Rob Cramer , ph.d.

Welcome to the Personality, Diversity, & Law (PDL) Lab

Research Interests: For more details, please see my CV.

1. Hate Crimes & Sexual Minority Issues: This area of research addresses legal and clinical issues for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons. With hate crime laws as a back drop, my work examines whether evidence of sexual orientation-based and other minority-based hate serves as an aggravating factor in sentencing. It also examines what juror-related characteristics (e.g., sexual prejudice, authoritarianism) mitigate sentencing decisions. Current work analyzes these questions in jury samples across Texas. Of equal importance is the functional impact of hate crime victimization. As such, my research team currently runs the Legacy Project, a grant examining various social and clinical impacts of victimization. The project also focuses on identification of sexual minority-specific risk and protective factors for future assessment and intervention. Currently in planning is follow-up work to Project Legacy that will address sexual behavior, mental health, and crime perpetration impacts of sexual assault and stalking victimization. Finally, I also maintain a scholarly and training interest in LGBT issues as they pertain to ethical clinical practice.

2. Witness Testimony/Trial Consultation: This line of research examines mechanisms associated with the credibility and effectiveness of witness testimony. Research focuses on witness-related characteristics such as confidence, credibility, self-efficacy, and others. Additionally, juror traits and attitudes such as the Five-Factor Model and need for affect are examined as moderating variables of jury decision making. Current directions include further development of the Witness Self-Efficacy Scale, and comparison of juror perceptions of witness personality and credibility. Implications of this line of research holds potential utility for witness preparation and jury selection, both of which are areas of interest in my teaching, training and trial consultation private practice. PLEASE NOTE: I do not do eyewitness identification research.

3. Suicide: This domain of my work broadly addresses personality (e.g., Five-Factor Model), social (e.g., spirituality), cognitive (e.g., Interpersonal-Psychological Theory), and clinical (e.g., Axis II features) risk and protective factors to consider in assessment of suicide risk across client type (e.g., offenders psychiatric inpatients). Most recent work focused on scale development, and integration of personality and the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide among Australian offenders. I also address clinician-related topics such as beliefs about suicide and addressing the need for training in suicide risk assessment. Immediate directions include expanding the personality-IPTS model of suicide risk to other populations, as well as setting the foundation for a clinical training grant application for training psychology doctoral students in suicide risk assessment.  For example, I am currently in the planning stages of a follow-up investigation of personality and interpersonal aspects of suicide and violence risk in pre-incarcerated Australian offenders.

In addition to these areas, my students have carved out research projects in related areas:

Current Students (Thesis, Dissertation, and/or other contributors, with lab-related research interests):

Brittany Bate: suicide, offender reintegration, expert testimony

Alix Burks: LGBT and gender issues, stigma, and offender issues

Brett Gardner: Five-Factor Model of personality and the law, statistics

Tess Gemberling: sexual assault, sexual behavior, LGBT issues

Ernie Gonzalez, Jr.: Diversity issues in jury decision making and offenders

Jennifer Johnson: expert testimony, locus of control, LGBT issues

Shara Johnson: suicide, physician assisted suicide

Kelsey Laxton: LGBT issues, jury decision making, public policy issues

Charlotte Pennington: suicide & psychopathy, interpersonal-psychological theory of suicide

Caroline Stroud: suicide, LGBT issues, expert testimony, need for affect, Five-Factor Model of personality

Jenna Tomei: LGBT issues, trial consulting, jury decision making

Hayley Wechsler: Trial errors and false convictions, public policy, expert credibility

Amy Wevodau: Victim impact statements, need for affect

Past and Present Collaborating Agencies and Groups:

Legacy Community Health Services (Houston, TX)

Montgomery, Walker, & Dallas County Courts (TX)

National Coalition of Sexual Freedom (Baltimore, MD)

National Judicial College (Reno, NV)

San Francisco State University Psychology Department (San Francisco, CA)

Sam Houston State University Criminal Justice Department (Huntsville, TX)

University of California San Francisco Psychiatry and Trauma Recovery Center (San Francisco, CA)

University of North Dakota Psychology Department (Grand Forks, ND)

Westlake Trial Consulting (Austin, TX)

White & Associates Psychologists (Adelaide, Australia)

Witness Research Lab, University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa, AL)

Representative Publications:

Cramer, R.J., DeCoster, J., Neal, T.M.S., & Brodsky, S.L. (In Press). The Observed Witness Efficacy Scale: A Measure of Effective Testimony Skills. Journal of Applied Social Psychology.

Cramer, R.J., Kehn, A., Pennington, C.R., Wechsler, H.J., Clark, J.W., & Nagle, J. (In Press). An examination of sexual orientation- and transgender-based hate crimes in the post-Matthew Shepard era. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law.

Cramer, R.J., Nobles, M.R., Amacker, A.M., & Dovoedo, L.F. (In Press). Defining and Evaluating Perceptions of Victim Blame. Journal of Interpersonal Violence.

Cramer, R.J., Johnson, S.M., McLaughlin, J., Rausch, E.M., & Conroy, M.A. (2013). Suicide Risk Assessment for Psychology Doctoral Programs: Core Competencies and a Framework for  Training. Training and Education in Professional Psychology 7, 1-11.

Cramer, R.J., Miller, A.K., Amacker, A.M.., & Burks, A.C. (2013). Openness, Right-wing Authoritarianism, and Antigay Prejudice in College Students: A Mediation Model. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 60, 64-71.  

Cramer, R.J., Gorter, E.L., Rodriguez, M.C, Clark, J.W., Rice. A.K, & Nobles, M. R. (2013). Blame Attribution in Court: Conceptualization and Measurement of Perpetrator Blame. Victims & Offenders, 8, 42-55.

Cramer, R.J., Wakeman, E.E., Chandler, J.F., Mohr, J.J., & Griffin, M.P. (2013). Hate crimes on trial: Judgments about violent crime against gay men. Psychology, Psychiatry, and Law, 20, 202-215.

Girvan, E., Cramer, R.J., Titcomb, C., Neal, T.M.S., & Brodsky, S.L. (2013). The Propriety ofPreemptory Challenges for Perceived Personality Traits. Law & Psychology Review, 37, 48-80.

Cramer, R.J., Garza, M.J., Henderson, C.E., Ribiero, J.D., Silva, C., Smith, A.R., Joiner, T.E., & White, J. (2012).  A Trait-Interpersonal perspective on suicide risk in criminal offenders. Archives of Suicide Research, 16, 334-347.

Cramer, R.J., McNiel, D.E., Holley, S.R., Shumway, M., & Boccelarri. A. (2012). Mental health outcomes and violent crime victimization: Does sexual orientation matter? Law and Human Behavior, 36, 87-95.

Please feel free to contact me at rjc021@shsu.edu for more information about my work.

Office CHSS 324

Lab CHSS 328