Holly Cross

Biography

Dr. Cross is an Assistant Professor of Psychology. She grew up in Northwest Indiana and graduated from Valparaiso University with her Bachelor’s degree in psychology and sociology with a concentration in criminal justice. She then received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Forensics from Palo Alto University in California. She has clinical expertise in sex offender treatment and management, violence reduction, psychological assessment, violence risk assessment, and competency to stand trial assessment and restoration. research focuses on applying advanced statistical models to topics on the intersection of psychology and law. Her current research involves predicting future need for competency to stand trial referrals in Washington and Indiana, as well as, evaluating competency assessments completed in Indiana. She has presented her research at the American-Psychology and Law Society Conference. She is married to another VU alum and has two Bernese Mountain dogs. In her free time, Dr. Cross plays strategy board games and reads sci-fi and fantasy novels.

Education

• B.S. from Valparaiso University
• M.S. & Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Forensics from Palo Alto University

Courses Taught

• General Psychology & Lab in General Experimental Psychology
• Professional Development Courses in Psychology
• Statistics, and Research Methods

Research Interests

• Judgments of policing and police use of force,
• Competency evaluations referrals in Washington State
• Program consultation research on a network of homeless shelters in California.

Selected Contributions

Cross, H., Damnjanovic, T., DeWitt, R., Luciano, A, Wetzig, K., & Herbert, A. (2022, March). Predicting future need for comptency to stand trial evaluations. Paper presented at the American Psychology and Law Society Annual Conference, Denver, CO.

Hardy, K., Lepovic, E., Buckman, H. & Wickham, R.E. (2020). Facial features and perceived personality: A cross-classified structural equations model. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology .

Zelechoski, A.D., Cross, H.L., Harrison, K., Hayrynen, A., Hrebic, L., Dibley, E., Luehrs, R., Will, K., Schmidt, S., Freedle, A. (2020). Trauma assessment in juvenile justice: Are we asking the right questions in the right ways? Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment, and Trauma

Buckman, H. & Wickham, R.E. (2019, March). Competing models of legitimacy: Testing measurement invariance of process-based policing. Paper presented at the American Psychology and Law Society Annual Conference, Portland, OR.

Buckman, H. & Wickham, R.E. (2019, March). Policing in the media age: How education on risks impacts judgments of officer-involved shootings. Poster presented at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology Annual Convention, Portland, OR.

Memberships

• American Psychological Association
• Association for Psychological Science
• Society for Teaching Psychology
• American Psychological Association Div. 41, (Psychology and Law)
• Society for Personality and Social Psychology