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Psychology
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Dr. Tara Burke

Associate Professor
DepartmentPsychology
EducationPhD, University of Toronto
OfficeAOB-1222
Phone416-979-5000 ext. 556519
Areas of Expertiselaw and psychology; social psychology; alibis; juries; wrongful convictions

Biography

Dr. Burke is the Director of the Psychology and Law (PAL) Lab at Toronto Metropolitan University. She received her PhD in Social Psychology from the University of Toronto. Her doctoral work examined the effects of pre-trial publicity on jurors’ verdicts.

Her research examines the intersection of psychology and the legal system, with a focus on jury decision-making, wrongful convictions, alibi evidence, and the impact of technology on legal judgments. Additional work explores ethical considerations in research involving children, particularly assent and understanding of research participation.

In addition to her research, you will typically find her teaching undergraduate and graduate courses including Social Psychology, Psychology and Law, and Professional Issues. Over the course of her career, her work has expanded to include academic leadership, university governance, policy development and a focus on academic integrity.

 

Selected Publications

O’Hagan, M., Hamovitch, L., Koziol, C., & Burke, T.M. (2026) The Role of Stereotypes in Housing Discrimination Toward Exonerees: A Test of the Counter-Stereotype Framework. Law and Human Behavior. doi: 10.1037/lhb0000691

Rempel, E., & Burke, T. (2024). The impact of technology on jurors' decisions. In E. Pica, D. Ross, & J. Pozzulo (Eds.), The impact of technology on the criminal justice system: A psychological overview (pp. 350–378). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003323112-18 (external link, opens in new window) 

Rempel, E., & Burke, T. M. (2023). Technology on trial: Facilitative and prejudicial effects of computer-generated animations on jurors’ legal judgments. Psychology, Crime & Law, 29(9), 934–956. https://doi.org/10.1080/1068316X.2022.2041014 (external link, opens in new window) 

Hamovitch, L., Zannella, L., Rempel, E., & Burke, T. M. (2023). Laypersons’ misconceptions as a barrier to understanding plea bargaining’s innocence problem. Psychology, Crime & Law, 29(4), 386–407. https://doi.org/10.1080/1068316X.2022.2027943 (external link, opens in new window) 

Rempel, E., Hamovitch, L., Zannella, L., & Burke, T. M. (2019). The power of technology: Examining the effects of digital visual evidence on jurors’ processing of trial information. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 33, 1288–1295. https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.3598 (external link, opens in new window) 

 

Professional Affiliations

  • American Psychology-Law Society (AP-LS)
  • Society for Applied Research in Memory and Cognition (SARMAC)
  • Association for Psychological Science (APS)