Dr Ruth Horry

Senior Lecturer

Psychology

+44 (0) 1792 295927

r.horry@swansea.ac.uk

Office - 805
Eighth Floor
Vivian Building
Singleton Campus

Available For Postgraduate Supervision

Research Links

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3105-3781

About

I am a cognitive psychologist with expertise in memory and decision-making. My research focuses predominantly on the intersection between psychology and the law, with active research projects on eyewitness identification, eyewitness testimony, and jury decision-making.

The types of question my research asks include:

How do eyewitnesses make decisions from police lineups? And how can we improve the reliability of those decisions?
How can we obtain more detailed, and more accurate, accounts of a critical event from an eyewitness?
How do jurors evaluate defendants who present with different psychiatric, neurological, or medical conditions?

Outside of my psychology-law research, I am also involved in an ongoing project on climate change education. Finally, I have a keen interest in “meta-science” – the study of the practice of science, and try to embed Open Sciences practices into all of my research.

Areas Of Expertise

Eyewitness identification
Eyewitness testimony
Long-term memory
Decision-making

Career Highlights

Teaching Interests

I teach Statistics to our first year undergraduates, and I teach Investigative Psychology (the psychology of police investigations) to our MSc students.

I also supervise undergraduate and MSc research projects.

Publications

Research Highlights

Horry, R., Hughes, C., Hope, L., & Gabbert, F. (n.d.) Capturing best evidence from witnesses to serious road traffic collisions: A field trial of the Self-Administered Interview for Road Traffic Collisions: Final report for the Road Safety Trust
SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa58481
Pownall, M., Azevedo, F., Aldoh, A., Elsherif, M., Vasilev, M., Pennington, C., Robertson, O., Tromp, M., Liu, M., Makel, M., Tonge, N., Moreau, D., Horry, R., Shaw, J., Tzavella, L., McGarrigle, R., Talbot, C., Parsons, S., & (FORRT), . (2021). Embedding open and reproducible science into teaching: A bank of lesson plans and resources.. Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Psychology, 10(3), 342-349.
https://doi.org/10.1037/stl0000307, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa58480
Horry, R. (2022). Involving final year project students in large-scale, collaborative cognitive research: The Eyewitness Undergraduate Project Consortium
SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa58479
https://shop.bps.org.uk/the-cognitive-psychology-bulletin-issue-7-spring-2022
Skains, R., Rudd, J., Casaliggi, C., Hayhurst, E., Horry, R., Ross, H., & Woodward, K. (2021). Using interactive digital narrative in science and health education Emerald Publishing.
SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa58478
https://books.emeraldinsight.com/page/detail/Using-Interactive-Digital-Narrative-in-Science-and-Health-Education/?k=9781839097614
Ross, H., Rudd, J., Skains, R., & Horry, R. (2021). How Big Is My Carbon Footprint? Understanding Young People’s Engagement with Climate Change Education. Sustainability, 13(4), 1961
https://doi.org/10.3390/su13041961, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa56350

All Research

Journal Articles

Playfoot, D., Horry, R., & Pink, A. (2024). What’s the use of being nice? Characteristics of feedback comments that students intend to use in improving their work. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 0, 1-12.
https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2024.2373799, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa66904
Ross, H., Rudd, J., Skains, R., & Horry, R. (2023). Climate change education through the You and CO2 programme: modelling student engagement and teacher delivery during COVID-19. Environmental Education Research, 29(12), 1849-1869.
https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2023.2216410, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa63497
Rudd, J., Ross, H., Skains, R., & Horry, R. (2023). Development and Validation of the Climate Capability Scale. Sustainability, 15(15), 11933
https://doi.org/10.3390/su151511933, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa64076
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su151511933
Skains, R., Rudd, J., Horry, R., Ross, H., & Rudd, J. (2022). Playing for Change: Teens’ Attitudes Towards Climate Change Action as Expressed Through Interactive Digital Narrative Play. Frontiers in Communication, 6
https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2021.789824, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa60651
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2021.789824
Pownall, M., Azevedo, F., Aldoh, A., Elsherif, M., Vasilev, M., Pennington, C., Robertson, O., Tromp, M., Liu, M., Makel, M., Tonge, N., Moreau, D., Horry, R., Shaw, J., Tzavella, L., McGarrigle, R., Talbot, C., Parsons, S., & (FORRT), . (2021). Embedding open and reproducible science into teaching: A bank of lesson plans and resources.. Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Psychology, 10(3), 342-349.
https://doi.org/10.1037/stl0000307, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa58480
Horry, R., Hughes, C., Sharma, A., Gabbert, F., & Hope, L. (2021). A meta‐analytic review of the Self‐Administered Interview©: Quantity and accuracy of details reported on initial and subsequent retrieval attempts. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 35(2), 428-444.
https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.3753, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa55431
Horry, R., Fitzgerald, R., & Mansour, J. (2021). “Only your first yes will count”: The impact of prelineup instructions on sequential lineup decisions.. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 27(1), 170-186.
https://doi.org/10.1037/xap0000337, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa55176
Ross, H., Rudd, J., Skains, R., & Horry, R. (2021). How Big Is My Carbon Footprint? Understanding Young People’s Engagement with Climate Change Education. Sustainability, 13(4), 1961
https://doi.org/10.3390/su13041961, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa56350
Bryant, E., Williams, C., Horry, R., & Worthington, A. (2020). Measuring misconceptions about traumatic brain injury: are existing scales misconceived?. Brain Injury, 34(9), 1150-1158.
https://doi.org/10.1080/02699052.2020.1795721, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa54767
Rudd, J., Horry, R., & Skains, R. (2020). You and CO2: a Public Engagement Study to Engage Secondary School Students with the Issue of Climate Change. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 29(2), 230-241.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956-019-09808-5, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa53122
Tree, J., Horry, R., Riley, H., Wilmer, J., Tree, J., & Horry, R. (2017). Are portrait artists superior face recognizers? Limited impact of adult experience on face recognition ability.. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 43(4), 667-676.
https://doi.org/10.1037/xhp0000328, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa30219
Horry, R. & Brewer, N. (2016). How target–lure similarity shapes confidence judgments in multiple-alternative decision tasks.. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 145(12), 1615-1634.
https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0000227, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa29578
Horry, R., Brewer, N., & Weber, N. (2016). The grain-size lineup: A test of a novel eyewitness identification procedure.. Law and Human Behavior, 40(2), 147-158.
https://doi.org/10.1037/lhb0000166, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa23398
Horry, R., Brewer, N., Weber, N., & Palmer, M. (2015). The effects of allowing a second sequential lineup lap on choosing and probative value.. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 21(2), 121-133.
https://doi.org/10.1037/law0000041, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa20294
Horry, R., Cheong, W., & Brewer, N. (2015). The other-race effect in perception and recognition: Insights from the complete composite task.. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 41(2), 508-524.
https://doi.org/10.1037/xhp0000042, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa20295
Dalton, G., Gawrylowicz, J., Memon, A., Milne, R., Horry, R., Wright, D., & Horry, R. (2014). Public Perceptions of Identification Procedures in the United Kingdom. Policing, 8(1), 35-42.
https://doi.org/10.1093/police/pat029, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa18320
Horry, R., Colton, L., & Williamson, P. (2014). Confidence–accuracy resolution in the misinformation paradigm is influenced by the availability of source cues. Acta Psychologica, 151, 164-173.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2014.06.006, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa18327
Horry, R., Halford, P., Brewer, N., Milne, R., & Bull, R. (2014). Archival analyses of eyewitness identification test outcomes: What can they tell us about eyewitness memory?. Law and Human Behavior, 38(1), 94-108.
https://doi.org/10.1037/lhb0000060, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa18328
Horry, R., Memon, A., Milne, R., Wright, D., Dalton, G., & Horry, R. (2013). Video Identification of Suspects: A Discussion of Current Practice and Policy in the United Kingdom. Policing, 7(3), 307-315.
https://doi.org/10.1093/police/pat008, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa18329
Palmer, M., Brewer, N., & Horry, R. (2013). Understanding gender bias in face recognition: Effects of divided attention at encoding. Acta Psychologica, 142(3), 362-369.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2013.01.009, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa18334
Horry, R., Memon, A., Wright, D., & Milne, R. (2012). Predictors of eyewitness identification decisions from video lineups in England: A field study.. Law and Human Behavior, 36(4), 257-265.
https://doi.org/10.1037/h0093959, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa18330
Horry, R., Palmer, M., & Brewer, N. (2012). Backloading in the sequential lineup prevents within-lineup criterion shifts that undermine eyewitness identification performance.. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 18(4), 346-360.
https://doi.org/10.1037/a0029779, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa18331
Horry, R., Palmer, M., Sexton, M., & Brewer, N. (2012). Memory conformity for confidently recognized items: The power of social influence on memory reports. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 48(3), 783-786.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2011.12.010, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa18332
Sporer, S. & Horry, R. (2011). Recognizing faces from ethnic in-groups and out-groups: Importance of outer face features and effects of retention interval. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 25(3), 424-431.
https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.1709, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa18335
Sporer, S. & Horry, R. (2011). Pictorial versus structural representations of ingroup and outgroup faces. Journal of Cognitive Psychology, 23(8), 974-984.
https://doi.org/10.1080/20445911.2011.594434, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa18336
Horry, R., Wright, D., & Tredoux, C. (2010). Recognition and context memory for faces from own and other ethnic groups: A remember-know investigation. Memory & Cognition, 38(2), 134-141.
https://doi.org/10.3758/MC.38.2.134, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa18333
Wright, D., Horry, R., & Skagerberg, E. (2009). Functions for traditional and multilevel approaches to signal detection theory. Behavior Research Methods, 41(2), 257-267.
https://doi.org/10.3758/BRM.41.2.257, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa18337
Horry, R. & Wright, D. (2009). Anxiety and terrorism: Automatic stereotypes affect visual attention and recognition memory for White and Middle Eastern faces. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 23(3), 345-357.
https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.1465, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa18326
HORRY, R., WRIGHT, D., & Horry, R. (2008). I know your face but not where I saw you: Context memory is impaired for other-race faces. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 15(3), 610-614.
https://doi.org/10.3758/PBR.15.3.610, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa18321

Authored Books

Skains, R., Rudd, J., Casaliggi, C., Hayhurst, E., Horry, R., Ross, H., & Woodward, K. (2021). Using interactive digital narrative in science and health education Emerald Publishing.
SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa58478
https://books.emeraldinsight.com/page/detail/Using-Interactive-Digital-Narrative-in-Science-and-Health-Education/?k=9781839097614

Other Research Outputs

Horry, R. (2022). Involving final year project students in large-scale, collaborative cognitive research: The Eyewitness Undergraduate Project Consortium
SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa58479
https://shop.bps.org.uk/the-cognitive-psychology-bulletin-issue-7-spring-2022
Horry, R., Hughes, C., Hope, L., & Gabbert, F. (n.d.) Capturing best evidence from witnesses to serious road traffic collisions: A field trial of the Self-Administered Interview for Road Traffic Collisions: Final report for the Road Safety Trust
SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa58481

Supervision

Lineup Construction Methods: Should Lineup Constructors be Blinded to the Suspect? (current)

PhD

Other supervisor: Dr Jodie Davies-Thompson
Perceptions of Defendants with Traumatic Brain Injury in the Criminal Justice System (awarded 2023)

PhD

Other supervisor: Dr Andrew Worthington

Other supervisor: Dr Claire Williams

Taught Modules

PS-M84 Investigative Psychology

This module will explore the application of psychology to police investigations. We will discuss how our theoretical understanding of human cognition, including perception, memory, and decision-making, have led to changes in police procedure that have improved the reliability of the investigative process. Specific topics will include: Eyewitness testimony and identification; False confessions; Detecting deception; and cognitive biases in forensic evidence processing.

Key Grants and Projects

Capturing best information from witnesses to serious road traffic collisions – Road Safety Trust 2017 - 2021

, £77,884.70

Career History

Lecturer, Swansea University

2014 - 2018
Post-Doctoral Research Associate, Flinders University

2010 - 2014
Post-Doctoral Research Associate, Royal Holloway, University of London

2009 - 2010

Dr Ruth Horry

Telephone number

Email address

Twitter Account

Research Links

About

Areas Of Expertise

Career Highlights

Research Highlights

All Research

Lineup Construction Methods: Should Lineup Constructors be Blinded to the Suspect? (current)

Perceptions of Defendants with Traumatic Brain Injury in the Criminal Justice System (awarded 2023)

PS-M84 Investigative Psychology

Capturing best information from witnesses to serious road traffic collisions – Road Safety Trust 2017 - 2021

Lecturer, Swansea University

Post-Doctoral Research Associate, Flinders University

Post-Doctoral Research Associate, Royal Holloway, University of London