LAB MEMBERS

Kayla A. Burd, PhD

Email: kburd@uwyo.edu

CV

Dr. Burd grew up in New Jersey and earned her BA in psychology at Hofstra University in 2010. She earned her MS in Psychology at Arizona State University in 2013, her MA in Developmental Psychology at Cornell University in 2016, and her PhD with a concentration in law, psychology, and human development at Cornell University in 2018. She then spent two years at Iowa State University as a postdoctoral research associate examining the impact of uncertainty and contextual bias on firearms examiner decision-making. She joined the faculty at the University of Wyoming in Fall 2020. Her research examines how individuals’ beliefs, backgrounds, and predispositions bias memory, reasoning, and decision-making within legal contexts, particularly with respect to juries and jurors. She spends her free time with her family (husband, daughter, son, two dogs) hiking, camping, rock climbing, and traveling.

Jaylan Aliev, HBS

Jaylan was born and raised in Boise, Idaho. In 2024 she received an M.S. in Experimental Psychology with a concentration in Law from the University of Wyoming. She is a third-year graduate student in the Psychology and Law PhD program. In 2024 she received a fellowship from the NSF GRFP. Her research interests include jury decision making in relation to discrimination/prejudice towards child victims of sex crimes, and disparities in the U.S. juvenile legal system. In her free time, she enjoys reading and crafting.

Amanda Anzovino, MS

Amanda grew up in New Jersey and earned her BA in Psychology from Marymount Manhattan College in 2019. In 2023, She earned her M.S. in Experimental Psychology from UW with a thesis exploring how victim prototypicality and emotional display influenced mock-investigators' decision-making and perceptions of victim credibility in a sexual assault case. More broadly, Amanda's research interests include legal decision-making, victim credibility and blame, victim impact statements, and rape myth endorsement with the goal of discovering ways in which we can better support all survivors of sexual assault as they navigate the criminal-legal system. In her free time, Amanda enjoys reading historical fiction novels, traveling, and rewatching Schitt's Creek.

Olivia Grella, MA

Olivia grew up in Watertown, CT and received her BS in Psychology from Eastern CT State University. After completing her undergraduate degree, she received her MA in Clinical Counseling Psychology from Assumption University. She is currently a graduate student in the Psychology and Law PhD program. Her research interests broadly focus on factor that influence jury decision making in sex crimes. Specifically, she focuses on defendant characteristics, rape myths, victim blame, and language use. In her spare time Olivia enjoys running, true crime podcasts, listening to Bruce Springsteen, and spending time with her partner, Thomas, and dog, Toulouse.

CJ Erion, MS

CJ grew up in Salem, Oregon, and received his BA in psychology at Point Loma Nazarene University. He is currently a second-year graduate student in the Motivation and Cognition Lab. His research interests broadly include intergroup behavior, public shaming, and goal striving mindsets. CJ is currently collaborating with the Social Cognition and Law lab, primarily investigating how cognitive and situational differences influence perceptions regarding police use of force. In his free time, he enjoys outdoor activities such as hiking, fishing, skiing, and playing various sports.

Jack MacDonald, M.M.

Jack MacDonald is a first-year Graduate Teaching Assistant at the UW Department of Music where he assists/teaches various undergraduate courses. In addition, he is absolutely elated to be a part of Dr. Burd’s Social Cognition and Law Lab. An avid musician, MacDonald has performed in various festivals and competitions up to the national level. His main research interests are in the realm of positive psychology, specifically in the matters of talent, learning, and perseverance. Besides learning new things, Jack likes thrifting, cooking, baking, petting dogs, and consuming vast amounts of ice cream.

Dylan Chatterley - Lab Manager

Dylan grew up in Rock Springs, Wyoming and is currently working on graduating with his BS in psychology with a minor in honors. After graduation Dylan plans to pursue a PhD, but doesn't quite know what he'd like to focus in. Dylan's interests include hiking, camping, thrifting, and hanging out with friends.

Harrison Blakely - Assistant Lab Manager

My name is Harrison Blakely, and I am undergraduate student in the Psychology Department at UW. My hobbies include reading, cooking, running, drawing, playing the guitar, and watching films. In the Social Cognition and Law lab, I am involved in multiple projects that aim to study the influences of jury deliberations. Most of my training involves researching the components of reasoned verdicts, data cleaning, and assisting my fellow research assistants. After obtaining my bachelor's in psychology, I plan to attend graduate school for counseling and become a licensed therapist.