Renan Saraiva

Biography

I am a Senior Lecturer in Forensic Psychology at the University of Portsmouth and Director of the International Centre for Research in Forensic Psychology (ICRFP). My research is situated in the areas of investigative psychology and applied cognition in forensic settings. Most of my recent studies have concentrated on estimating and improving eyewitness memory performance. I am also developing a new line of research investigating the evaluation of eyewitness evidence by juries, judges and other triers of fact. I completed my PhD at the University of Portsmouth investigating the role of metamemory in eyewitness accuracy, confidence and over/underconfidence.

I was awarded my PhD in 2019 at the University of Portsmouth, when I also joined the Psychology Department as a Lecturer. I have a BSc in Psychology from the University of Brasilia (Brazil) and a dual-degree PhD in Legal Psychology from the University of Portsmouth and Maastricht University (The Netherlands), awarded by the House of Legal Psychology.

Research interests

Memory performance in applied contexts
Eliciting information in forensic contexts
Estimating eyewitness identification performance
Lineup construction and composition
Improving the evaluation of eyewitness evidence

Teaching responsibilities

I am Module Coordinator for the Level 6 ‘Exploring Data for Forensic Psychology’ module. Additionally, I deliver lectures on various undergraduate and postgraduate units, including ‘Psychology of Investigations’, ‘Forensic Psychology in Context’, ‘Investigative Psychology and the Legal Process’, and ‘Research Methods’. I am a member of the UG Course Management Team as Year 1 and Year 2 tutor. I supervise research projects at both undergraduate and postgraduate level on eyewitness memory, detection of deception, investigative interviewing, and offending behaviours.

Research outputs

2025

Cross‐cultural research in eyewitness identification: exploring criterion differences between South Korean and UK eyewitnesses in lineups

Lee, J., Saraiva, R. B.

9 Apr 2025, In: Applied Cognitive Psychology. 39, 2, 26p., e70050

Research output: Article

2024

The effect of volition and memory distrust on eyewitness suggestiblity

Barnoth, D., Brown, S., Saraiva, R., Wagner, M., Cullen, H. J.

29 Nov 2024, In: Journal of Criminal Psychology

Research output: Article

The moderating effect of perceived punishment on the relationship between the Dark Triad and corruption

e Oliveira, E. C., Modesto, J. G., Saraiva, R. B.

5 Sep 2024, In: Ciencias Psicologicas. 18, 2, 12p., e-3804

Research output: Article

2023

Who doesn't believe their memories? Development and validation of a new Memory Distrust Scale

Nash, R. A., Saraiva, R. B., Hope, L.

1 Sep 2023, In: Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition. 12, 3, p. 401-411

Research output: Article

The effect of pre-event instructions on eyewitness identification

Baldassari, M. J., Moore, K. N., Hyman, I. E., Hope, L., Mah, E. Y., Lindsay, D. S., Mansour, J., Saraiva, R., Horry, R., Rath, H., Kelly, L., Jones, R., Vale, S., Lawson, B., Pedretti, J., Palma, T. A., Cruz, F., Quarenta, J., Van der Cruyssen, I., Mileva, M., Allen, J., Jeye, B., Wiechert, S.

28 Feb 2023, In: Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications. 8, 1, 19p., 16

Research output: Article