Dominic Packer Co-Organizes Group Processes and Intergroup Relations
Preconference
In collaboration with Dr. Michael Wohl (Carleton University), Dr. Packer coorganized the 2011 Group Processes and Intergroup Relations Preconference at the
Society for Personality and Social Psychology in San Antonio, Texas. Despite a
disruptive snowstorm on the east coast, the day went well - thanks in part to the
hard work of Lehigh graduate student Phillip Snow. Thanks also to the Psychology
Departments at Lehigh and Carleton for sponsoring this event, which attracted 90
scholars from 4 continents. (Posted January, 2011)
Gordon Moskowitz on Dr. Martin Luther King
Dr. Moskowitz served as Master of Ceremonies for a special Martin Luther King Day
event organized by Lehigh University's Council for Equity and Community.
Students, staff and faculty offered their personal reflections on Dr. King and on the
meaning of diversity. On the first day of our new semester, it was fantastic to see so
many turn out to honor Dr. King and his legacy, and to demonstrate their
commitment to the hard work that must continue in order to turn his dream into a
reality. After the event, Professor Moskowitz was interviewed by local news station
WFMZ. (Posted January, 2011)
Jedediah Allen and Mark Bickhard paper selected by Jean Piaget Society as
target article for Cognitive Development
A paper by graduate student Jedediah Allen and Dr. Mark Bickhard has been
selected by the Jean Piaget Society to appear as a target article for commentary and
response in the July 2012 issue of Cognitive Development. Their article poses a
theoretical critique of nativist infant research design and interpretation, and is
entitled 'Stepping off the pendulum: Why only an action-based approach can
transcend the nativist-empiricist debate'. Congratulations to Jed and Mark on this
significant honor and accomplishment! (Posted January, 2011)
Amanda Brandone publishes in Cognitive Science and is featured in
Psychology Today
A paper recently published by Dr. Brandone and colleagues in Cognitive Science has
been featured in Psychology Today! In November 2010, Cimpian, Brandone and
Gelman published their paper 'Generic statements require little evidence for
acceptance but have powerful implications'. Picking up this fascinating research,
Psychology Today applied their findings on the use and understanding of generic
statements to the context of political persuasion. Click to check out the Psychology
Today article. (Posted December, 2010)
Psychology major, Kirsten Muser, wins 2010 Donald T. Campbell Social
Science Research Prize
Recently graduated psychology major, Kirsten Muser, won the 2010 Donald T.
Campbell Social Science Research Prize for her undergraduate honors thesis,
'Representational Gestures Reflect Conceptualization in Problem Solving'. This
prize is awarded each year to the best and most substantive research in social
sciences conducted at the undergraduate level at Lehigh. Congratulations to
Kirsten! (Posted December, 2010)
Gordon Moskowitz Publishes in Journal of Experimental Social Psychology Twice!
Dr. Moskowitz and Peizhong Li (Hohai University) have an article in the January
2011 issue of the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. Their paper is entitled:
'Egalitarian goals trigger stereotype inhibition: A proactive form of stereotype
control'. In collaboration with Li, current Ph.D. student Courtney Ignarri, and Jeff
Stone (University of Arizona), Gordon also has a second paper slated for publication
in JESP entitled 'Compensatory cognition associated with egalitarian goals'. (Posted
December, 2010).
Barbara Malt Publishes in The Psychology of Learning and Motivation:
Advances in Theory and Research
Dr. Malt published an article, 'Naming artifacts: Patterns and processes' in 2010's
The Psychology of Learning and Motivation: Advances in Theory and Research (Vol.
52), edited by Brian Ross.
In September, Barbara also extended her international presence with a series of
invited talks and lectures in Norway. She presented a talk, 'Bilingual word learning:
Cross-language lexical interaction' at the Biology and Learning International
Conference, and gave lectures on the relationship between thoughts and words at
NTNU Trondheim. (Posted December, 2010)
Dominic Packer Publishes Chapter in Rebels in Groups
Dr. Packer has published a book chapter, 'The dissenter's dilemma, and a social
identity solution' in a new book edited by Jetten and Hornsey. Rebels in Groups:
Dissent, Deviance, Difference, and Defiance will be available in January 2011 from
fine booksellers everywhere. (Posted December, 2010)
Mark Bickhard Publishes Two Book Chapters
Dr. Mark Bickhard recently published two chapters in edited volumes. One, 'Is
Normativity Natural?' appeared in Milkowski and Talmont-Kaminski's Beyond
Description: Normativity in Naturalised Philosophy. The second, Interactive
Knowing: The Metaphysics of Intentionality' was published in Poli and Seibt's
Theory and Applications of Ontology: Philosophical Perspectives.
In related news, the December 2010 issue of New Ideas in Psychology is a special
issue on Interactivism, the emerging field in which Mark is a leader. (Posted
December, 2010)
Dominic Packer publishes in Social Influence, and Self & Identity
Dominic Packer recently published an article entitled 'The interactive influence of
conscientiousness and openness toc experience on dissent' in Social Influence. Data
across three studies showed that individuals who are both highly conscientious and
highly open to experience are more willing than others to express dissent regarding
group norms. Dr. Packer is also an author on a second paper with Jessica Remedios
and Alison Chasteen (Univ. of Toronto) entitled 'Sunny side up: The reliance on
positive age stereotypes in descriptions of future aged selves', published in Self and
Identity. (Posted June, 2010)
Amanda Brandone to join Lehigh's Psychology Department
We are thrilled to announce that Amanda Brandone will be joining our department
as an assistant professor in the fall of 2010. Amanda is graduating with her Ph.D. in
developmental psychology from the University of Michigan. She conducts
fascinating research on the processes by which infants and young children gain
understanding of the physical and social world. (Posted April 2010)
Laura Gelety Secures Position at Albright College
Graduate student (and soon to be Dr.) Laura Gelety has been hired as a full-time
psychology instructor for the Degree Completion Program in Organizational
Behavior & Applied Psychology at Albright College. She will be teaching courses in
statistics and research methods. Congratulations to Laura! (Posted April 2010)
Students Win Awards at LVAIC Undergraduate Psychology Research
Conference
Many our honors students presented their research at the annual Lehigh Valley
Association of Independent Colleges Undergraduate Psychology Research
Conference. We are proud to announce that several of them won research awards
for their work. Congratuations on this outstanding accomplishment!(Posted April
2010)
ORAL PRESENTATION WINNERS:
- Nancy Duchesneau (advised by Dr. Hupbach), Prevention of Episodic Memory
Reconsolidation.
- Kirsten Muser (advised by Dr. O'Seaghdha), Gesture Carryover Effects for Problem
Solving Explanations.
- Lauren Gill (advised by Dr. Barrett), Adaptation of Facial Expressions of Emotion in
Same-Race and Other-Race Faces.
POSTER PRESENTATION WINNER:
- Jonathan Lui (advised by Dr. Packer), The Role of Self-Regulation in Expressions of
Dissent.
Pat O'Seaghdha Publishes in Cognition
Dr. Padraig O'Seaghdha and collaborators Jenn-Yeu Chen and Train-Min Chen
(National Cheng Kung University) have published an article entitled 'Proximate
Units in Word Production: Phonological Encoding Begins with Syllables in Mandarin
Chinese but with Segments in English' in Cognition. Their key finding is that unlike
English speakers, Chinese speakers exhibit no benefit from knowing the initial
sounds of words to be produced. They argue that this is because syllables are
proximate units for Chinese speakers, whereas individual segments are primary for
English speakers. ( (Posted April 2010)
Nicolopoulou Lab Publishes in Mind, Culture, and Activity
Dr. Ageliki Nicolopoulou in collaboration with her students, Aline de Sa, Hande Ilgaz,
and Carolyn Brockmeyer, has published an article entitled 'Using the
Transformative Power of Play to Educate Hearts and Minds: From Vygotsky to
Vivian Paley and Beyond' in Mind, Culture, and Activity. Their paper is part of a
special issue on 'Playworlds of Children and Adults: Cross-Cultural Perspectives on
Play Pedagogy'. Congratulations! (Posted April 2010)
Barbara Malt Publishes Edited Volume: 'Words and the Mind'
Dr. Barbara Malt and Dr. Phillip Wolff (Emory University) have published an edited
book entitled Words and the Mind: How Words Encode Human Experience.
Published by the Oxford University Press, their book addresses critical questions
regarding how the meaning of words structures thought and perception. In
particular, cross-linguistic investigations raise a number of fascinating issues. To
quote from the cover-blurb: "...important distinctions made in one language are not
necessarily made in others. What are we to make of these cross-linguistic
differences? How do they arise? Are they created by purely linguistic processes
operating over the course of language evolution? Or do they reflect fundamental
differences in thought? In this sea of differences, are there any semantic universals?
Which categories might be given by the genes, which by culture, and which by
language?". Their book is available from fine booksellers everywhere.
Congratulations to Barbara!! (Posted March 2010)
Dominic Packer in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
Dominic Packer and Alison Chasteen (Univ. of Toronto) published an article entitled
'Loyal Deviance: Testing the Normative Conflict Model of Dissent in Social Groups' in
the January 2010 issue of Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. Four studies
examine the conditions under which identified group members express dissent
regarding group norms, and show that dissent among these individuals is motivated
by the collective interest. (Posted January 2010)
Ageliki Nicolopoulou Invited Commentary in Human Development
Dr. Nicolopolou was invited to contribute a commentary to Human Development's
Editor's Corner on 'The Alarming Disappearance of Play from Early Childhood
Education', an issue of critical concern to developmental psychologists and
educators alike. Ageliki's commentary appears in the January 2010 issue. (Posted
January 2010)