Professor
Department of Psychology

Office:1046D BSB
Phone: (312)-413-2635
Email: bbottoms@uic.edu
Mailing Address:
1007 W. Harrison St. (MC 285)
Chicago, IL 60607-7137

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Education:
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Ph.D., State University of New York at Buffalo
M.A., University of Denver
B.A., Randolph-Macon Woman's College in Lynchburg

Research Interests
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Psychology and Law: Children's Eyewitness Testimony, Jury Decision Making, Child Abuse and Neglect, Allegations of Repressed Memory

Statement of Research Interests:
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The issues I study lie at the interface of psychology and law. Much of the motivation for my research stems from my concern for justice and the welfare of children, yet my research is driven by a desire to test basic psychological theories. I have developed three related lines of research. In the first, I study how children's memory and suggestibility are affected by social and emotional factors (e.g., stress, motivation to conceal information, prior victimization). For example, in several, I have found that interviewer-provided social support increases children's resistance to misleading questions about past events. My students and I are currently conducting research to determine if this effect will replicate under various conditions. I have also been interested in developing techniques for improving children's reports, such as modified lineups to help with person identification.

In my second line of research, I have investigated case, victim, defendant, and juror characteristics that influence jurors' decisions in child sexual assault cases. For example, I recently incorporated an interest in stereotyping, prejudice, and racism into this research by investigating the influences of victim and perceiver race on case decisions. I have also found juror gender to be a significant predictor of jurors' verdicts, with women rendering more pro-victim/pro-prosecution judgments than men. I have identified and measured psychological constructs underlying gender differences (empathy for child victims, attitudes toward children and child sexual abuse), and recently extended this research by investigating the influence of gender during and after jury deliberations. Most recently I have also focused on understanding jurors' perceptions of juvenile defendants who are tried as adults in criminal court. My students and I have discovered that perceptions are influenced by factors such as juvenile race and intellectual disability, juror stereotypes of juvenile delinquents, and attorneys' calls for jurors to empathize with juveniles.

In my third line of research, I investigate interesting psychological issues that arise when reports of past child abuse come not from children, but from adults. Are adults' memories of childhood abuse subject to repression or distortion through suggestion? I have examined this topic in the context of national survey research exploring the incidence, characteristics, and validity of abuse claims involving mainstream and fringe religious beliefs, and claims that arise as recovered, formerly repressed memories. I am particularly interested in identifying socio-cultural and psychological factors that could lead some individuals to believe in a history of abuse that may never have occurred. These claims could distract from real abuse allegations, of which our society has so many.

Books:
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Vieth, V., Bottoms, B. L., & Perona, A. (Eds.) (2006). Ending child abuse: New techniques for investigation prosecution and prevention. Binghamton, NY: Haworth.

Bottoms, B. L., Kovera, M. B., & McAuliff, B. (Eds.) (2002). Children Social Science, and Law. New York: Cambridge University Press. CLICK HERE FOR THE TABLE OF CONTENTS AND INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER FOR "CHILDREN AND THE LAW"

Sorenson, E., Bottoms, B. L., & Perona, A. (1997). Intake and forensic interviewing in the children's advocacy center setting: A handbook. Washington, D.C.: National Network of Children's Advocacy Centers.

Bottoms, B. L., & Goodman, G. S. (Eds.) (1996). International perspectives on child abuse and children's testimony: Psychological research and law. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

Goodman, G. S., & Bottoms, B. L. (Eds.) (1993). Child victims, child witnesses: Understanding and improving testimony. New York: Guilford.

A Sample of Journal Articles and Book Chapters:
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CLICK HERE TO BE SENT TO LINKS TO PDF FILES OF THE ARTICLES BELOW.

Bottoms, B. L., Rudnicki, A.G., & Epstein, M. A. (2007). A retrospective study of factors affecting the disclosure of childhood sexual and physical abuse. Chapter to appear in M.E. Pipe, M. Lamb, Y. Orbach, & A. C. Cedarborg (Eds.) Child sexual abuse: Disclosure, delay and denial. Erlbaum.

Bottoms, B. L., Quas, J. A., & Davis, S. L. (2007). The influence of interviewer-provided social support on children’s suggestibility, memory, and disclosures. Chapter to appear in M.E. Pipe, M. Lamb, Y. Orbach, & A. C. Cedarborg (Eds.) Child sexual abuse: Disclosure, delay and denial. Erlbaum.

Bottoms, B. L., Golding, J. G., Wiley, T., Stevenson, M., & Wozniak, J. (2007). A review of factors affecting jurors’ decisions in child sexual abuse cases. In J. D. Read, D. Ross, M. Toglia, & R. Lindsay (Eds.), The psychology of eyewitness memory. Erlbaum.

Bottoms, B. L. & Quas, J. A. (2006). Recent advances and new challenges in child maltreatment research, practice, and policy: Previewing the issues. In B. L. Bottoms & J. A. Quas (Eds.) Emerging directions in child maltreatment research: Multidisciplinary perspectives on theory, practice, and policy. Journal of Social Issues, 62, 653 - 662.

Perona, A., Bottoms, B. L., & Sorenson, E. (2006). Research-based guidelines for child forensic interviews. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment, and Trauma, 12, 81-130. Reprinted in V. Veith, B. L. Bottoms, & A. Perona (Eds.). Ending child abuse: New techniques for investigation prosecution and prevention. Binghamton, NY: Haworth.

Wiley, T. R. A., Bottoms, B. L., Stevenson, M., & Oudekerk, B. (2006). A criança perante o sistema legal: dados da investigação psicológica. [Children in front of the legal system: Data from psychological research]. In A. C. Fonseca, M.R. Simões, M.C.T. Simões, & M.S. Pinho (Eds). Psicologia forense [Forensic psychology] (pp. 313-354). Coimbra, Portugal: Almedina.

Bottoms, B. L., Davis, S., & Epstein, M. E. (2004). Race and jurors’ decisions in child sexual abuse cases. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 34, 1 - 33.

Bottoms, B. L., & Rudnicki, A. (2004). Jurors' perceptions of child witnesses. In C. B. Fisher & R. M. Lerner (Eds.). Applied developmental science: An encyclopedia of research, policies, and programs. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Bottoms, B. L., Nielsen, M., Murray, R., & Filipas, H. (2003). Religion-related child physical abuse: Characteristics and psychological outcomes. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment, and Trauma, 8. Reprinted in J. Mullins, J. Marquart, & D. J. Hartley (Eds.), Emerging issues in the victimization of children: Trends, patterns, and problems (pp. 87 - 114). Binghamton, NY: Haworth.

Bottoms, B. L., Nysse-Carris, K. L., Harris, T., & Tyda, K. (2003). Jurors’ perceptions of adolescent sexual assault victims who have intellectual disabilities. Law and Human Behavior, 27, 205-227.

Quas, J. A., Bottoms, B. L., Haegerich, T. M., & Nysse-Carris, K. L. (2002). Effects of victim, defendant, and juror gender on decisions in child sexual assault cases. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 32, 1993-2021.

Quas, J. A., Bottoms, B. L., & Nunez, N. (2002). Linking child maltreatment and juvenile delinquency: Framing the issues. Children’s Services: Social Policy, Research, and Practice, 5, 245-248.

Bottoms, B. L., Reppucci, N. D., Tweed, J., & Nysse-Carris, K. (2002).Children, psychology, and law: Reflections on past and future contributions to science and policy. In J. R. P. Ogloff & R. Roesch (Eds.) Taking psychology and law into the twenty-first century. Kluwar Academic/Plenum Publishers. [Abstract]

Bottoms, B. L., Goodman, G. S., Schwartz-Kenney, B. M., & Thomas, S. F. (2002). Children's use of secrecy in the context of eyewitness reports. Law and Human Behavior, 26, 285-313. [Abstract]

Davis, S. L., & Bottoms, B. L. (2002). Social support and children's eyewitness testimony. In M. L. Eisen, G. S. Goodman, & J. A. Quas (Eds.) Memory and suggestibility in the forensic interview. Erlbaum.[Abstract]

Davis, S. L., & Bottoms, B. L. (2002). Effects of social support on children's eyewitness reports: A test of the underlying mechanism. Law and Human Behavior, 26, 185-215. [Abstract]

Epstein, M. E., & Bottoms, B. L. (2002). Forgetting and recovery of abuse and trauma memories: Possible mechanisms. Child Maltreatment. [Abstract]

Goodman, G. S., Bottoms, B. L., Rudy, L., Davis, S. L., & Schwartz-Kenney, B. M. (2001). Effects of past abuse experiences on children's eyewitness memory. Law and Human Behavior, 25, 269-298. [Abstract]

Bottoms, B. L. (2000). Children's eyewitness testimony. In A. Kazdin (Ed.), The Encyclopedia of Psychology. American Psychological Association and Oxford University Press.

Haegerich, T., & Bottoms, B. L. (2000). Empathy and jurors' decisions in patricide cases involving child sexual assault allegations. Law and Human Behavior. [Abstract]

Bottoms, B. L., & Nysse, K. L. (1999). Applying to graduate school: Writing a compelling personal statement. In Eye on Psi Chi (Newsletter of Psi Chi, the Psychology National Honor Society). Reprinted in The Observer (Newsletter of the American Psychological Society).

Epstein, M. A., & Bottoms, B. L. (1998). Memories of childhood sexual abuse: A survey of young adults. Child Abuse and Neglect, 22, 1217_1238. [Abstract]

Qin, J. J., Goodman, G. S., Bottoms, B. L., & Shaver, P. R. (1998). Repressed memories of ritualistic and religion-related child abuse. In S. J. Lynn & K. McConkey (Eds.), Truth in memory (pp. 262-283). New York: Guilford.

Goodman, G. S., Quas, J. A., Bottoms, B. L., Qin, J. J., Shaver, P. R., Orcutt, H., & Shapiro, C. (1997). Children's religious knowledge: Implications for understanding allegations of satanic ritual abuse. Child Abuse and Neglect, 16, 1111-1130.

Bottoms, B. L., & Davis, S. L. (1997). The creation of satanic ritual abuse. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 16, 112-132. [Reprinted in the Skeptical Intelligencer (1999), 3, pp. 28-41.)]. [Abstract]

Bottoms, B. L., Diviak, K. R., & Davis, S. L. (1997). Jurors' reactions to ritual abuse allegations. Child Abuse and Neglect, 21, 845-859.

Bottoms, B. L., & Goodman, G. S. (1996). International perspectives on child witnesses: An introduction to the issues. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 23, 260-268. Also in B. L. Bottoms & G. S. Goodman (Eds.) International perspectives on child abuse and children's testimony: Psychological research and law. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

Bottoms, B. L., Shaver, P. R., & Goodman, G. S. (1996). An analysis of ritualistic child abuse allegations. Law and Human Behavior, 20, 1-34. [Abstract]

Carter, C. A., Bottoms, B. L., & Levine, M. (1996). Linguistic and socio-emotional influences on the accuracy of children's reports. Law and Human Behavior, 20, 335-358. [Abstract]

Schwartz-Kenney, B. M., Bottoms, B. L., & Goodman, G. S. (1996). Techniques for improving children's person identification accuracy. Child Maltreatment, 1, 121-133. [Abstract]

Bottoms, B. L., Shaver, P. R., Goodman, G. S., & Qin, J. J. (1995). In the name of God: A profile of religion-related child abuse. Journal of Social Issues, 51, 85-111. Also reprinted as a chapter in Hurley, J. (1999). Child abuse. San Diego: Greenhaven. [Abstract]

Bottoms, B. L., & Goodman, G. S. (1994). Perceptions of children's credibility in sexual assault cases. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 24, 702-732. [Abstract]

Bottoms, B. L. (1993). Individual differences in perceptions of child sexual assault victims. In G. S. Goodman & B. L. Bottoms (Eds.), Child victims, child witnesses: Understanding and improving testimony (pp. 229-261). New York: Guilford.

Goodman, G. S., Bottoms, B. L., Schwartz-Kenney, B., & Rudy, L. (1991). Children's testimony for a stressful event: Improving children's reports. Journal of Narrative and Life History, 1, 69-99.

Goodman, G. S., Rudy, L., Bottoms, B., & Aman, C. (1990). Children's memory and concerns: Ecological issues in the study of children's eyewitness testimony. In R. Fivush & J. Hudson (Eds.), Knowing and remembering in young children (pp. 249-284). New York: Cambridge.

Goodman, G. S., Bottoms, B. L., Herscovici, B. B., & Shaver, P. R. (1989). Determinants of the child victim's perceived credibility. In S. J. Ceci, D. F. Ross, & M. P. Toglia (Eds.), Perspectives on the child witness (pp. 1-22). New York: Springer-Verlag.

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Bette L. Bottoms is Professor of Psychology in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). She received her B.A. from Randolph-Macon Woman's College in Virginia, her M.A. from the University of Denver, and her Ph.D. in Social Psychology from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Her research on the accuracy of children's eyewitness testimony, techniques to improve children's reports of past events, and jurors' perceptions of children's testimony has been funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the National Institute of Mental Health. She is the author of numerous scholarly articles and the co-editor of three books on children's eyewitness testimony, including Children, Social Science, and the Law (Cambridge University Press); Ending Child Abuse: New Efforts in Prevention, Investigation and Treatment (Haworth); International Perspectives on Child Abuse and Children's Testimony: Psychological Research and Law (Sage); and Child Victims, Child Witnesses: Understanding and Improving Testimony(Guilford).

Professor Bottoms is a recipient of the Saleem Shah Early Career Award for Contributions to Psychology and Law Research (sponsored by the American Psychology-Law Society and the American Academy of Forensic Psychology) and seven teaching and mentoring awards (the APA Division 2 Society for Teaching of Psychology Robert Daniel Award, American Psychology-Law Society Award for Outstanding Teaching and Mentoring, Amoco Silver Circle Teaching Award, UIC Honors College Fellow of the Year Award, UIC Teaching Recognition Program Award, UIC Excellence in Teaching Award, and UIC Flame Alumni Award for Teaching Excellence). She also received the Today's Chicago Woman Foundation’s Rising Star Award for career and community contributions. She is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association and Past President of the American Psychological Association's Division 37 (Child, Youth, and Family Services) and of Division 37's Section on Child Maltreatment.