School of Business & Economics

Bio

Amanda Vicary is an Associate Professor at Illinois Wesleyan University, where she bridges psychology and business in her teaching and research.

Dr. Vicary’s work explores crime, the criminal justice system, and popular media, with a particular emphasis on the cultural fascination with true crime. Her research has been published in leading journals such as Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, and Social Psychological and Personality Science. She has also shared her expertise widely through media outlets including The Washington Post, Forbes, CNN, and NPR, as well as commentary for television programs on Investigation Discovery, Oxygen, and HBO. Her current work focuses on the intersection of psychology, business, and law, with particular attention to public perceptions of crime, wrongful convictions, and romantic relationships that form when one person is incarcerated.

At Illinois Wesleyan, Dr. Vicary brings her expertise in social psychology to the business program teaching courses in consumer behavior, organizational behavior, and human resource management. She is the recipient of multiple instructional and scholarly development grants, and has served in leadership roles in various campus committees.

Education

• M.B.A., Western Governors University, 2024
• Ph.D. in Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2011
• M.A. in Social Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2006
• B.S. in Psychology, Bradley University, 2004

Research Interests

• Interest in true crime
• Wrongful convictions

Frequently Taught Classes

• Consumer Behavior
• Organizational Behavior
• Human Resource Management
• Crime and the Justice System

 

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