Psychology Department

Wesleyan President Michael Roth '78 participated in a Newsweek podcast debate titled "Is Higher Education Broken?" "I think the idea that only rich people should be able to experience the benefits of learning—whether that's about math and science, or whether it's about literature and philosophy—that's a huge mistake. (Aug. 31) President Roth also wrote a book review of Allan V. Horowitz's A History of Psychiatry's Bible for The Washington Post. "In this history ... Horwitz emphasizes the social construction of scientific concepts. This account underscores the economic incentives in play as psychiatrists tried to reach consensus on how to describe…

At first glance, a viewer sees a single image of pink-tinted cubes, resembling a bacteria culture from high school biology. But upon closer examination, the viewer begins to see a series of other shapes—triangles to hexahedrons to tetahexahedraons (cubes with four-sided pyramids on each face). "If you stare at this image for a while, you can see that it's actually a series of five images in the top row, and five images on the bottom row, and each of these images show us nanoparticles that are made of gold and copper," said Brian Northrop, professor of chemistry. "It's intriguing, captivating,…

Wesleyan’s intellectually dynamic faculty, students, alumni, staff, and parents frequently serve as expert sources for national media. Others are noted for recent achievements and accolades. A sampling of recent media hits is below: In The Washington Post, William Griffin Professor of Philosophy Lori Gruen is quoted in a story about neutering. In her early career, Gruen, who specializes in animal ethics, worked in shelters where she witnessed "perfectly healthy dogs destroyed" and the toll it took on employees. “The overpopulation issue sounds abstract,” she said. “But these are dogs whose lives end and the people who have to bring those…

So long are the days of slipping out the back door of a party to avoid confrontation with a date gone bad. Through social media, one can easily "ghost"— that is, cut off all communication without giving a reason. In a new qualitative study titled "Disappearing in the Age of Hypervisibility: Definition, Context, and Perceived Psychological Consequences of Social Media Ghosting," lead researcher Royette Dubar, assistant professor of psychology, and her former master's student Jhanelle Oneika Thomas '18, MA '19 investigated both the motives and psychological consequences of the act of ghosting. Dubar and Thomas discovered that this modern-age disappearing…

Thirteen Wesleyan faculty are rated among the top 1% most-cited researchers worldwide, according to a recent study by PLOS Biology. The study, led by Professor John Ioannidis from Stanford University, combines several different metrics to systematically rank the most influential scientists as measured by citations. More than six million scientists, who were actively working between 1996 and 2018, were analyzed for the project. The faculty include: David Beveridge, Joshua Boger University Professor of the Sciences and Mathematics, emeritus Fred Cohan, Huffington Foundation Professor in the College of the Environment, professor of biology Mark Hovey, professor of mathematics, associate provost for…

Every spring, Wesleyan recognizes outstanding teaching with three Binswanger Prizes for Excellence in Teaching. These prizes, made possible by gifts from the family of the late Frank G. Binswanger Sr., Hon. ’85, underscore Wesleyan’s commitment to its scholar-teachers, who are responsible for the University’s distinctive approach to liberal arts education. Recommendations are solicited from alumni of the last 10 graduating classes, as well as current juniors, seniors, and graduate students. Recipients are chosen by a selection committee of faculty and members of the Alumni Association Executive Committee. This year, Wesleyan honors the following faculty members for their excellence in teaching:…

During the 189th Commencement ceremony, four Wesleyan University faculty received the honorary degree of Master of Arts ad eundem gradum. The degree is awarded regularly and solely to those members of the faculty who (1) are not graduates of Wesleyan at the bachelor’s level and (2) have attained or been appointed to the rank of full professor on our faculty. By the award of this degree, all full professors on the Wesleyan faculty are made alumni of the University, and are qualified to participate in alumni affairs. The recipients include: Erika Franklin Fowler, professor of government; Barbara Juhasz, professor of…

As a recipient of a Fulbright Specialist Award, Professor Lisa Dierker hopes to connect with academic partners across the world sharing her expertise and excitement in support of data analytics. “High quality, accessible and manageable data have never been so critical to the well-being of people around the world,” Dierker said. “Increasing capacity to identify, gather and analyze relevant data is a key pathway for better-informed decision-making and will create a larger, more diverse workforce.” Dierker, Walter Crowell University Professor of Social Sciences, professor of psychology and education studies, is a co-creator of Wesleyan's "Passion-Driven Statistics" model, a data-driven, project-based…

During the 2021 Shasha Seminar for Human Concerns, held March 11–13, participants explored the topic of "Truth (and Lies) in Our Time." The Shasha Seminar is an annual educational forum for Wesleyan alumni, parents, and friends that provides an opportunity to explore issues of global concern in a small seminar environment. Endowed by James Shasha '50, P'82, the Shasha Seminar supports lifelong learning and encourages participants to expand their knowledge and perspectives on significant issues. David McCraw, vice president and deputy general counsel for The New York Times, presented the Shasha Seminar's keynote address titled "Lies and Liberty: The Future…

Do political views and anxiety play a functional role in combating COVID-19? According to a recent study by Ori Cantwell '22, the answer is yes. Cantwell, a psychology major, presented his recent study "Yes We (Anxiously) Can: Liberal Ideology and Anxiety Predict Social Distancing during the COVID-19 Pandemic" during the virtual 22nd Annual Convention of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology Conference, held Feb. 9–13. "We found that in a sample of over 10,000 American adults, anxiety partially mediated the relationship between liberal ideology and social distancing," Cantwell explained. "Liberals were more anxious than conservatives, and people were most…

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Hilary Barth, professor of psychology; Andrea Patalano, professor of psychology; Liana Mathias '17; and former lab coordinators Alexandra Zax and Katherine Williams are the co-authors of an article titled "Intuitive symbolic magnitude judgments and decision making under risk in adults," published in Cognitive Psychology, 118, in May 2020. Barth; Williams; postdoctoral fellow Chenmu Xing; Jamie Hom '17, MA '18, Meghana Kandlur '18, Praise Owoyemi '18, Joanna Paul '18, Elizabeth Shackney '17, and Ray Alexander '18 are the co-authors of "Partition dependence in financial aid distribution to income categories," published in PLoS ONE 15, in April 2020. Barth; Patalano; Williams; Zax;…

Wesleyan in the News

Scientific Images of Nanoparticles, Colliding Stars, Learned Words Win Annual Contest

Wesleyan in the News

Dubar, Thomas ’18, MA ’19 Explore the Psychological Effects of Social Media Ghosting

Faculty, Alumni Rated Among World’s Top 1% of Scientists

3 Professors Honored with 2021 Binswanger Prizes for Excellence in Teaching

4 Faculty Honored with MA Ad Eundem Gradum Degrees

Dierker to Teach Passion-Driven Statistics As Fulbright Specialist

Campus Community Explores “Truth (and Lies) in Our Time” During Shasha Seminar

Cantwell ’22: Liberals Are Anxious About COVID-19 And They Social Distance More

Kurtz Speaks on Improving Thinking Skills in Schizophrenia

Hot off the Press: Papers by Psychology Faculty, Alumni Published in Journals