Ashley M. Votruba

Associate Professor of Psychology and Courtesy Associate Professor of Law

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https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7836-2042

Website

Smiling woman with long hair wearing a textured jacket, bookshelves in the background.

Biography

Ashley Votruba (she/her) is an Associate Professor in the Law-Psychology Program and Social Psychology Program at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln and has a Courtesy Appointment at the Nebraska College of Law. Dr. Votruba is the director of the Culture, Conflict, and Law Lab. She maintains an active research program examining how social perception and dispute system design influence access to civil justice and conflict management. Dr. Votruba’s areas of expertise include social psychology, civil justice, alternative dispute resolution, conflict theory, restorative justice, and cultural psychology. Her research has been supported by national funding agencies including the Department of Justice and National Science Foundation. Dr. Votruba is a certified mediator.

For more information including current research topics and a list of publications, please visit the Culture, Conflict, and Law (CC&L) lab website.

Courses

  • PSYC 989/LAW 764: Topics in Law & Psychology: Conflict and Dispute Resolution
Articles
  • McChargue, D. E., Votruba, A. M., Tisdale, C. N., & Noone, S. M. (in press). Restorative justice behind bars: Evidence supporting a post-adjudication brief intervention. Nebraska Law Review. 
  • Blankley, K. M., PytlikZillig, L. M., & Votruba, A. M. (2026). Creating “buy in” for juvenile restorative justice programs: Lessons from Nebraska’s community mediation centers. Court Review, 62(1), 178 – 185.
  • Votruba, A. M., & Finch, J. E. (2026). Trends and considerations in teaching introductory quantitative coursework in psychology doctoral programs. Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Psychology, 12(1), 18-29. https://doi.org/10.1037/stl0000399
  • Williams, K. E. G., Votruba, A. M., & Eagle, R. S. (2025). Why motive matters: The appraisal of criminal aims. Behavioral Sciences, 15(9), 1244. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15091244
  • Tisdale, C. N., & Votruba, A. M. (2025). The impact of defendants’ criminal history on prosecutor plea decision-making. Psychology, Crime, and Law. https://doi.org/10.1080/1068316X.2025.2481865
  • Votruba, A. M., PytlikZillig, L. M., Fleig-Palmer, M. M., Kappmeier, M., Lee, J., & Herzfeld, A. L. (2025). How does trust in multiple trustees influence disclosure of workplace conflict? Testing the Perceived Influence Model of trust. Journal of Trust Research, 15(1), 32-59.  https://doi.org/10.1080/21515581.2025.2459143
  • Votruba, A. M., Blankley, K. M., PytlikZillig, L. M., (2025). Barriers and facilitators to implementing restorative justice in Nebraska. Conflict Resolution Quarterly, 42(3), 343-353. https://doi.org/10.1002/crq.21451
  • Duryea, P. R., Tisdale, C. N., Barrett, A. J., Votruba, A. M., & McChargue, D. E. (2024). The role of perceived restorative justice understanding and sympathy in a brief restorative justice intervention in prison. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 30(4), 409-420.  https://doi.org/10.1037/law0000425
  • PytlikZillig, L. M., Votruba, A. M., Fleig-Palmer, M. M., Lee, J., & Kappmeier, M. (2024). The perceived influence model of trust: Toward a multi-trustee theory. Group & Organization Management, 49(2), 395-428. https://doi-org.libproxy.unl.edu/10.1177/10596011241235248
  • Tisdale, C. N., & Votruba, A. M. (2024). Prosecutors’ considerations when initiating plea bargaining. Analysis of Social Issues and Public Policy, 24(1), 192-214. https://doi-org.libproxy.unl.edu/10.1111/asap.12374
  • Blankley, K. M., & Votruba, A. M. (2023). Discussing race in rural and non-diverse communities. Ohio State Journal on Dispute Resolution, 38, 371-421.
  • Votruba, A. M.,Noetzel, J., & Herzfeld, A. L. (2023). Pathways to preferences for collaborative conflict resolution: Disputants’ process goals drive preferences. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 29(3), 364-382.  https://doi.org/10.1037/law0000377 
  • Blankley, K. M., Votruba, A. M., *Bartz, L., & PytlikZillig, L. M. (2022). Never assume what your clients know about mediation and arbitration. Alternatives to the High Cost of Litigation, 40(5), 73-85.
  • Votruba, A. M., & Tisdale, C. N. (2021). Examining prosecutorial decision-making in plea bargaining: An experimental paradigm in a community sample. Analysis of Social Issues and Public Policy, 21(1), 595-620. https://doi-org/10.1111/asap.12234
  • Blankley, K. M., Votruba, A. M., Bartz, L., & PytlikZillig, L. M. (2021). ADR is not a household term: Considering the ethical and practical consequences of the public’s lack of understanding of mediation and arbitration. Nebraska Law Review, 99(4), 797-847.
Awards

Education

  • J.D., Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law, Arizona State University (2017)   
  • Ph.D. in Social Psychology, Arizona State University (2017)
  • M.A. in Psychology, Arizona State University (2013)                                                                                                    
  • B.S. in Psychology (with Honors), Arizona State University (2009)

Areas of Expertise

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