Research Interests
Psychology and Cognitive Sciences Forensic Psychology Psychology Developmental & Child Psychology Experimental Psychology Criminal law Criminal Law and Procedure Intellectual Property Law Cognitive Science Sensory Processes, Perception and Performance Memory and attention Cognitive neuroscienceMiss Daniella Chiarolli
Higher Degree by Research Candidate
School of Psychology
College of Education, Behavioural and Social Sciences
I am a PhD candidate in the School of Psychology, supervised by Dr Rachel Searston and Professor Edward Palmer. My research focuses on how we can use cognitive psychology to improve forensic science communication. Specifically, my research examines the relationship between crime media engagement and metacognition regarding forensic evidence and analytical processes.
Ultimately, my PhD aims to explore three main questions:
(1) How much do people 'think' they know about forensic evidence, compared to what they 'actually' know?
(2) How does people's metacognition influence their evaluations of guilt in legal contexts?
(3) What interventions (narrative and/or educational) can we implement to bridge the gap between what people 'think' forensic evidence and analysis is, and what this looks like in actuality?
I completed my Honours Degree in Psychological Science (Awarded with First Class Honours) in 2023, supervised by Dr Rachel Searston. My honours thesis examined Visual Working Memory in the context of real-world, complex visual stimuli by testing participants on identification judgements across fingerprints, faces, and paintings.
Miscommunication of forensic evidence can result in disastrous consequences, from miscarriages of justice to innocent people being convicted. But communicating complex subject matter is no easy feat, and is further complicated by people being unaware of their own biases and lack of knowledge.
While existing literature has examined the effect of factors such as crime show viewing on perceptions of guilt or innocence, very few studies directly measure the beliefs and perceptions that people hold of forensic evidence processes or their awareness of their own knowledge.
This PhD aims to explore people’s metacognition, examining whether how much people think they know about forensic processes is calibrated with what they actually know, and whether this affects their evaluations and perceptions of forensic evidence. Finally, this PhD will explore educational and narrative interventions that can aid in the communication of forensic evidence with accuracy and comprehensibility.
| Date | Position | Institution name |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 - ongoing | Academic Tutor | University of Adelaide |
| 2023 - 2024 | Research Assistant | University of Adelaide |
| 2019 - 2020 | Research Assistant | University of Adelaide |
| Date | Institution name | Country | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 - 2028 | University of Adelaide | Australia | Doctor of Philosophy (Psychology) |
| 2023 - 2023 | University of Adelaide | Australia | Honours Degree of Bachelor of Psychological Science |
| 2019 - 2022 | University of Adelaide | Australia | Bachelor of Psychological Science |
| 2017 - 2021 | University of Adelaide | Australia | Bachelor of Laws |
Academic Tutor - Psychology 1A (2025, Semester 1)
Academic Tutor - Foundations of Health and Lifespan Development (2025, Semester 2)
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