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Development, Context, and Communication Lab

People

Dr. Lindsay C. Malloy

DCC Lab Director

Professor, Faculty of Social Science and Humanities (Forensic Psychology), Ontario Tech University

Research Excellence Chair in Youths’ Legal Decision Making

Dr. Lindsay C. Malloy (she/her) earned her Ph.D. in Psychology and Social Behaviour from the University of California, Irvine, in 2008 and completed postdoctoral training in Applied Developmental Psychology at the University of Cambridge, U.K. Before joining Ontario Tech University as an Associate Professor in 2017, she was a faculty member at Florida International University in Miami, Florida (2011–2017).

Dr. Malloy’s research examines children’s and adolescents’ disclosure of negative and traumatic experiences, cognitive and social influences on memory and narratives, investigative interviewing and interrogation practices, and the application of developmental science to the legal system. Her work is widely cited in both developmental and forensic psychology and has been cited in amicus briefs submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court.

She is co-editor of two volumes: Children’s Testimony: A Handbook of Psychological Research and Forensic Practice (Wiley, 2011) and Confession and Guilty Pleas of Youth: Developmental Science and Practical Implications (American Psychological Association, 2026). Her research has been supported by grants from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the U.S. National Science Foundation, the U.S. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Dr. Malloy has received numerous awards for her contributions to psychology and law, including the Saleem Shah Award for Early Career Excellence in Psychology and Law from the American Psychology-Law Society, the Diane J. Willis Early Career Award from the Society for Child and Family Policy and Practice, the Junior Academic Award for Early Career Contributions from the International Investigative Interviewing Research Group, and the Mid-Career Award from the American Psychology-Law Society. She has served as Secretary and Member-at-Large on the Executive Committee of the American Psychology-Law Society and is on the Editorial Boards for Law and Human Behavior and Psychology, Public Policy, and Law. Dr. Malloy was selected to participate in Ontario’s Science Meets Parliament program (2026), helping foster connections between research and policy communities.

Dr. Malloy is committed to disseminating research beyond academia and regularly provides expert testimony and consultation related to interrogations, confessions, and children’s and adolescents’ testimony. Her TED talk on police interrogations with juvenile suspects has been viewed more than 1.5 million times.

For a full CV, please contact Dr. Malloy at lindsay.malloy@ontariotechu.ca.

Current Graduate Students

Sydney Spyksma

Sydney (she/her) is a PhD student in Forensic Psychology at Ontario Tech University and the DCC Lab Coordinator.

Her research focuses on understanding the methods used and experiences of those who interview adolescents with the goal of informing the development of interview protocols with adolescents’ unique development in mind.

Kaiden Kaba

Kaiden (they/them) is a MSc student in Forensic Psychology at Ontario Tech University.

Their research focuses on how youth navigate the criminal justice system and understanding how their personal traits and social groups impact their legal decisions. Their goal is to help inform legal professionals and policies to help support youth within this system.

Tyler Szusecki

Tyler (he/him) is a MSc student in Forensic Psychology at Ontario Tech University.

His research examines the well-being of spoken-language interpreters in Canada, with a focus on secondary traumatic stress, compassion satisfaction, and community embeddedness. He seeks to understand how interpreters are faring and develop supports for long-term sustainability in the profession.

Research Assistants

Lab Alumni

  • Andrea Arndorfer, PhD, Former Doctoral Student, Associate Teaching Professor, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ
  • Ana Karen Espinosa Becerra, MSc, Former Masters Student, Current Doctoral Candidate at University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON
  • Allison P. Mugno, PhD, Former Doctoral Student, Associate Professor at Huntingdon College, Montgomery, AL
  • Daniella Filoso, MSc,  Former Masters Student, Research Officer at Correctional Service Canada, Ottawa, ON
  • Daniella K. Villalba, PhD, Former Doctoral Student, Sr. UX Researcher, Google, Seattle, WA
  • Jessica E. Sutherland, PhD, Former Postdoctoral Research Associate, Associate Professor, York University
  • Joshua Wyman, Ph.D, Former Postdoctoral Fellow, Registered School and Clinical Psychologist, King’s University College, London, ON
  • Lillian Rodriguez-Steen, PhD, Former Doctoral Student, Assistant Professor, York University
  • Mark Snow, PhD, Former Affiliated Doctoral Student, Teaching Assistant Professor, Memorial University, Corner Brook, NL
  • Ramanjot Kalher, MSc, Former Masters Student, Registered Psychologist
  • Sara Caro Arroyave, MSc, Former Masters Student