Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Forensic Psychology

Teaching Responsibilities

Module Leader: Psychology and the Courts, MSc in Forensic Psychology (Campus Based).

Module Leader: Psychology in the Courtroom, MSc in Applied Forensic Psychology/MSc in Forensic & Legal Psychology (Distance Learning).

I also teach on the Criminology and Research Methods modules of the MSc in Forensic Psychology (Campus Based).

I contribute to teaching on the undergraduate module Legal Psychology (PS3007). 

I supervise a number of MSc dissertations and some undergraduate dissertations, all within the area of forensic psychology. 

For the 2010-2011 academic year: Please note that I only supervise a limited number of undergraduate students, and should not be nominated as a potential supervisor unless a specific project has been agreed.

Research

My main research interests are in understanding crime-related cognition, and autobiographical and traumatic memory. I am also interested in attitudes towards wrongful conviction and punishment, the relationship between alcohol, crime and memory, domestic violence, and legal implications of memory distortion.

My research is funded by the Nuffield Foundation and the British Academy.

Recent Publications

Takarangi, M. K. T., & Strange, D. (in press). Emotional impact feedback changes how we remember negative autobiographical experiences. Experimental Psychology.

Polaschek, D. L. L., Bell, R. K., Calvert, S. W., & Takarangi, M. K. T. (2010). Cognitive-behavioural rehabilitation of high-risk violent offenders: Investigating treatment change with explicit and implicit measures of cognition. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 24, 437-449.

Takarangi, M. K. T., Polaschek, D. L. L., Garry, M., & Loftus, E. F. (2008). Psychological science, victim advocates, and the problem of recovered memories. International Review of Victimology, 15, 147-163.

Takarangi, M. K. T., Polaschek, D. L. L., Hignett, A. J., & Garry, M. (2007). Chronic and temporary aggression causes hostile false memories for ambiguous information. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 22, 39-49.

Clifasefi, S. L., Takarangi, M. K. T., & Bergman, J. S. (2006). Blind Drunk: The effects of alcohol on inattentional blindness. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 20, 697-704.

Takarangi, M. K. T., Parker, S., & Garry, M. (2006). Modernizing the misinformation effect: The development and implementation of a new set of measurement tools. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 20, 583-590.

Takarangi, M. K. T., Garry, M., & Loftus, E. F. (2006). Dear diary, is paper better than plastic? I can’t remember. Psychological Methods, 11, 119-122

Conference Presentations

2010

Takarangi, M. K. T., & King, M. (2010, March). Autobiographical memory and aggression. Paper presented at the American Psychology-Law Society Conference, Vancouver, Canada.

Humphries, J. E., Flowe, H. D., & Takarangi, M. K. T. (2010, March). How often do intoxicated eyewitnesses provide testimony in serious crimes. Paper presented at the American Psychology-Law Society Conference, Vancouver, Canada.

2009

Takarangi, M. K. T., & Strange, D. (2009, July). For better or for worse? External feedback affects autobiographical memory for positive events. Paper presented at the biennial meeting of the Society for Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, Kyoto, Japan.

Strange, D., & Takarangi, M. K. T. (2009, July). Reinterpretation of negative autobiographical memories. Paper presented at the biennial meeting of the Society for Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, Kyoto, Japan.

Polaschek, D. L. L., Bell, R. K., Calvert, S. W., & Takarangi, M. K. T. (2009, July). What changes during treatment? Comparing aggressive cognition and behaviour in high-risk violent prisoners using implicit and explicit measures. Paper presented at the biennial meeting of the Society for Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, Kyoto, Japan.

Strange, D., & Takarangi, M. K. T. (2009, May). Feedback affects memory for negative events. Poster to be presented at the 21st Annual Convention of the American Psychological Society, San Francisco, USA.

Takarangi, M. K. T., Newman, E., & Garry, M. (2009, March). “…And justice for all”? Public perceptions of wrongful conviction. Poster presented at the American Psychology-Law Society Conference, San Antonio, USA.

Newman, E., Takarangi, M. K. T., & Garry, M. (2009, February). Public perceptions of wrongful conviction: Case and evaluator characteristics affect levels of perceived injustice. Paper presented at the Australian Psychological Society College of Forensic Psychologists Conference, Melbourne, Australia.

2008

Polaschek, D. L. L., Bell, R. K., & Takarangi, M. K. T. (2008, July). Measuring treatment change in high risk violent offenders using implicit and explicit measures of aggressive cognition and behaviour. Paper presented at the International Society for Research on Aggression XVIII World Meeting, Budapest, Hungary. 

Takarangi, M. K. T., & Strange, D. (2008, May). Memory reinterpretation for positive autobiographical events. Poster presented at the 20th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Society, Chicago, USA.

2007

Takarangi, M. K. T., Strange, D. M., & Garry, M. (2007, July). The role of schema-relevant information in memory for crime. Paper presented at the biennial meeting of the Society for Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, Lewiston, USA.

Polaschek, D. L. L., & Takarangi, M. K. T. (2007, July). When violence is less bad: Comparing aggression questionnaires with the IAT. Paper presented at the biennial meeting of the Society for Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, Lewiston, USA.

Garry, M., Takarangi, M. K. T., Strange, D. M., & Polaschek, D. L. L. (2007, July). Aspects of self and of newspaper stories influence readers' cognitions about crime. Poster presented at the World Congress of Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies, Barcelona, Spain.

Takarangi, M. K. T., & Polaschek, D. L. L. (2007, June). The relationship between implicit and explicit attitudes towards violence is different for males and females. Poster presented at North American Correctional and Criminal Justice Psychology Conference, Ottawa, ON, Canada.

Takarangi, M. K. T., & Polaschek, D. L. L. (2007, May). The relationship between implicit and explicit attitudes towards violence is different for males and females. Poster presented at the19th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Society, Washington, DC, USA.

2006

Takarangi, M. K. T., & Polaschek, D. L. L. (2006, November). “The best thing about violence…” Identifying positive attitudes towards criminal violence using implicit and explicit measures. Paper presented at the inaugural VUW School of Psychology PhD Conference, Wellington, New Zealand.

Takarangi, M. K. T., Strange, D. M., & Garry, M. (2006, July). Photos influence memory for crime-related newspaper stories. Paper presented at the 4th International Conference on Memory, Sydney, Australia.

Takarangi, M. K. T., Polaschek, D. L. L., & Garry, M. (2006, May). Dangerous thinking: Understanding violence-prone people through their implicit attitudes. Poster presented at the18th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Society, New York, USA.

2005

Takarangi, M. K. T., Parker, S., & Garry, M. (2005, May). Modernizing the Misinformation Effect: The Development of a New Stimulus Set. Poster presented at the17th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Society, Los Angeles, USA.

Takarangi, M. K. T., Clifasefi, S. L., & Bergman, J. S. (2005, April). Blind Drunk: The effects of alcohol on inattentional blindness. Paper presented at the 32nd Australasian Experimental Psychology Conference, Melbourne, Australia.

Takarangi, M. K. T., Garry, M., Polaschek, D. L. L., & Hignett, A. (2005, January). The hostile attribution bias affects memory for ambiguous words. Paper presented at the biennial meeting of the Society for Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, Wellington, New Zealand.

Clifasefi, S. L., Takarangi, M. K. T., & Bergman, J. S. (2005, January). Blind drunk: The effects of alcohol on inattentional blindness. Paper presented at the biennial meeting of the Society for Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, Wellington, New Zealand.

Parker, S., Takarangi, M. K. T., & Garry, M. (2005, January). Modernising the Misinformation Effect: The development and implementation of a new set of measurement tools. Poster presented at the biennial meeting of the Society for Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, Wellington, New Zealand.

2004

Takarangi, M. K. T., Garry, M., Polaschek, D. L. L., & Hignett, A. (2004, May). Beat, batter, butcher: The role of aggression in recall of ambiguous words. Paper presented at the16th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Society, Chicago, USA.

Takarangi, M. K. T., Garry, M., Polaschek, D. L. L., & Hignett, A. (2004, April). Beat, batter, butcher: tendency towards aggression biases recall of ambiguous words. Paper presented at the 31st Australasian Experimental Psychology Conference, Dunedin, New Zealand.

Takarangi, M. K. T. (2004, March). Garbage in, garbage out: What we take in and remember about the world around us. Paper presented at the Australian and New Zealand Forensic Science Society 17th International Symposium on the Forensic Sciences, Wellington, New Zealand.

2003

Takarangi, M. K. T. (2003, August). Blinded by the door: A case of change blindness and cross-racial identification. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the New Zealand Psychological Society, Palmerston North, New Zealand.

Takarangi, M. K. T. (2003, August). Blinded by the door: A case of change blindness and cross-racial identification. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the New Zealand Skeptics Society, Wellington, New Zealand.