Curriculum Vitae

Mixed-methods research psychologist with expertise in child and adolescent development. Recent empirical work has focused on (1) use of algorithmic risk assessment tools in juvenile and criminal court, (2) over-incarceration of Black youth, and (3) children and young adults’ lived experiences with racial discrimination and systemic racism. 

Contact

The best way to reach me is by email: yamandaw@gmail.com

Education

Ph.D., Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin (2014)

  • First Black woman to receive a PhD in Developmental Psychology from UT Austin

  • Awarded the American Psychological Foundation's Kenneth B. and Mamie P. Clark Grant for dissertation study: “Racial Mistrust, Perceptions of Discrimination, and Academic Achievement Among African American Children” (2013)

B.A., Psychology, Stanford University (2007)

Professional Experience and Service

Research Psychologist, RTI International (2020 - Present)

Board Member, Disability Law Center of Massachusetts (2019 - 2023)

Senior Data & Policy Specialist, Crime and Justice Institute (2017 -2020)

Director of Research, Texas Appleseed (2015 - 2017)

Adjunct Professor of Psychology, Texas State University (2014)

Manager, Mood & Anxiety Disorders Laboratory at Stanford (2007 - 2009) 

Selected Publications

Wright, Y. & Henning, K., (2023, September 29). Just Science. Just Addressing Judicial Biases Against Teens of Color. [Audio podcast episode]. RTI International.

Wright, Y. & Lowe, A. (2022). Who Develops Violent Offense Lists, and How are They Used for the Public Safety Assessment? Advancing Pretrial Policy and Research.

Taylor, L. C., Moore, K., Wright, Y., Brooks, R., & Glenn, J. W. (2021). Understanding Trends in Jail Population in Durham, North Carolina, 2014 to 2019. Data Collaborative for Justice and The Pew Charitable Trusts.

Craven, Y. & Wright, Y. (2017). Suspended Childhood: An Analysis of Exclusionary Discipline of Texas' Pre-K and Elementary School Students. Texas Appleseed.

Merfish, B., Wright, Y., & Fowler, D. (2017). Arrests, Jail Bookings, and Case Outcomes Among 17-Year-Olds in Texas, 2012-2015. Texas Appleseed.

Wright, Y. & Baddour, A. (2017). Fair Loans and Family Finances Assessing Impacts of the Community Loan Center Affordable Small Dollar Loan on the Financial Well-Being of Borrowers. Texas Appleseed.

Texas Appleseed. (2017). Pay or Stay: The High Cost of Jailing Texans for Fines & Fees

Texas Appleseed & Texans Care for Children. (2016). Dangerous Discipline: How Texas Schools Are Relying on Law Enforcement, Courts, and Juvenile Probation to Discipline Students

Barbarin, O. A., Chinn, L., & Wright, Y. (2014). Creating developmentally auspicious school environments for African American boys. In L. Liben & R. S. Bigler (Eds.), Advances in Child Development and Behavior (pp. 75-106). Waltham, MA: Elsevier.

Bigler, R. S., & Wright. Y. (2014). Reading, writing, arithmetic, and racism? Risks and benefits to teaching children about intergroup biases. Child Development Perspectives, 8, 18-23.

Bigler, R. S., & Wright, Y. (2012). Should stereotype consciousness be taught to children? A discussion informed by Bogan and Slaughter-Defoe’s Through the Eyes of a Child. In D. T. Slaughter-Defoe (Ed.), Race and Child Development (pp. 20-23). Basel, Switzerland: Karger Press.

LeMoult, J., Joormann, J., Sherdell, L., Wright, Y., & Gotlib, I. H. (2009). Identification of emotional facial expressions following recovery from depression. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 118, 828-833.

Invited Talks and Conference Presentations

Wright, Y., Craven, M., & Bigler, R. S. (2016, July). School Police and the Criminalization of Black and Latino Youth. Presentation at the American Psychological Society's Division 45 Research Conference in Stanford, CA.

Wright, Y., & Bigler, R. S. (2015, March). Student-Teacher Relationships, Perceptions of Discrimination, and Academic Outcomes Among African American Youth. Poster at the Society for Research on Child Development Conference in Philadelphia, PA.

Craven, M. & Wright, Y., (2015, July). Implicit Bias and the School-to-Prison Pipeline. Presented as part of the University of Texas' Principalship Training Program (Austin, TX).

Craven, M. & Wright, Y., (2015, July). Implicit Bias and the School-to-Prison Pipeline. Presented as part of Huston-Tillotson University's Teacher Training Program (Austin, TX).

Craven, M. & Wright, Y., (2015, June). Implicit Bias and the School-to-Prison Pipeline. Presented as part of Teach for America's 2014 Cohort Training Program (Dallas, TX).

Wright, Y., & Bigler, R. S. (2014, October). Gender similarities in African American children’s perceptions of racial discrimination. Poster at the Gender Development Research Conference in San Francisco, CA.

Wright, Y. & Bigler, R. S. (2013, May). Effects of expected racial favoritism on student-teacher relationships and achievement in kindergarten. Poster at the Association for Psychological Science Conference in Washington, DC.

Steingut, R. R., Flannigan, A. & Wright, Y. (2013, March). Assessing the effectiveness of a psychological intervention with pre-service teachers: Towards disciplinary equity in diverse classrooms. Roundtable presentation at the Consortium for Research in Teacher Education Conference in Austin, TX.

Wright, Y. F., Pahlke, E., Hayes, A.R., & Bigler, R. S. (2010, April). Exploring relations among gender identity, gender attitudes, and leadership orientation for early adolescent girls. Poster at the Gender Development Research Conference in San Francisco, CA.

Wright, Y. F., Joormann, J., & Gotlib, I. H. (2008, August). Sex differences in emotion recognition among individuals with social phobia. Poster at the Society for Research on Psychopathology Conference in Pittsburgh, PA.

Honors and Awards                 

2018: Youth Justice Leadership Fellow, National Juvenile Justice Network

2013: Kenneth B. and Mamie P. Clark Award ($10,000). Source: American Psychological Foundation 

2011: Graduate Research Fellowship Honorable Mention. Source: National Science Foundation