About
Miriam S. Johnson is a Professor of Psychology with specializations in forensic psychology, developmental psychology, applied cognitive psychology, and clinical psychology. She leads the CARE Research Group, which conducts projects across four core domains of psychology: Child Development and Cognition (C), Applied Forensic Psychology (A), Resilience (R), and Epidemiology (E).
Professor Johnson's primary research interests lie in the intersection of applied cognitive psychology, memory development, eyewitness memory, and clinical child psychology, with a particular focus on how cognitive and developmental factors affect children's recollections and reports in applied contexts, including investigative and clinical settings. She is currently a Visiting Professor in the McNally Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Harvard University.
Research projects
Completed research projects
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Professionals interviewing maltreated children supported via artificial avatars
The project proposes to develop a new digital interview-training program drawing on expertise in developmental psychology and artificial intelligence
Publications and research
Scientific publications
Ko, Hayley Manalang;
Baugerud, Gunn Astrid
;
Johnson, Miriam S.
; Köpp, Unni Mette Stamnes; Hovden, Ewa Alicja Szyszko
(2026).
Best practice vs. reality: An exploratory study of communication dynamics during forensic dental and medical examinations in child abuse investigations.
Children and Youth Services Review.
Vol. 182.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2026.108786
Skjerdingstad, Nora Paulsen;
Johnson, Miriam Sinkerud
; Johnson, Sverre Urnes; Hoffart, Asle; Ebrahimi, Omid Vakili
(2025).
Daily dynamics of parental mental health: Investigating depressive symptoms and negative parental experiences.
Journal of Psychiatric Research.
Vol. 190.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2025.08.007
Johnson, Miriam Sinkerud
;
Grung, Rolf Magnus
; Røed, Ragnhild Klingenberg;
Pripp, Are Hugo
;
Baugerud, Gunn Astrid
(2025).
Children’s Elaboration of Forensically Relevant Information in Response to Invitations: A National Study of Investigative Interviews With Preschool-Aged Abuse Victims.
Child Maltreatment (CM).
https://doi.org/10.1177/10775595251328933
Brubacher, Sonja;
Johnson, Miriam
; Hassan, Syed;
Riegler, Michael
;
Halvorsen, Pål
;
Baugerud, Gunn
(2025).
Experts' Views on Artificial Intelligence-Based Child Chatbots to Train Investigative Interviewing Skills.
Applied Cognitive Psychology.
Vol. 39.
https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.70048
Ko, Hayley Manalang; Hovden, Ewa Alicja Szyszko; Köpp, Unni Mette Stamnes;
Johnson, Miriam Sinkerud
;
Baugerud, Gunn Astrid
(2025).
Using an AI-Driven Child Chatbot Avatar as a Training Tool for Information Gathering Skills of Dental and Medical Professionals: A Pilot Study.
Applied Cognitive Psychology.
Vol. 39.
https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.70022
Røed, Ragnhild Klingenberg;
Baugerud, Gunn Astrid
;
Grung, Rolf Magnus
;
Johnson, Miriam Sinkerud
(2025).
“And Then He Hit Me.” Disclosure Patterns in Forensic Interviews of Preschool-Aged Allegedly Abused Children.
Child Maltreatment (CM).
https://doi.org/10.1177/10775595251328884
Brubacher, Sonja P; Powell, Martine;
Johnson, Miriam Sinkerud
; Cano, Cayetana López; Hassan, Syed Zohaib;
Riegler, Michael Alexander
;
Halvorsen, Pål
;
Baugerud, Gunn Astrid
(2025).
Experts' Views on Artifical Intelligence-Based Child Chatbots to Train Investigative Interviewing Skills.
Applied Cognitive Psychology.
Vol. 39.
https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.70048
Chatterjee, Ayan;
Riegler, Michael
;
Johnson, Miriam S.
; Das, Jishnu; Pahari, Nibedita; Ramachandra, Raghavendra; Ghosh, Bikramaditya; Saha, Arpan; Bajpai, Ram
(2024).
Exploring online public survey lifestyle datasets with statistical analysis, machine learning and semantic ontology.
Scientific Reports.
Vol. 14.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-74539-6
Johnson, Miriam Sinkerud
; Skjerdingstad, Nora Paulsen; Ebrahimi, Omid Vakili; Hoffart, Asle; Johnson, Sverre Urnes
(2024).
Fear of giving birth alone: Experiences of psychological distress, symptoms of anxiety and depression, and coping- strategies of childbearing women during COVID-19.
Midwifery.
Vol. 131.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.midw.2024.103951
Grung, Rolf Magnus
;
Johnson, Miriam S.
; Røed, Ragnhild Klingenberg;
Baugerud, Gunn Astrid
(2024).
Examining the impact of interviewer rejections following “Don't know” responses in forensic interviews of alleged preschool-aged victims of abuse.
Applied Cognitive Psychology.
Vol. 38.
https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.4239