Vladimir J. Konecni has three primary research interests within experimental/social psychology. The first of these is a social-psychological analysis of legal decision-making. Specifically, he studies the factors that various participants in the legal system (police officers, prosecutors, defense attorneys, judges, parole officers, etc.) take into account; he then develops causal models of legal decisions, such as the amount of bail and the length and type of sentence. In this work, there is a considerable emphasis on the use of multiple methods and the collection of data in field settings (e.g., court hearings and files).

His second area of interest is psycho-aesthetics -- the psychology of art, music, and theatre, with special reference to socially relevant factors. Dr. Konecni has done research on the social, emotional, and cognitive antecedents of aesthetic preference and choice, and on the consequences of exposure to different types of art and music for social behavior and performance. Among the special topics he has studied are the "golden section" in paintings and architecture, the music of the Latin Requiem, and the relationship of music and emotion. Another long-term project has been the study of the listeners', viewers', and readers' comprehension of artist messages. For a sample of Dr. Konecni's creative works in poetry, playwriting, and photography, please see his web site at:

http://www.vladimirkonecni.net/

Finally, Dr. Konecni does work on the social, cognitive, and psychophysiological aspects of human emotion and motivation, especially on aggressive behavior (e.g., the "cathartic effect") and the perception of emotional states in oneself and others.