Dr. Madon is a professor of social psychology and faculty member in the psychology and law concentration at Iowa State University. Her research examines how social influence processes alter people’s behavior specifically with respect to police interrogation, criminal confessions, and forensic science. Dr. Madon's research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, American Psychological Foundation, and Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues. She is a fellow of the Society of Experimental Social Psychology, Association for Psychological Science, and Society for Personality and Social Psychology. To visit Dr. Madon's Google Scholar profile, click here. Additional information can be found at the following links:
Dr. Madon is a professor of social psychology and faculty member in the psychology and law concentration at Iowa State University. Her research examines how social influence processes alter people’s behavior specifically with respect to police interrogation, criminal confessions, and forensic science. Dr. Madon's research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, American Psychological Foundation, and Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues. She is a fellow of the Society of Experimental Social Psychology, Association for Psychological Science, and Society for Personality and Social Psychology. To visit Dr. Madon's Google Scholar profile, click here. Additional information can be found at the following links:
Selected Publications
Confessions
Heemskerk, A., Smalarz, L., Madon, S., Guyll, M., & Yang, Y. (2025). Mechanisms of self-regulatory decline in accusatorial interrogations. Behavioral Sciences, 15, 1-19, 1125. doi https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15081125. Link
Madon, S., Scherr, K. C., Ditchfield, R. (2024). The psychological causes of criminal confessions. In R. Hollander-Blumoff (Ed.), Research handbook on law and psychology. Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar Publishing. Link
Madon, S., Ferreira, P. A., Goldstein, A. & Ditchfield, R. (2024). The psychology of confession decision-making during police interrogation. In M. Miller, L. A. Yelderman, M. T. Huss, J. A. Cantone (Eds.), The Cambridge handbook of psychology and legal decision-making (pp. 159-177). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. Link
Yang, Y., Madon, S., Cabell, J., Moody, S., & Guyll, M. (2023). The effect of a presumption of guilt on police guilt judgments. Psychology, Crime & Law. Link
Yang, Y., Moody, S. A., Cabell, J. J., & Madon, S. (2019). Why suspects confess: The power of outcome certainty. Law and Human Behavior, 43, 468-476. Link
Guyll, M., Yang, Y., Madon, S., Smalarz, L., & Lannin, D. G. (2019) Mobilization and Resistance in Response to Interrogation Threat. Law and Human Behavior, 43, 307-318. Link
Madon, S., More, C., & Ditchfield, R. (2019). Interrogations and confessions. In N. Brewer & A. Bradfield (Eds.). Psychological science and the law (pp. 54-78). New York, NY: Guilford Publications.
Smalarz, L., Madon, S., & Turosak, A. (2018). Defendant stereotypicality moderates the effect of confession evidence on judgments of guilt. Law and Human Behavior, 42, 355-368. Link
Madon, S., Guyll, M., Yang, Y., Smalarz, L., Marschall, J., & Lannin, D. (2017). Police interrogation elicits a biphasic process of resistance from suspects. Law and Human Behavior, 41, 159-172. Link
Yang, Y., Guyll, M., & Madon, S. (2017). Why Suspects Confess: An Interrogation Decision-Making Model, Law and Human Behavior, 41, 80-92. Link
Willard, J., Madon, S., Guyll, M., & Allen, J. (2016). Friendship Closeness and Willingness to Falsely Take the Blame. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 34, 767-783. Link
Willard, J. & Madon, S. (2015). Taking the blame for other people’s misconduct. Behavioral Sciences and the Law, 33, 771-783. Link
Yang, Y., Madon, S., & Guyll, M. (2015). Short-sighted confession decisions: The role of uncertain and delayed consequences. Law and Human Behavior, 39, 44-52. Link
Guyll, M., Madon, S., Yang, Y., Scherr, K. C., Lannin, D., & Greathouse, S. (2013). Physiological reactions to interrogation stress: Differences between the guilty and the innocent. Law and Human Behavior, 37, 366-375. Link
Madon, S., Yang, Y., Smalarz, L., Guyll, M., & Scherr, K. C. (2013). How factors present during the immediate interrogation situation produce short-sighted confession decisions. Law and Human Behavior, 37, 60-74. Link
Scherr, K. C. & Madon, S. (2013). It's Not That Important, Just Go Ahead and Sign It": An Experimental Examination of Miranda Waivers and Comprehension. Law and Human Behavior, 37, 208-218. Link
Madon, S., Guyll, M., Scherr, K. C., Greathouse, S., Wells, G. (2012). The Differential Effect Of Proximal And Distal Consequences On Confession Decisions. Law and Human Behavior, 36, 13-20. Link
Scherr, K. C., & Madon, S. (2012). You Have the Right to Understand: The Deleterious Effect of Stress on Suspects' Ability to Comprehend Miranda. Law and Human Behavior, 36, 275-282. Link
Forensic Science
Guyll, M., Madon, S., Yang, Y., Burd, K. A., & Wells, G. L. (2024). Reply to Rosenblum et al. and Carriquiry and Ommen: Understanding probative value, triers-of-fact, and usefulness of validity study results. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 121(45), e2316886121. Link
Madon, S., Burd, K. A., & Guyll, M. (2024). Do inconclusive decisions disadvantage the innocent? Law and Human Behavior, 48(1), 33-49. Link
Guyll, M., Madon, S., Yang, Y., Burd, K. A., & Wells, G. L. (2023). Validity of forensic cartridge-case comparisons. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 120(20), e2210428120. Link
Smalarz, L., Madon, S., Yang, Y., Guyll, M., & Buck, S. (2016). The perfect match: Do criminal stereotypes bias forensic evidence analysis. Law and Human Behavior, 40, 420-429. Link
Self-Fulfilling Prophecies
Madon, S., Jussim, L., Guyll, M., Nofziger, H., Salib, E., Willard, J., Scherr, K. C. (2018). The cumulative self-fulfilling effect of social stereotypes. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 115, 824-844. Link
Scherr, K. C., Madon, S., Guyll, M., Willard J., & Spoth, R. (2011). Self-verification as a mediator of self-fulfilling prophecy effects across contexts: How mothers’ beliefs shape their adolescents’ educational attainment. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 37, 587-600. Link
Madon, S., Guyll, M., Buller, A. A., Scherr, K., Willard, J., & Spoth, R. (2008). The mediation of mothers’ self-fulfilling effects on their children’s alcohol use: Self-verification, informational conformity and modeling processes. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 95, 369-384. Link
Madon, S., Willard, J., Guyll, M., Trudeau, L., & Spoth, R. (2006). Self-fulfilling prophecy effects of mothers' beliefs on children's alcohol use: Accumulation, dissipation, and stability over time. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 90, 911-926. Link
Madon, S., Guyll, M., Spoth, R. L., & Willard, J. (2004). Self-fulfilling prophecies: The synergistic accumulation of parents’ beliefs on children's drinking behavior. Psychological Science, 15, 837-845. Link
Madon, S., Guyll, M., Spoth, R. L., Cross, S. E. & Hilbert, S. J. (2003). The self-fulfilling influence of mother expectations on children's underage drinking. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84, 1188–1205. Link
Madon, S., Jussim, L., Keiper, S., Eccles, J., Smith, A., & Palumbo, P. (1998). The accuracy and power of sex, social class and ethnic stereotypes: A naturalistic study in person perception. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 24, 1304-1318. Link
Madon, S., Jussim, L., & Eccles, J. (1997). In search of the powerful self-fulfilling prophecy. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 72, 791-809. Link
Stereotypes
Faison, L, Smalarz, L., Madon, S., & Clow, K. (2023). The stigma of wrongful conviction differs for White and Black exonerees. Law and Human Behavior, 47(1), 137-152. Link
Madon, S., Jussim, L., Guyll, M., Nofziger, H., Salib, E., Willard, J., Scherr, K. C. (2018). The cumulative self-fulfilling effect of social stereotypes. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 115, 825-844. Link
Smalarz, L., Madon, S., Yang, Y., Guyll, M., & Buck, S. (2016). The perfect match: Do criminal stereotypes bias forensic evidence analysis. Law and Human Behavior, 40, 420-429. Link
Madon, S., Guyll, M., Hilbert, S., Kyriakatos, E., & Vogel, D. L. (2006). Stereotyping the stereotypic: When individuals match social stereotypes. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 36, 178-205. Link
Madon, S., Smith, A. E., & Guyll, M. (2005). Social norms regarding protected status and threat reactions to the stigmatized. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 35, 572-602. Link
Madon, S., Guyll, M., Aboufadel, K., Montiel, E., Smith, A., Palumbo, P., & Jussim, J. (2001). Ethnic and national stereotypes: The Princeton trilogy revisited and revised. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 27, 996-1010. Link (includes all 10 tables)
Madon, S., Jussim, L., Keiper, S., Eccles, J., Smith, A., & Palumbo, P. (1998). The accuracy and power of sex, social class and ethnic stereotypes: A naturalistic study in person perception. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 24, 1304-1318. Link
Madon, S. (1997). What do people believe about gay males? A study of stereotype content and strength. Sex Roles, 37, 663-685. Link
Jussim, L., Eccles, J., & Madon, S. (1996). Social perception, social stereotypes, and teacher expectations: Accuracy and the quest for the powerful self-fulfilling prophecy. In M. P. Zanna (Ed.), Advances in Experimental Social Psychology (Vol., 28, pp. 281-388). San Diego, CA: Academic Press. Link