The Sleep, Self, and Personality Laboratory (SSPeL) focuses on research at the intersection of sleep, fatigue, and social behavior, especially their role within legal systems. Projects in the lab seek to understand how sleep deprivation, fatigue, and other sleep-related factors influence decision-making, behavior, and outcomes throughout the criminal justice process. By exploring these connections, we hope to shed light on how sleep impacts individual actions and broader criminal justice processes, such as interrogation practices, witness reliability, and sentencing decisions.

How do fatigue and personality impact criminal history disclosure? 

Does being tired impact whether other people believe you? 

Do jurors view confessions from sleep-deprived suspects as coerced? 

How does fatigue impact investigators' decision-making? 

To learn more about our research, please click the projects and research tabs above.

If you are interested in becoming part of our lab as a research assistant, please contact Zlatan Krizan (zkrizan@iastate.edu).

Our lab is currently not accepting Undergraduate students for Fall 2025. Check back in with us in December about the next semester!

The SSPeL lab can be found in the Office and Lab building, room 0021, and Science Hall on the Iowa State University campus in Ames, Iowa.