Yueran Yang

Yueran Yang is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Nevada, Reno, with a joint appointment in the Interdisciplinary Social Psychology Ph.D. Program. They hold a Ph.D. in Psychology and Statistics from Iowa State University, and a B.S. from Peking University. Their research focuses on interrogated confessions, eyewitness identification, and statistical modeling to address wrongful convictions. Yang’s work bridges psychology and mathematics to understand factors leading to false confessions and misidentifications, contributing to criminal justice reform.

• Education:
  • Ph.D. in Psychology and Statistics, Iowa State University (2016)
  • M.S. in Psychology, Iowa State University (2012)
  • B.S. in Psychology, Peking University (2009)

Research Interests:

Yang investigates the psychological and statistical mechanisms behind wrongful convictions, particularly false confessions and eyewitness errors. Their work develops mathematical models to improve evidence evaluation and reduce systemic biases. Key themes include:

• Interrogation decision-making frameworks
• Statistical methods in forensic analysis
• Impact of evidence presentation on police and judicial decisions

Recent publications highlight advancements in ROC curve analysis for eyewitness identification, police evidence evaluation biases, and youth substance use correlates. Their interdisciplinary approach combines cognitive psychology, statistics, and legal studies to enhance forensic science reliability.

Students advised include Janice Burke and Justice Healy. No awards are explicitly listed in the text.