Domestic, family, and sexual violence (DFSV) is a pervasive global issue, disproportionately affecting women and children. Bystanders play a vital role in addressing intimate partner violence (IPV) through intervention and as witnesses in legal cases. However, cultural norms, gender beliefs, and sexuality can significantly influence their intervention decisions and perceived credibility as witnesses. This study investigated these factors through two vignette experiments exploring bystander responses to physical and non-physical IPV. The first experiment manipulated the cultural background of the victim and perpetrator, depicting them as either Australian-born or foreign-born. The second experiment examined variations in IPV type and the couple's sexuality (same-sex versus heterosexual). Participants completed surveys measuring their intervention choices, cultural orientation, gender beliefs, and perceptions of violence acceptability. The findings will offer valuable insights into how cultural and individual differences influence bystander intentions and strategies, enhancing the understanding of bystander-witness behaviours.

Gaslighting, a tactic of psychological manipulation aimed at undermining an individual's perception of reality, has gained significant attention in public discourse but remains underexplored in academic research. Its manipulative and covert nature presents unique challenges for identification, intervention, and legislation. This talk synthesises findings from three interconnected studies examining the phenomenon across different contexts: victim-survivors’ experiences and its intersection with legal frameworks, community perceptions and the acceptance of this behaviour, and the impact of misinformation from a close partner on memory and confidence. These findings provide new insights into the complexities of gaslighting, with implications for legislative approaches to psychological abuse, public awareness initiatives, and the assessment of victim credibility in forensic settings.

Although research aimed at understanding cognition can gain by going outside of the lab, it also presents a variety of challenges. Some of them are common in applied research, but some are specific to the contexts and populations studied. Our aim is to discuss three different kinds of challenges based on our work on memory and forgiveness with victims of war in Colombia. There are, first, theoretical challenges associated with the concepts that define the research: in our case, forgiveness and episodic memory. There are challenges related to the use of experimental protocols, for example, to access episodic memories of traumatic events, or to obtain self-report measures. Equally important, there are ethical challenges in accessing vulnerable populations and exposing researchers to secondary trauma. We discuss some of the lessons learned in connection to these challenges, hoping that they will prove valuable for future applied research outside of the lab.

Nonphysical forms of intimate partner violence (IPV) are not always recognised as violence. This study examined the influence of relationship schemas, type of violence, and event frequency on memory for varying forms of relationship conflicts. Participants viewed one, or four videos of relationship interactions, where the degree of ambiguity (i.e., ambiguous-, nonphysical-, and physical violence), was manipulated as well as frequency of these events. Their memory, violence interpretation, and perceived victim credibility were measured, as well as their IPV schemas. Results will be discussed in light of coercive control and IPV education and criminalisation.