidence that co-witness misinformation about a perpetrator's appearance can increase the chances of mistaken identification from a photographic lineup. We are now trying to pinpoint the specific conditions under which this occurs.
How can we help children to avoid making mistaken identifications on photographic lineups?
There are numerous crimes in which a child may hold the only clue to the perpetrator's identity. Unfortunately, traditional procedures for eliciting eyewitness identification evidence can pose significant difficulty for children. In particular, children appear reluctant to reject photographic lineups, even when the perpetrator is not present. Given the devastating implications of mistaken identification in a legal context, it is crucial that researchers attempt to better understand children's lineup decisions and, where possible, intervene. We have recently developed the 'wildcard,' a simple technique to improve children's identification accuracy. We are now examining the conditions under which the wildcard is successful, and whether its success may extend to other groups of witnesses who are prone to error (eg, older adult witnesses).
Publications
Garry, M., Zajac, R., Hope, L., Salathé, M., Levine, L., & Merritt, T. A. (2023). Hits and misses: Digital contact tracing in a pandemic. Perspectives on Psychological Science. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1177/17456916231179365
Journal - Research Article
Zajac, R., Garry, M., Charlton, S., & Reese, E. (2023). Scholarship amid sheep: Applied cognition research in Aotearoa New Zealand. Journal of Applied Research in Memory & Cognition, 12, 43-47. doi: 10.1037/mac0000109
Journal - Research Article
Westera, N., Gentle, M., Powell, M., & Zajac, R. (2023). Police investigators' perceptions of the challenges associated with interviewing adult sexual assault complainants. Violence Against Women, 29(2), 276-299. doi: 10.1177/10778012221120447
Journal - Research Article
Jordan, K., Zajac, R., Bernstein, D., Joshi, C., & Garry, M. (2022). Trivially informative semantic context inflates people's confidence they can perform a highly complex skill. Royal Society Open Science, 9, 211977. doi: 10.1098/rsos.211977
Journal - Research Article
Taylor, A., Zajac, R., Takarangi, M. K. T., & Garry, M. (2022). Evidence from the trauma-film paradigm that traumatic and nontraumatic memories are statistically equivalent on coherence. Clinical Psychological Science, 10(3), 417-429. doi: 10.1177/21677026211053312
Journal - Research Article
Garry, M., Hope, L., Zajac, R., Verrall, A. J., & Robertson, J. M. (2021). Contact tracing: A memory task with consequences for public health. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 16(1), 175-187. doi: 10.1177/1745691620978205
Journal - Research Article
Benedan, L., Zajac, R., McFarlane, F., & Powell, M. B. (2020). Attentional difficulty is a risk factor for interrogative suggestibility in preschoolers. Children & Youth Services Review, 119, 105487. doi: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105487
Journal - Research Article
Taylor, A., Jordan, K., Zajac, R., Takarangi, M. K. T., & Garry, M. (2020). Judgments of memory coherence depend on the conditions under which a memory is retrieved, regardless of reported PTSD symptoms. Journal of Applied Research in Memory & Cognition, 9, 396-409. doi: 10.1016/j.jarmac.2020.07.003
Journal - Research Article
Wake, K., Green, J. A., & Zajac, R. (2020). Laypeople's beliefs about memory: Disentangling the effects of age and time. Memory, 28(5), 589-597. doi: 10.1080/09658211.2020.1733023
Journal - Research Article
Westera, N. J., Powell, M. B., Goodman-Delahunty, J., & Zajac, R. (2020). Special measures in child sexual abuse cases: Views of Australian criminal justice professionals. Current Issues in Criminal Justice, 32(2), 224-242. doi: 10.1080/10345329.2020.1743904
Journal - Research Article
Ali, M. M., Westera, N. J., Zajac, R., & Powell, M. (2019). Australian stakeholders’ views on improving investigative interviews with adult sexual assault complainants. Psychiatry, Psychology & Law, 26(5), 724-739. doi: 10.1080/13218719.2019.1618748
Journal - Research Article
Westera, N. J., Powell, M. B., Zajac, R., & Goodman-Delahunty, J. (2019). Courtroom questioning of child sexual abuse complainants: Views of Australian criminal justice professionals. Salus Journal, 7(1), 20-41.
Journal - Research Article
Benedan, L., Powell, M. B., Zajac, R., Lum, J. A. G., & Snow, P. (2018). Suggestibility in neglected children: The influence of intelligence, language, and social skills. Child Abuse & Neglect, 79, 51-60. doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2018.01.005
Journal - Research Article
Zajac, R., Westera, N., & Kaladelfos, A. (2018). The "good old days" of courtroom questioning: Changes in the format of child cross-examination questions over 60 years. Child Maltreatment, 23(2), 186-195. doi: 10.1177/1077559517733815
Journal - Research Article
Westera, N., Zydervelt, S., Kaladelfos, A., & Zajac, R. (2017). Sexual assault complainants on the stand: A historical comparison of courtroom questioning. Psychology, Crime & Law, 23(1), 5-31. doi: 10.1080/1068316X.2016.1217334
Journal - Research Article
Zajac, R., Westera, N., & Kaladelfos, A. (2017). A historical comparison of Australian lawyers' strategies for cross-examining child sexual abuse complainants. Child Abuse & Neglect, 72, 236-246. doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2017.07.010
Journal - Research Article
Zydervelt, S., Zajac, R., Kaladelfos, A., & Westera, N. (2017). Lawyers’ strategies for cross-examining rape complainants: Have we moved beyond the 1950s? British Journal of Criminology, 57(3), 551-569. doi: 10.1093/bjc/azw023
Journal - Research Article
Mills, A., & Zajac, R. (2017). Capturing crimes on camera: The effect of photo-taking on confidence in eyewitness testimony. Proceedings of the University of Otago Student Research Symposium: Te Wānaka Rakahau: Ākoka. (pp. 59). Retrieved from http://www.otago.ac.nz/graduate-research/scholarships/otago643219.html
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract
Osborne, N., Kouwenhoven, M., Thompson, W. C., & Zajac, R. (2017). Determining the relevance of contextual information in forensic handwriting examinations. Forensic Science International, 277(Suppl. 1), (pp. 197). doi: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2017.07.019
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract
Osborne, N., Taylor, M. C., Zajac, R., & Thompson, W. C. (2017). Expertise, context, and de-biasing: Factors that affect bloodstain pattern interpretation. Forensic Science International, 277(Suppl. 1 ), (pp. 197). doi: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2017.07.019
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract
Westera, N. J., Zajac, R., & Brown, D. A. (2016). Witness interviewing practices in New Zealand. In D. Walsh, G. E. Oxburgh, A. D. Redlich & T. Myklebust (Eds.), International developments and practices in investigative interviewing and interrogation (Vol. 1): Victims and witnesses. (pp. 87-98). Abingdon, UK: Routledge.
Chapter in Book - Research
Anderson, L., Gross, J., Sonne, T., Zajac, R., & Hayne, H. (2016). Where there's smoke, there's fire: The effect of truncated testimony on juror decision-making. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 34, 200-217. doi: 10.1002/bsl.2212
Journal - Research Article
Irvine, B., Jack, F., & Zajac, R. (2016). Preparing children for cross-examination: Do the practice questions matter? Psychology, Crime & Law, 22(9), 858-878. doi: 10.1080/1068316X.2016.1197224
Journal - Research Article
Jack, F., Friedman, W., Reese, E., & Zajac, R. (2016). Age-related differences in memory for time, temporal reconstruction, and the availability and use of temporal landmarks. Cognitive Development, 37, 53-66. doi: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2015.12.003
Journal - Research Article
Osborne, N. K. P., & Zajac, R. (2016). An imperfect match? Crime-related context influences fingerprint decisions. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 30(1), 126-134. doi: 10.1002/acp.3180
Journal - Research Article
Osborne, N. K. P., Taylor, M. C., & Zajac, R. (2016). Exploring the role of contextual information in bloodstain pattern analysis: A qualitative approach. Forensic Science International, 260, 1-8. doi: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2015.12.039
Journal - Research Article
Osborne, N. K. P., Taylor, M. C., Healey, M., & Zajac, R. (2016). Bloodstain pattern classification: Accuracy, effect of contextual information and the role of analyst characteristics. Science & Justice, 56, 123-128. doi: 10.1016/j.scijus.2015.12.005
Journal - Research Article
Zajac, R., Dickson, J., Munn, R., & O'Neill, S. (2016). Trussht me, I know what I sshaw: The acceptance of misinformation from an apparently unreliable co-witness. Legal & Criminological Psychology, 21(1), 127-140. doi: 10.1111/lcrp.12032
Journal - Research Article
Zajac, R., Irvine, B., Ingram, J. M., & Jack, F. (2016). The diagnostic value of children's responses to cross-examination questioning. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 34(1), 160-177. doi: 10.1002/bsl.2215
Journal - Research Article
Wake, K., & Zajac, R. (2016). To report or not to report: Does the decision to report a crime affect memory? Proceedings of the Psycolloquy Seminar. (pp. 20). Dunedin, New Zealand: Department of Psychology, University of Otago. Retrieved from http://www.otago.ac.nz/psychology/research/otago059081.html
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract
Jack, F., Martyn, E., & Zajac, R. (2015). Getting the picture: Effects of sketch plans and photographs on children's, adolescents' and adults' eyewitness recall. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 29(5), 723-734. doi: 10.1002/acp.3156
Journal - Research Article
Righarts, S., Jack, F., Zajac, R., & Hayne, H. (2015). Young children's responses to cross-examination style questioning: The effects of delay and subsequent questioning. Psychology, Crime & Law, 21(3), 274-296. doi: 10.1080/1068316X.2014.951650
Journal - Research Article
Zajac, R., & Jack, F. (2015). Improving children's performance on photographic line-ups: Do the physical properties of a ‘wildcard’ make a difference? Legal & Criminological Psychology, 21(2), 358-371. doi: 10.1111/lcrp.12075
Journal - Research Article
Wake, K., Cardwell, B., & Zajac, R. (2015). Does difficulty recalling childhood memories affect how we evaluate our childhood? Proceedings of the Psycolloquy Seminar. (pp. 21). Dunedin, New Zealand: Department of Psychology, University of Otago. Retrieved from http://www.otago.ac.nz/psychology/research/otago059081.html
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract
Westgate, S., Gallagher, E., Gross, J., Zajac, R., & Hayne, H. (2015). A trip down memory lane: Adults' recall of significant past events and the role of speculation. Proceedings of the Psycolloquy Seminar. (pp. 13). Dunedin, New Zealand: Department of Psychology, University of Otago. Retrieved from http://www.otago.ac.nz/psychology/research/otago059081.html
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract
Jack, F., & Zajac, R. (2014). The effect of age and reminders on witnesses’ responses to cross-examination-style questioning. Journal of Applied Research in Memory & Cognition, 3(1), 1-6. doi: 10.1016/j.jarmac.2013.12.001
Journal - Research Article
Jack, F., Leov, J., & Zajac, R. (2014). Age-related differences in the free-recall accounts of child, adolescent, and adult witnesses. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 28(1), 30-38. doi: 10.1002/acp.2951
Journal - Research Article
Jack, F., Zydervelt, S., & Zajac, R. (2014). Are co-witnesses special? Comparing the influence of co-witness and interviewer misinformation on eyewitness reports. Memory, 22(3), 243-255. doi: 10.1080/09658211.2013.778291
Journal - Research Article
Osborne, N. K. P., Woods, S., Kieser, J., & Zajac, R. (2014). Does contextual information bias bitemark comparisons? Science & Justice, 54(4), 267-273. doi: 10.1016/j.scijus.2013.12.005
Journal - Research Article
Irvine, B., & Zajac, R. (2014). "Of course I lied, mum asked me to!" The effect of cross-examination on children's responses when they have been coached to lie. Proceedings of the Psycolloquy Seminar. (pp. 24). Dunedin, New Zealand: Department of Psychology, University of Otago. Retrieved from http://www.otago.ac.nz/psychology/research/otago059081.html
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract
Irvine, B., & Zajac, R. (2014, April). Under oath: Children’s ability to respond accurately to courtroom questioning. Verbal presentation at the Innocence Network Conference, Portland, USA.
Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs
Zajac, R. (2014, June). Partners in crime: Psychology and the legal system. Verbal presentation at the 50th Anniversary of the Department of Psychology Research Symposium, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs
O'Neill, S., & Zajac, R. (2013). Preparing children for cross-examination: How does intervention timing influence efficacy? Psychology, Public Policy & Law, 19(3), 307-320. doi: 10.1037/a0031538
Journal - Research Article
O'Neill, S., & Zajac, R. (2013). The role of repeated interviewing in children's responses to cross-examination-style questioning. British Journal of Psychology, 104(1), 14-38. doi: 10.1111/j.2044-8295.2011.02096.x
Journal - Research Article
Righarts, S., O'Neill, S., & Zajac, R. (2013). Addressing the negative effect of cross-examination questioning on children's accuracy: Can we intervene? Law & Human Behavior, 37(5), 354-365. doi: 10.1037/lhb0000042
Journal - Research Article
Zajac, R., Garry, M., London, K., Goodyear-Smith, F., & Hayne, H. (2013). Misconceptions about childhood sexual abuse and child witnesses: Implications for psychological experts in the courtroom. Memory, 21(5), 608-617. doi: 10.1080/09658211.2013.778287
Journal - Research Article
Morten, J. T. P., Jack, F. K., & Zajac, R. (2013). Explaining differences in eyewitness recall: The contributions of age, intelligence, and memory. Proceedings of the Association for Psychological Science (APS) 25th Annual Convention. Retrieved from http://aps.psychologicalscience.org/convention/program_2013/search/viewProgram.cfm?Abstract_ID=27452
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract
Zajac, R., O'Neill, S., & Hayne, H. (2012). Disorder in the courtroom? Child witnesses under cross-examination. Developmental Review, 32(3), 181-204. doi: 10.1016/j.dr.2012.06.006
Journal - Research Article
Irvine, B., & Zajac, R. (2012). Preparing children for cross-examination: Can children generalise from practice questions to the real deal? Proceedings of the Psycolloquy Seminar. (pp. 15). Retrieved from http://www.otago.ac.nz/psychology/otago039512.pdf
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract
Jack, F., & Zajac, R. (2012). The negative effect of cross-examination-style questioning on witnesses' accuracy decreases with age. Proceedings of the American Psychology-Law Society (AP-LS) Conference. (pp. 111). Retrieved from http://www.ap-ls.org/conferences/apls2012/index2012.php
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract
Jack, F., Devlin, L., & Zajac, R. (2012). The effect of co-witness misinformation on children's, adolescent's and adult's recall of a witnessed event. Proceedings of the American Psychology-Law Society (AP-LS) Conference. (pp. 110). Retrieved from http://www.ap-ls.org/conferences/apls2012/index2012.php
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract
Osborne, N. K. P., Woods, S. R., Kieser, J., & Zajac, R. (2012). Reality bites: The effect of contextual information on the interpretation of bitemark evidence. Proceedings of the American Psychology-Law Society (AP-LS) Conference. (pp. 36). Retrieved from http://www.ap-ls.org/conferences/apls2012/index2012.php
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract
Karageorge, A., & Zajac, R. (2011). Exploring the effects of age and delay on children's person identifications: Verbal descriptions, lineup performance, and the influence of wildcards. British Journal of Psychology, 102(2), 161-183. doi: 10.1348/000712610X507902
Journal - Research Article
Jack, F., & Zajac, R. (2011). Simple versus cumulative misinformation effects. Proceedings of the Society for Applied Research in Memory and Cognition (SARMAC) Conference IX. (pp. 18-19). Retrieved from http://www.sarmac.org/images/upload/downloads/SARMAC_IX_2011.pdf
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract
Jack, F., Martyn, E., & Zajac, R. (2011). The use of visual aids during interviews with child, adolescent and adult witnesses. Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Memory (ICOM-5). (pp. 137-138). Retrieved from http://www.york.ac.uk/conferences/icom5/Abstract%20Booklet_ICOM5220711.pdf
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract
Jack, F., & Zajac, R. (2011, June). The effect of cross-examination questioning on the accuracy of children's, adolescents', and adults' memory reports. Poster session presented at the Society for Applied Research in Memory and Cognition (SARMAC) Conference IX, New York City, NY.
Conference Contribution - Poster Presentation (not in published proceedings)
Morten, J., & Zajac, R. (2011, June). Individual differences in adults' performance on photographic lineups: Putting the 'I' in eyewitness. Verbal presentation at the Society for Applied Research in Memory and Cognition (SARMAC) Conference IX, New York, USA.
Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs
Osborne, N. K. P., & Zajac, R. (2011, June). An imperfect match: The effect of emotional context on fingerprint matching decisions. Verbal presentation at the Society for Applied Research in Memory and Cognition (SARMAC) Conference IX, New York, USA.
Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs
Jack, F., Walker, S., & Zajac, R. (2010). Improving children's accuracy on target-absent lineups: Do the physical characteristics of the wildcard influence its success? American Psychology-Law Society Conference (AP-LS). Retrieved from http://convention3.allacademic.com/one/apls/apls10/index.php?
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract
Morten, J., & Zajac, R. (2010, November). Individual differences in younger and older adults' performance on photographic lineups: Putting the 'I' in eyewitness identification. Verbal presentation at the Psycolloquy Seminar, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs
Zajac, R. (2009). Investigative interviewing in the courtroom: Child witnesses under cross-examination. In R. Bull, T. Valentine & T. Williamson (Eds.), Handbook of psychology of investigative interviewing: Current developments and future directions. (pp. 161-180). Chichester, UK: Wiley-Blackwell. doi: 10.1002/9780470747599.ch10
Chapter in Book - Research
Zajac, R., & Hayne, H. (2009). Cross-examination: Impact on testimony. In A. Jamieson & A. Moenssens (Eds.), Wiley encyclopedia of forensic science. Wiley. doi: 10.1002/9780470061589.fsa471
Chapter in Book - Research
Zajac, R., Osborne, N. K. P., & Kieser, J. A. (2009). Contextual bias in the analysis of bitemarks. In A. Jamieson & A. A. Moenssens (Eds.), Wiley encyclopedia of forensic science. Wiley Blackwell. doi: 10.1002/9780470061589.fsa1121
Chapter in Book - Research
Zajac, R., & Cannan, P. (2009). Cross-examination of sexual assault complainants: A developmental comparison. Psychiatry, Psychology & Law, 16(Suppl. 1), S36-S54. doi: 10.1080/13218710802620448
Journal - Research Article
Zajac, R., & Henderson, N. (2009). Don't it make my brown eyes blue: Co-witness misinformation about a target's appearance can impair target-absent line-up performance. Memory, 17(3), 266-278. doi: 10.1080/09658210802623950
Journal - Research Article
Zajac, R., & Karageorge, A. (2009). The wildcard: A simple technique for improving children's target-absent lineup performance. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 23(3), 358-368. doi: 10.1002/acp.1511
Journal - Research Article
Zajac, R., Jury, E., & O'Neill, S. (2009). The role of psychosocial factors in young children's responses to cross-examination style questioning. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 23(7), 918-935. doi: 10.1002/acp.1536
Journal - Research Article
Zajac, R., & Karageorge, A. (2009). Using 'wildcards' to improve the accuracy of children's eyewitness identification: Scope and limitations. Proceedings of the 8th Biennial Meeting of the Society for Applied Research in Memory and Cognition (SARMAC VIII). (pp. 12). Retrieved from http://www.tuat.ac.jp/~sarmac/SARMAC2009Program.pdf
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract
Jack, F., Cannan, P., & Zajac, R. (2009, September). Adolescents under cross-examination: A quantitative analysis of lawyers' questions and witnesses' responses. Verbal presentation at the 19th Conference of the European Association of Psychology and Law (EAPL), Sorrento, Italy.
Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs
O'Neill, S., & Zajac, R. (2008, November). Factors influencing children's responses to cross-examination questioning. Verbal presentation at the Psycolloquy Seminar, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs
Zajac, R. (2008, July). The negative effect of cross-examination on children's accuracy: A repeated interviewing effect? Verbal presentation at the 18th Conference of the European Association of Psychology and Law, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs
Zajac, R., White, V., & Munn, R. (2007). Acceptance of misinformation from an co-witness: The effect of perceived intoxication. Proceedings of the Association for Psychological Science 19th Annual Convention. Retrieved from http://www.psychologicalscience.org/convention/program_2007/
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract
Zajac, R., & Hayne, H. (2006). The negative effect of cross-examination style questioning on children's accuracy: Older children are not immune. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 20, 3-16. doi: 10.1002/acp.1169
Journal - Research Article
Zajac, R. (2006, June). A simple method of improving children's accuracy on target absent lineups. Verbal presentation at the 16th Conference of The European Association of Psychology & Law, Liverpool, UK.
Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs
Zajac, R. (2006, November). A simple technique for reducing children's eyewitness identification errors. Verbal presentation at the Psycolloquy Seminar, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs
Zajac, R. (2006, November-December). Discussions between witnesses. Verbal presentation at the Memory on Trial: The Role of Memory in the Courtroom Symposium, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs
Zajac, R., & Henderson, N. (2006, July). The eyes have it: The effect of misinformation from a co-witness on target-absent line-up performance. Verbal presentation at the 4th International Conference on Memory, Sydney, Australia.
Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs
Righarts, S., & Zajac, R. (2005, April). Children's responses to cross-examination style questioning: Are older children less vulnerable? Poster session presented at the Society for Research in Child Development Biennial Meeting, Atlanta, GA.
Conference Contribution - Poster Presentation (not in published proceedings)
Zajac, R. (2005, January). Cross examination in the laboratory: How do we mimic the court process? Verbal presentation at the Society of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition Conference, Wellington, New Zealand.
Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs
Zajac, R., Righarts, S., & Hayne, H. (2004, July). Why do children change their earlier testimony during cross-examination? Verbal presentation at the 14th European Conference on Psychology and Law, Krakow, Poland.
Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs
Zajac, R., & Hayne, H. (2003). I don't think that's what really happened: The effect of cross-examination on the accuracy of children's reports. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 9(3), 187-195.
Journal - Research Article
Zajac, R., Gross, J., & Hayne, H. (2003). Asked and answered: Questioning children in the courtroom. Psychiatry, Psychology & Law, 10(1), 199-209.
Journal - Research Article
Zajac, R., & Hayne, H. (2003, July). Cross-examination of child witnesses: A help or a hindrance to jurors? Poster session presented at the Psychology & Law: International, Interdisciplinary Conference 2003, Edinburgh, Scotland.
Conference Contribution - Poster Presentation (not in published proceedings)
Zajac, R., Skellern, E., & Hayne, H. (2003, July). The effect of cross-examination on mock jurors' perceptions in a simulated case of child sexual abuse. Poster session presented at the meeting of the Society for Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, Aberdeen, Scotland.
Conference Contribution - Poster Presentation (not in published proceedings)
Zajac, R. (2002). Interviewing children: The science and the art. Verbal presentation at the Royal New Zealand Police College Seminar, Wellington, New Zealand.
Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs
Zajac, R. (2002). Methods for interviewing children: The good, the bad and the ugly. Verbal presentation at the Student Health and Counselling Service Seminar, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs
Zajac, R. (2002). The effect of cross-examination on the reliability and credibility of children's testimony. Verbal presentation at the Psychology Department Seminar, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs
Zajac, R. (2002). ″So neither of your brothers weren't there?″ Cross-examination and the child witness. Verbal presentation at the Psychology Department Seminar, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand.
Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs
Zajac, R. (2001). Cross examination and the child witness. Childrenz Issues, 5(1), 33-38.
Journal - Research Article
Zajac, R., & Hayne, H. (2001). The effect of cross examination on the accuracy of children's reports. Society for Research in Child Development. Minneapolis, MN. [Full Paper]
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Full paper
Zajac, R., & Hayne, H. (2001). The effect of cross-examination on the accuracy of children's testimony. Verbal presentation at the Biennial Meeting of the Society of Research in Child Development, Minneapolis, USA. Dunedin: University of Otago.
Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs
Zajac, R., Gross, J., & Hayne, H. (2000). Courtroom questioning and children's testimony: Do the questions matter? American Psychology-Law Society. New Orleans, LA. [Full Paper]
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Full paper
Zajac, R. (2000). The effect of cross-examination on the accuracy of children's testimony. Verbal presentation at the Annual Meeting of the New Zealand Psychological Society, Hamilton.
Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs
Zajac, R., Gross, J., & Hayne, H. (2000). Cross examination and children's testimony: Do the question matter? Verbal presentation at the Biennial Meeting of the American Psychology-Law Society, New Orleans.
Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs