Emeritus Psychology

Lab site: Behavioral Research in Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Lab

Dr. Belli is an applied cognitive psychologist who joined the faculty in 2002, and he is a member of both Neuroscience and Behavior and Social and Cognitive programs. He received his Ph.D. in experimental psychology from the University of New Hampshire in 1987. Dr. Belli's research interests focus on the role of memory in applied settings, and his published work includes research on autobiographical memory, eyewitness memory, and the role of memory processes in survey response. The content of this work focuses on false memories and methodologies that can improve memory accuracy, and includes examining the electrophysiological correlates of suggestibility phenomena. Teaching interests include courses on basic and applied cognitive psychology, and on the psychology of survey response. He served as North American Editor of Applied Cognitive Psychology from 2004-2009, to which he currently serves on the Editorial Board. Dr. Belli served as Secretary/Treasurer of the Society for Applied Research in Memory and Cognition from 2010-2018. At the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Dr. Belli served as the Director of the Survey Research and Methodology Program from 2012-2015, and he currently serves as President-Elect of the Faculty Senate.

Representative Publications
  • Kirchner, A., Belli, R. F., Córdova-Cazar, A. L., & Deal, C. E. (2018). Memory gaps in the American Time Use Survey: Investigating the role of retrieval cues and respondents’ level of effort. Survey Research Methods, 12, 231-245.
  • Kiat, J. E., & Belli, R. F. (2018). The role of individual differences in visual\verbal information processing preferences in visual\verbal source monitoring. Journal of Cognitive Psychology, 7, 701-709.
  • Kiat, J.E., Long, D., & Belli, R. F. (2018). Attentional responses on an auditory oddball predict false memory susceptibility. Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioral Neuroscience, 18, 1000-1014.
  • Kiat, J.E., Dodd, M. D., Belli, R. F., & Cheadle, J. E. (2018). The signature of undetected change: An exploratory electrotomographic investigation of gradual change blindness. Journal of Neurophysiolog, 119, 1629-1635.
  • McNeely, C., Barber, B. K., Giacaman, R., Belli, R. F., & Daher, M. (2018). Long-term health consequences of movement restrictions during political conflict. American Journal of Public Health, 108, 77-83.
  • Kiat, J. E., & Belli, R. F. (2017). A high-density EEG investigation of the misinformation effect: Attentional and recollective differences between true and false perceptual memories. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, 141, 199-208.
  • Belli, R. F., Miller, L. D., Al Baghal, T., & Soh, L-K. (2016). Using data mining to predict the occurrence of respondent retrieval strategies in calendar interviewing: The quality of retrospective reports. Journal of Official Statistics, 32, 579-600.
  • Belli, R. F., & Al Baghal, T. (2016). Parallel associations and the structure of autobiographical knowledge. Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 5, 150-157.
  • Belli, R. F. (2016). Toward reconciliation of the true and false recovered memory debate. In R. Burnett (Ed.), Wrongful accusations of sexual and child abuse (pp. 255-270). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Belli, R. F., (2014). Autobiographical memory dynamics in survey research. In T. J. Perfect and D. S. Lindsay (eds.), SAGE Handbook of Applied Memory (pp. 366-384). Los Angeles: Sage.
  • Belli, R. F., Bilgen, I., & Al Baghal, T. (2013). Memory, communication, and data quality in calendar interviews. Public Opinion Quarterly, 77, 194-219.
  • Belli, R. F. (Ed.). (2012). True and false recovered memories: Toward a reconciliation of the debate. Vol. 58: Nebraska Symposium on Motivation. New York: Springer.
  • Belli, R. F., Agrawal, S., & Bilgen, I. (2012). Health status and disability comparisons between CATI calendar and conventional questionnaire instruments. Quality and Quantity, 46, 813-828.
  • Bilgen, I., & Belli, R. F. (2010). Comparison of verbal behaviors between calendar and standardized conventional questionnaires. Journal of Official Statistics, 26, 481-505.
  • Belli, R. F., Stafford, F. P., & Alwin, D. F. (Eds.). (2009). Calendar and time diary methods in life course research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
  • Belli, R. F., Conrad, F. & Wright, D. (Eds.). (2007). Cognitive psychology and survey methodology: Nurturing the continuing dialogue between disciplines. Special Issue of Applied Cognitive Psychology. Issue 21.
  • Zaragoza, M. S., Belli, R. F., & Payment, K. E. (2007). Misinformation effects and the suggestibility of eyewitness memory. In M. Garry & H. Hayne, (Eds)., Do justice and let the sky fall: Elizabeth F. Loftus and her contributions to science, law, and academic freedom (pp. 35-63). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
  • Belli, R. F., Smith, L., Andreski, P., & Agrawal, S. (2007). Methodological comparisons between CATI event history calendar and conventional questionnaire instruments. Public Opinion Quarterly, 71, 603-622.
  • Belli, R. F., Moore, S. E., & VanHoewyk, J. (2006). An experimental comparison of question formats used to reduce vote overreporting. Electoral Studies, 25, 751-759.
  • Nemeth, R. J., & Belli, R. F. (2006). The influence of schematic knowledge on contradictory versus additive misinformation: False memory for typical and atypical items. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 20, 563-573.
  • Belli, R. F., Traugott, M. W., & Beckmann, M. N. (2001). What leads to voting overreports? Contrasts of overreporters to validated voters and admitted nonvoters in the American National Election Studies. Journal of Official Statistics, 17, 479-498.
  • Belli, R.F., Shay, W. L., & Stafford, F. P. (2001). Event history calendars and question list surveys: A direct comparison of interviewing methods. Public Opinion Quarterly, 65, 45-74.
  • Belli, R. F., Schwarz, N., Singer, E., & Talarico, J. (2000). Decomposition can harm the accuracy of behavioral frequency reports. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 14, 295-308.
  • Belli, R. F., Traugott, M. W., Young, M., & McGonagle, K. A. (1999). Reducing vote overreporting in surveys: Social desirability, memory failure, and source monitoring. Public Opinion Quarterly, 63, 90-108.
  • Belli, R. F. (1998). The structure of autobiographical memory and the event history calendar: Potential improvements in the quality of retrospective reports in surveys. Memory, 6, 383-406.
  • Belli, R. F., Winkielman, P., Read, J. D., Schwarz, N, & Lynn, S. J. (1998). Recalling more childhood events leads to judgments of poorer memory: Implications for the recovered/false memory debate. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 5, 318-323.
  • Belli. R. F., Schuman, H., & Jackson, B. (1997). Autobiographical misremembering: John Dean is not alone. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 11, 187-209.
  • Belli, R. F., & Loftus, E. F. (1996). The pliability of autobiographical memory: Misinformation and the false memory problem. In D. C. Rubin (Ed.), Remembering our past: Studies in autobiographical memory (pp. 157-179). New York: Cambridge University Press.
Recent Funding
  • Central Plains Census Research Data Center. National Science Foundation, SES1357585, $300,000, August 2014 to July 2017.
  • Reducing Error in Computerized Survey Data Collection. National Science Foundation, SES1132015. $2,967,347, October 2011 to September 2016.
  • Individual Differences in Susceptibility to False Memories. University of Nebraska Research Council Faculty Seed Grant, $10,000, January 2011 to June 2012.
  • Verbal Behaviors in Computerized Lifecourse Surveys. National Institute on Aging, 2RO1AG017977-04, $414,430, June 2005 to May 2007.
  • Computerized Calendar Methods: Health and Economic Measures. National Institute on Aging and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, 1RO1AG/HD17977-01A1, $979,968, March 2001 to November 2004.
  • Calendar Survey Methods: Verbal Behavior and Computer Applications. National Science Foundation, SES-00001994, $272,332, November 2000 to October 2002.