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Department of Psychological Sciences

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Department of Psychological Sciences
Kansas State University
492 Bluemont Hall
1114 Mid-Campus Dr North
Manhattan, Kansas 66506-5302

785-532-6850
785-532-5401 fax
psych@ksu.edu

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Psychological Sciences - Opening Minds

The Department of Psychological Sciences seeks to enlighten our understanding of the diversity of human experience that drives behavior as well as to shed light on the mind's mechanisms that underlie this behavior.  The Department includes faculty and students who conduct research in one of four domains: industrial/organizational, social/personality, behavioral neuroscience, and cognitive/human factors.

Our research is diverse and frequently applies basic scientific research to real-world problems.  For more details, please explore individual faculty pages on this web site.  

Undergraduates often have the opportunity to work directly with faculty and graduate students in the lab as well as in the classroom.  Many of our undergraduates attend national scientific conferences where they present research that they have been conducting, and a surprising number eventually serve as co-authors on published research. 

Distance/On-campus Blended Masters students in our terminal Masters program specialize in Industrial and Organizational Psychology.  The two+ year program has been in existence since 2000 and brings students to campus for two weeks each summer with on-line classes during the regular semesters.

Doctoral students in each of our four graduate programs take classes from faculty in nearly every program. Successful doctoral students at K-State learn to reach across our subdisciplines. Students can also be involved in interdisciplinary research that reaches across departments.  Many of our doctoral students participate in the Teaching Apprenticeship Program in which they receive formal training and guided experiences that lead to independent teaching.  The success of this program is reflected in the numerous local and regional teaching awards that students have received. 

The department houses the Center for Cognitive and Neurobiological Approaches to Plasticity (CNAP).  The Center was established in 2017 and is funded by a 5-year $10.6 million NIH grant. CNAP research focuses on plasticity which is how organisms respond to change. Plasticity can involve the ability to change behavior in response to the environment or it can involve how the brain matures and changes over time.  

The field of psychology has a rich tradition in the scientific study of the environmental and biological processes impacting human and animal behavior.  If you want the opportunity to be taught by and to work with nationally and internationally renowned faculty and their students, we invite you to join us! 

Major News

Dr. Michael Young is the 2021 recipient of the Joe Brady Award from the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.  This award is granted to the author with the most frequently cited JEAB paper of the past three years (Discounting: A practical guide to multilevel analysis of choice data).

Dr. Michael Young was elected a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science.  

Dr. Michael Young was awarded the 2020 K-State Presidential Award for Outstanding Department Head. 

Dr. Michael Young is the 2020 recipient of the Joe Brady Award from the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.  This award is granted to the author with the most frequently cited JEAB paper of the past three years (Discounting: A practical guide to multilevel analysis of indifference data). 

Dr. Les Loschky was elected as a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science.  

Dr. Catherine Steele, 2019 Ph.D. advisee of Dr. Kimberly Kirkpatrick, received the APA Division 25 SEAB Dissertation Award in Basic Research.

Dr. Don Saucier featured in a podcast produced by Teaching in Higher Edhttps://teachinginhighered.com/podcast/trickle-down-engagement/.  He discusses his Trickle Down Engagement Model of teaching.

Dr. Kimberly Kirkpatrick was selected as a K-State University Distinguished Professor.  She is only the second UDP selected in the history of the department.  

Dr. Jerwen Jou and Chian-Hua Jou have established the Jerwen and Chian-Hua Jou Graduate Fund to support doctoral students in the Department of Psychological Sciences.  Dr. Jou is a professor of psychology at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley; he received his Ph.D. in Psychology in 1990 working with Dr. Richard Harris. 

Dr. Don Saucier was elected as a Fellow of the Midwestern Psychological Association.  

Dr. Mary Cain was elected as a Fellow of Division 28 (Psychopharmacology and Substance Abuse) of the American Psychological Association and will serve as Member-at-Large on the Executive Committee starting in January, 2019.  

Dr. Don Saucier was elected as a Fellow of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology for his long standing contributions to the Society and the field.  

Dr. Kimberly Kirkpatrick was selected for the Distinguished Graduate Faculty Award for 2018.   This award honors current members of the graduate faculty who are recognized nationally and internationally for their outstanding scholarly achievements and for their contributions to graduate education at the university. 

Other Major Announcements

Dr. Ken Sewell, 1986 BS, was selected as the 2018 K-State Arts and Sciences Alumni Fellow.  Dr. Sewell is the vice-president for research at Oklahoma State University.

Julio Manso, 2012 MIOP graduate, was selected as the 2018 K-State Global Campus Alumni Fellow. Julio is Head of Human Resources for Consumer and Community Banking Technology Operations and Digital with JP Morgan Chase & Co.

Dr. Kimberly Kirkpatrick is the PI of a new $10.6M, 5-year NIH COBRE grant to create the Center for Cognitive and Neurobiological Approaches to Plasticity. Project leaders on the grant are Drs. Bailey, Cain, and Pickens of Psych Sciences and Dr. Ni at Wichita State.  For more information, see the CNAP website

Alum Ken Sewell and his wife Beth have committed to the establishment of the Undergraduate Psychological Sciences Research Scholarship.  This $50,000 gift will  recognize an undergraduate Psych major actively involved in research in the department who has financial need.  

Dr. Kimberly Kirkpatrick was chosen as a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science.        

Ph.D. student Jordann Brandner (Brase advisee) received a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship which provides three years of funding. 

Undergrad Navanté Peacock received the Kansas State University Award for Distinguished Undergraduate Student in Research.

Alum Joel DiGirolamo has committed to the establishment of the DiGirolamo Student Research Assistantship in Psychological Sciences.  This $500,000 deferred estate gift will fund graduate or undergraduate student research assistantships in the I/O area.  The target is students capable of producing publishable research for which the student would serve as a co-author.  

Doctoral student Amanda Martens was the winner of the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools Doctoral Excellence in Teaching Award.

Dr. Gary Brase was chosen as a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science.     

Alum Milt Ahlerich was chosen as one of two 2016 Merit Award winners for the College of Arts and Sciences.  Milt was the Chief of Security for the National Football League and an Assistant Director for the FBI.  

Alum Joel DiGirolamo has established the Joel DiGirolamo Psychological Sciences Faculty Enhancement fund.  His $25k gift is for the purpose of supporting faculty attending or conducting teaching workshops, conference travel, presentation opportunities, or other related activities.  Thank you to Joel and his family for their support!

Alum Dr. Mitch Brigell and his wife, Deborah, have committed to a substantial deferred gift to the department.  Their $125k estate gift will be distributed to the department's Excellence Fund and the GTA Support Fund.  Thank you Mitch and Deborah for your continuing support!

Dr. Don Saucier was chosen as a Fellow of Division 9 (Psychological Study of Social Issues) of the American Psychological Association and a Fellow of the Society for Experimental Social Psychology.

Ph.D. student Catherine Hill (Kirkpatrick advisee) received a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship which provides three years of funding. Only 12% of the 17,000 applicants were funded.

Our Masters in I/O Psychology distance program ranked 5th nationally by successfulstudent.org.

Joel DiGirolamo, 2006 MIOP graduate, was selected as the 2016 K-State Global Campus Alumni Fellow.  He is the director of coaching science at the International Coach Federation and is the owner and president of Turbocharged Leadership in Lexington, Kentucky. 

Grants and Research Awards


Dr. Lester Loschky was awarded a three-year $1.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation. The grant is entitled "Measuring and Modeling Visual Attention in Online Multimedia Instruction," and will run from Sept 2021 through Sept 2024. The grant is in collaboration with Dr. Sanjay Rebello, Purdue University, Physics/Education; and Dr. Minh Hoai Nguyen, SUNY Stony Brook University, Computer Science.

Doctoral student Maverick Smith selected as K-State’s nominee for the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools/ProQuest Distinguished Thesis Award for the Social Sciences. 

Doctoral student Hayley Fisher received the K-State University Distinguished Professor Award for research by a graduate student.

Dr. Jin Lee received a $61k sub award on a $1.1M FEMA grant titled "Creating a FOCUS on Safety Culture through fire service assessment and training."    

Dr. Mary Cain received a $436k National Institute of Drug Abuse R15 grant titled "The effects of differential rearing on glutamate homeostasis and addiction."  The grant runs from August 2018 through July 2021. 

Dr. Jin Lee is the principal investigator on a $48k subaward that is part of a $1.5M FEMA grant received by investigators at Drexel University that will run from September 2017 through August 2020.  The grant is titled “Stress and violence in fire-based EMS responders.”   Dr. Lee will bring methodological expertise to the project on psychological evaluation and outcomes assessment.  

Dr. Gary Brase is the co-PI on a $174k NSF EAGER grant titled "Data generation for the coupled system composed of the beef cattle production infrastructure and the transportation services infrastructure in southwestern Kansas" that will run from September, 2017 through August, 2019.  The project PI is Dr. Caterina Scoglio in Electrical and Computer Engineering. 

Dr. Kimberly Kirkpatrick received a four-year $1.35M grant from the National Institute of Mental Health.  This is a continuation of her previous grant on timing, reward processing, and choice and will run through February, 2020.   

Earlier Grants and Research Awards

Dr. Greg Monaco is the co-Principal Investigator for a $1M grant from the National Science Foundation.  The grant will form a Digital Agriculture Spoke as part of the Midwest Big Data Hub which will help collaborators across institutions to build partnerships to address emerging issues such as precision agriculture, ecosystem management and services, socio-economic impacts, and specific data-related issues.

Dr. Greg Monaco received a one-year $50k grant from the National Science Foundation to examine the role of regional organizations in improving access to the national computational infrastructure starting August 2015.

Dr. Greg Monaco received a two-year $130k grant from the National Science Foundation to leverage partnerships across the Great Plains to enhance campus advanced networking, that started October 2014.

Dr. Mary Cain received a two-year $73k Diversity Supplement on her NIDA grant to support a graduate student from a diverse background starting August 2014.

Drs. Les Loschky, Sanjay Rebello (K-State Physics), and Andy Bennett (K-State Mathematics) received a 3-year $1.2M grant from the National Science Foundation to study the use of visual cueing and feedback to facilitate physics problem solving that started January 2014.

Dr. Michael Young received a 5-month $50k grant from the Hershey Company to study the factors affecting consumer product choice, August 2014.

Dr. Mary Cain was selected to be a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, Division 6 (Behavioral Neuroscience and Comparative Psychology), August 2013.

Dr. Mary Cain received a 3-year $436K grant from the National Institute for Drug Abuse to study the effects of differential rearing on glutamate homeostasis and addiction in May 2013.

Teaching Awards Won by Faculty and Graduate Students


2020: Tiffany Lawless, Ph.D. student, is the recipient of the College of Arts and Sciences William L. Stamey Undergraduate GTA Teaching Award

2020: Dr. Don Saucier is the recipient of the College of Arts and Sciences Gaches Lifetime Teaching Award

2020: Dr. Don Saucier received the K-State Mortar Board Senior Honor Society "Outstanding Faculty Award" for the College of Arts and Sciences. 

2019: Tucker Jones, K-State Graduate Student Council Award for Teaching Excellence for a doctoral student

2019: Tucker Jones, Ph.D. student, received the College of Arts and Sciences Stamey Award for Undergraduate Teaching by a graduate student

2018: Dr. Don Saucier received K-State's 2018 Ron Gaches Teaching Award for teaching excellence and innovation

2018: Dr. Heather Bailey received the K-State Presidential Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching

2018: Amanda Martens, Ph.D. student, received the K-State Presidential Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching

2017: Dr. Heather Bailey received the College of Arts and Sciences Stamey Award for Undergraduate Teaching by a faculty member

2017: Amanda Martens, Ph.D. student, received the College of Arts and Sciences Stamey Award for Undergraduate Teaching by a graduate student

2017: Amanda Martens, Ph.D. student, was the winner of the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools Doctoral Excellence in Teaching Award

Earlier Teaching Awards

2016: Dr. Donald Saucier received the K-State Book Network Faculty/Staff Award given for demonstrating enthusiasm and creative use of the common reading selection

2016: Amanda Martens, K-State Graduate Student Council Award for Teaching Excellence for a doctoral student

2016: Chelsea Schnabelrauch Arndt, Honorable mention for the Midwest Association of Graduate Schools Excellence in Teaching Award in the Doctoral Category

2016: Chelsea Schnabelrauch Arndt, APAGS (APA of Graduate Students) Teaching Excellence in Psychological Sciences Award. She was one of two recipients nationally for this award.

2015: Chelsea Schnabelrauch Arndt, K-State Graduate Student Council Award for Teaching Excellence for a doctoral student

2015: Dr. Don Saucier, Dr. Ron and Rae Iman Outstanding Faculty Award for Teaching 

2015: Dr. Don Saucier, Coffman Chair and a University Distinguished Teaching Scholar

 

Service & Other Awards


2020: Jason Walls, Undergraduate Student Advisor, was recognized with a K-State Charlie Award for his outstanding advising.

2019: Regina Crowell, Senior Administrative Assistant, was one of three recipients of the College of Arts and Sciences USS Employee of the Year Award.

2018: Dr. Michael Young began serving a three-year term on the Board of Directors for the Council of Graduate Departments of Psychology (COGDOP). COGDOP is the national organization that comprises chairs and heads of graduate departments of psychology. 

2016: Sarah Buchanan, Undergraduate Student Advisor, won the K-State College of Arts and Sciences Stamey Award for Undergraduate Advising.

2015: Dr. Mary Cain is President of Division 6 (Behavioral Neuroscience and Comparative Psychology) of the American Psychological Association.

2015: Dr. Heather Bailey began serving as a Consulting Editor for Journal of Experimental Psychology: General.

2015: Dr. Les Loschky began serving as a Consulting Editor for the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance.

2015: Dr. Laura Brannon was appointed to the editorial board of the journal Health Communication.

Earlier Service and Other Awards

2014: Dr. Kim Kirkpatrick was appointed as an Associate Editor for the journal Behavioural Processes.  

2013: Dr. YoungAh Park was selected to participate in the "Early Career Work and Family Scholars Program," a year-long scholar development program managed by the Work and Family Researchers Network (funded by the Sloan Foundation).  She was one of only 15 early career scholars selected for this year's program.  

2013: Dr. Mary Cain selected for the APA Leadership Institute for Women in Psychology. 

2013: Dr. Mary Cain, APA Division 6, Clifford T. Morgan Distinguished Service Award, for continuing exceptional contributions to the Division.

Other News


Psi Chi honor society chapter won the 2019-20 Model Chapter Award for the 3rd consecutive year. Haley Richards, president; Natalie Kokjer, vice-president; Annie Harper, secretary; Hayden Frederiksen, treasurer; Anna Welsh, Ambassador; Dr. Heather Bailey, faculty advisor.

Doctoral student Tucker Jones received a travel award from the Society for Personality and Social Psychology to attend their annual conference.

Conor O'Dea was selected as K-State’s nominee for the MAGS/ProQuest Distinguished Thesis Award for the Social Sciences award category. 

Dr. Saucier's article Individual differences in masculine honor beliefs predict attitudes toward aggressive security measures, war, and peace was featured in the latest issue of Peace Science Digest

Dr. Saucier was a member of the K-State grant team (with Associate Provost Niehoff and Drs. Jana Fallin and Greg Eiselein) that secured a second year of funding from the Kauffman Foundation for the ACUE Teacher Training Course.  

Grad student Lisa Vangsness received a Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Student Presenter Award for her poster to be presented at the HFES International Meeting in Philadelphia, October, 2018. The award supports her travel to the meeting.

Grad student Kim Newberry received a 2018 Psychonomic Society Accommodation Award.  She is one of 25 recipients nationally.  The award supports her to travel to Amsterdam to present her research at the international meeting of the Society this year. 

Earlier Other News

Grad student Catherine Steele completed a Science Communication Fellowship through the Sunset Zoo.  A web site featuring her work is available here.

Undergrad Navante Peacock won the Society for Personality and Social Psychology Undergraduate Poster Award for research he conducted with Dr. Saucier and his lab.

Undergrad Navante Peacock (working with Dr. Saucier) won a Society for Personality and Social Psychology Diversity Fund Undergraduate Registration Award.

Undergrad student Emily Nelsen won the best undergraduate student poster award at the annual Society for Personality and Social Psychology conference in 2016.  "Beyond Sexual Purity: An Examination of Modern and Traditional Conceptualizations of Feminine Honor." Nelsen, Quinmill Lei, Amanda Martens, Stuart Miller, and Donald Saucier.

PhD student Stuart Miller was runner-up for the best graduate student poster award at the annual Society for Personality and Social Psychology conference in 2016.  "Perceptions of Racism in the Context of Police Shootings: False-Positives or False-Negatives in Observers’ Attributions to Prejudice?" Miller, Navanté Peacock, and Donald Saucier.

Graduate student Judy LaValley was awarded a Certificate of Excellence from the Army Research Institute for extraordinary achievements in scholarship and exemplary contributions to ARI.  She will be leaving ARI to take a prestigious summer internship with RAND Corporation in California.

Sooyeol Kim, Dr. YoungAh Park, and Lucy Headrick's paper "Employees' micro-break activities and job performance: An examination of telemarketing employees" was selected for the 2015 Academy of Management Meeting as one of the best accepted papers.

Donte Bernard (2013 BS), Dr. McManus (2013 PhD), and Dr. Saucier received a Diversity Article Award from the Psi Chi Diversity Committee and Board of Directors for an article they published in the Psi Chi Journal of Psychological Research

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