Elisa Krackow

Elisa Krackow is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at West Virginia University, where she directs the Memory and the Law Lab. Her research integrates clinical, developmental, cognitive, and forensic psychology to study eyewitness memory, suggestibility, false memories, and juror perceptions, with a focus on children and legal applications.

Dr. Krackow earned her Ph.D. from Binghamton University, State University of New York. She completed a predoctoral internship at the University of Illinois at Chicago and a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Her research interests lie at the intersection of memory and the legal system, particularly in how children recall events, the impact of suggestive questioning, and the development of interventions like Event Report Training to improve eyewitness accuracy. She also investigates the cognitive mechanisms behind false and recovered memories, the role of emotion in memory, and childhood depression with a focus on cognitive biases and intergenerational transmission. Her work has important implications for forensic interviewing, child protection, and legal policy.

The 15 most recent publications reflect a consistent focus on applied memory, child eyewitness testimony, false memory creation, and interventions. The research spans cognitive, clinical, developmental, and forensic domains, often using experimental and narrative methods to explore memory accuracy, suggestibility, and emotional influences.

Dr. Krackow's research has been supported by funding from NIH/NICHD, the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI), and the American Psychology-Law Society (AP-LS).

She mentors graduate students in the Clinical Child doctoral program, including Benjamin Thomas, Victoria DiSciullo, and Emily Deming, who are engaged in research on juror perceptions, juvenile justice, child memory, and traumatic recall. Her lab provides training in high-quality research design across multiple psychological subfields.

She teaches courses such as Child and Adolescent Development, Behavior Pathology, Behavioral and Psychological Assessment, and Clinical Child Psychology Practicum. Her lab, the Memory and the Law Lab, focuses on applied research with real-world implications for psychology, law, and child welfare.