Stacy A. Wetmore

Stacy A. Wetmore is an associate professor of psychology at Butler University whose teaching and research focus on the intersection of cognitive psychology and the legal system. Her work examines how memory, decision-making, and juror perceptions shape legal outcomes, particularly in cases involving eyewitness identification and jailhouse informant testimony—two factors frequently linked to wrongful convictions.

Wetmore earned her B.A. in Psychology (2008) and M.A. in Experimental Psychology (2011) from the University of Alabama in Huntsville, and completed her Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology in 2015 at the University of Oklahoma, where she also pursued minors in quantitative and biological psychology.

At Butler, she teaches a range of undergraduate courses, including cognitive processes, research methods, statistics, learning, and psychology and law. Her scholarship centers on how jurors interpret and evaluate evidence, with particular emphasis on the reliability of informant witnesses and the cognitive mechanisms underlying eyewitness memory. She also investigates ways to improve legal procedures to reduce errors and increase the accuracy of testimony and identifications.

Wetmore’s broader research agenda explores how cognitive science can inform persistent issues in the justice system. Her work addresses questions such as how jurors assess credibility, what factors influence decision-making in trials, and how psychological insights can help prevent wrongful convictions. Through teaching, mentoring, and research, she contributes to the growing field of psychology and law by applying empirical methods to real-world legal problems.