Demi Hart

Doctoral student
Headshot of Waleed Jami
She, her, hers

Summary

Demi's research examines human judgment and decision-making in legal contexts. Her work spans three primary areas: eyewitness memory, juror evaluation of forensic evidence, and perceptions of sexual coercion and himpathy. Her research on eyewitness memory builds on the change blindness literature to assess how accurately observers identify who is present during criminal events, particularly in contexts involving multiple individuals and heightened attentional demands, such as the presence of a weapon. Additionally, she investigates how laypeople evaluate forensic evidence. This work examines jurors’ understanding of the reliability and limitations of different forensic tests, and how individual differences shape interpretations of expert testimony. Her final area of research focuses on sexual coercion and himpathy, and examines how men’s social status and physical attractiveness influence perceptions of sex-seeking behavior. This work identifies which behaviors are judged as coercive, and how observer characteristics, such as gender, political ideology, and rape-supportive attitudes, shape judgments of consent and coercion. Alongside her current research, Demi maintains an active professional interest in trial consulting. Demi served as a Student Intern at Trial Innovations from 2022-2025. She assisted with in-person mock trials designed to evaluate the effectiveness of trial strategies and narrative framing with jury-eligible participants. She also helped conduct social media searches on the Jury Selection Team. Demi is currently expanding her methodological and applied research skillset as a Graduate Assistant for the Washoe County School District. In this role, she designs and administers surveys, analyzes quantitative and qualitative data, and evaluates the effectiveness of educational programs serving high-needs student populations.

Publications

  • Davis, D., Hart, D. J., Hogan, A. A., & Loftus, E. L. (2025). Fundamentals of Memory: Applications to Memory for Sexual Assault. In O'Donohue, W. & Bull, R. (in press). Forensic Interviews Regarding Adult Sexual Assault: A Guide to Evidence-Based Practice. Springer.
  • Davis, D., Hogan, A. A., & Hart, D. J. (2024). Myths of Trauma Memory: On the Oversimplification of Effects of Attention Narrowing Under Stress. Frontiers, Vol. 15.
  • Davis. D., Miller, G. A., Hart, D. J., & Hogan, A. A. (2024). On the Importance of Recognition and Mitigation of Bias in Forensic Science. In: Francese, S., S. P. King, R. (eds) Driving Forensic Innovation in the 21st Century. Springer.
  • Hart, D. J., Christiansen, E., & Dahir, R. B. (2024). National Science Foundation: International Experiences for Students Program Survey Report. University of Nevada, Reno. Submitted to Dr. Seri Park.
  • Hart, D. J., Hitch, E., Lee, B. M., & Dahir, R. B. (2024). Nevada Department of Transportation 2024 Employee Satisfaction Survey Report. University of Nevada, Reno. Submitted to Nevada Department of Transportation.
  • Hart, D. J. (2023). The Impact of Lying on Autobiographical Memories. Master’s Thesis. ProQuest.
  • Frenda, S. J., Yu, C., Hart, D. J., Hogan, A. A., & Loftus, E. F. (2022). Lying creates persistent false memories. Manuscript in preparation.
  • Frenda, S. J., Hogan, A. A., Hart, D. J., & Hopwood, A. (2022). False memories of fabricated news events in India. Manuscript in preparation.

Poster Presentations

  • Hogan, A. A., Hart, D. J., Miller, G. A., & Davis, D. (2024). The Effects of Male Attractiveness and Career Potential on Perceptions of Sexually Coercive Behaviors. Poster presented at the Association for Psychological Science 2024 Annual Convention in San Francisco, CA.
  • Frenda, S. J., Yu, C., Hart, D. J., Hogan, A. A., & Loftus, E. F. (2022). Lying creates persistent false memories. Poster presented at the Association for Psychological Science 2022 Annual Convention in Chicago, IL.

Education

  • M.S. Forensic Psychology, California State University, Los Angeles, 2023
  • B.A. Psychology with a minor in Criminal Justice, California State University, Chico, 2021

Graduate assistantships

  • Graduate Assistant at the Grant Sawyer Center for Justice Studies, 2021-2025
  • Student Instructor for MKT 316 Marketing Strategy, 2025
  • Graduate Assistant for Washoe County School District, 2025-Present

Student funding

  • Dean's Merit Scholarship Recipient
  • Founder's Award Recipient