Current Faculty Research
The School of Psychological Science faculty members include accomplished researchers, authors, and presenters who are actively engaged in contributing to the civic, economic, and social foundations of society. Research programs within the school aim to advance theoretical understanding of the brain and mind, and to provide a foundation for practical applications in areas such as education and health. Specific research interests range from the study of single cells within the brain to interpersonal processes within groups.
Dr. Kathryn Becker Blease studies child abuse and trauma across the lifespan. She is also interested in ethical methods for researching and teaching about difficult topics like trauma.
Dr. Frank Bernieri studies the social and cognitive processes involved in impression formation.
Dr. Kathleen Bogart studies psychosocial consequences of facial movement disorders (e.g. facial paralysis, Parkinson’s disease).
Dr. John Edwards studies the relations between personality, motivation, and social cognition.
Dr. David Kerr studies depression, delinquency, suicide risk, and health-risking sexual behaviors in adolescence.
Dr. Teri Lewis studies Applied Behavior Analysis, Evidence-Based Practices, Classroom Management/Effective Classroom Management and Functional Behavior Assessment/Individualized Behavior Support.
Dr. Kristen Macuga studies engineering psychology, multisensory perception, motor control and learning, action observation, motor imagery, tool use, virtual reality, driving, cognitive neuroscience (fMRI).
Dr. Mei-Ching Lien studies the relationship between attention and human performance as well as cognitive changes associated with aging. - Attention and Performance Lab
Dr. Lawrence J. Ryan studies neural activity in brain areas related to movement and time perception.
Dr. Chris Sanchez studies Individual differences, design of learning environments, STEM learning and instruction, human factors, human-computer interaction, visualizations, working-memory capacity, spatial reasoning, technology-mediated collaboration, text processing, cognitive performance under physical pain, small devices, eye-tracking, consumer branding, bilingualism, adaptive technology, perceptual judgments.
Dr. Sarina Saturn studies the biological mechanisms underlying emotional processing in the brain and the body.
Dr. Aurora Sherman studies social development across the lifespan, especially the role of social relations in well-being.
Dr. Patti Lou Watkins studies body image disorders, particularly as they relate to weight bias and physical activity.
