Thomas D. Lyon

Thomas D. Lyon holds the Judge Edward J. and Ruey L. Guirado Chair in Law and Psychology at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law, where he teaches Evidence and the Child Interviewing Practicum while directing the USC Child Interviewing Lab for Los Angeles County dependency courts.

Education:

• Dartmouth College (magna cum laude)
• Harvard Law School
• PhD in Developmental Psychology, Stanford University

His pioneering research focuses on optimizing forensic interviewing protocols to maximize truthful disclosure from child abuse victims while minimizing trauma. Key contributions include analyzing question types (e.g., invitations vs. direct questions), narrative techniques like the birthday narrative, and understanding developmental limitations in children's comprehension. His interdisciplinary work bridges legal procedures with psychological science to improve evidentiary reliability in child witness testimony.

Analysis of his 2020-2024 publications reveals three dominant trends: (1) adolescent-specific challenges in trafficking victim interviews, (2) temporal misinterpretations in children's responses to "time"-referencing questions, and (3) enhanced lie-detection methods through contextual coaching. The research consistently targets practical forensic applications rather than theoretical constructs.

Dr. Lyon has secured continuous funding from the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, and U.S. Department of Justice for over 25 years. His extensive training programs have educated 280+ legal and child welfare professionals, including judges, prosecutors, and social workers across multiple states.

He leads the USC Child Interviewing Lab with a multidisciplinary team including post-doctoral scholars, forensic interviewers, and undergraduate researchers who conduct both court-mandated interviews and controlled laboratory studies on maltreated children.