DEPARTMENT of Psychology on Our Minissue 6, Falld 2004 S… Will Continue to Be Well-Poised to Develop MESSAGE from the CHAIR Cutting Edge Psychological Knowledge
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University of Michigan DEPARTMENT OF Psychology on our minIssue 6, Falld 2004 s… will continue to be well-poised to develop MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR cutting edge psychological knowledge. SPOTLIGHT: BILL MCKEACHIE Welcome! This is the first year Psychology’s newsletter will reach To keep up with the changes here, visit We are pleased to honor Professor Emeritus Wilbert J. McKeachie in this newsletter. His many our 15,000 undergraduate alumni. It may have been a while our website—your website—which is up- contributions to the teaching of psychology, understanding of individual differences and since some of you have been on campus; the Department has dated on a daily basis at www.lsa.umich. human learning have benefited not only the Psychology Department and other University changed in many ways over the last few decades. From being edu/psych/. It is a great way to find out of Michigan programs, but national organizations as well. He is former Director of the spread throughout several locations across campus, Psychology about our faculty and their exciting re- UM Center for Research on Learning and Teaching, and has spent his entire professional is now under one roof (in East Hall, formerly known as East En- search findings. In the Alumni section, career at UM since taking his doctorate in 1949. His primary activities have been college Bill and Ginny McKeachie gineering). We continue to grow in size—we currently have over join the recently created Alumni & Friends teaching, research on college teaching, and training college teachers. He is Past President “Some may not know–because Bill is so 1,400 undergraduate concentrators and 150 doctoral students. online community. It is a quick and easy of the American Psychological Association; the American Association of Higher Educa- modest–that he’s the only individual to have We provide students more research and experiential learning way to keep us posted on the news in your tion; the American Psychological Foundation; the Division of Educational, Instructional, been president of both the American Psy- Richard Gonzalez, Professor and Chair opportunities than ever before. Despite all of the changes, the life. Peruse Al Raphelson’s history of the and School Psychology of the International Association of Applied Psychology; and the chological Association and the American interpersonal and intellectual climate still has the unique positive energy that has always department tracing Michigan psychology Center for Social Gerontology. He is also Past Chairman of the Committee on Teaching, Association of Higher Education; his impact characterized Michigan Psychology. And we continue to be a top-ranked Psychology De- from the early days in Philosophy through Research, and Publication of the American Association of University Professors, and of on both those worlds is legendary. What a partment. A former faculty member who recently visited the department said, “The faces the 1960s. You can soon read about a new Division J of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He has been a remarkable giant in the field!” And from are different, but the intellectual excitement is still here.” collaboration with the New Yorker Maga- member of the National Institute of Mental Health Council, the Veteran’s Association Sachio Ashida, “Bill was always kind to me zine to establish a research center on the Special Medical Advisory Group, and various other government advisory committees on as a friend as well as my mentor. He visited Our mission is clear: maintain excellence by creating new scientific knowledge about psychology of humor, which will have mental health, behavioral and biological research, and graduate training. He has written me in my laboratory at least once every week psychological processes through first rate scholarship, by teaching innovative courses access to the entire database of cartoons a number of research articles and books, the best known of which is Teaching Tips, Strate- in Mason Hall and while we’d chat he gave that engage students in research and service activities, and by mentoring graduate students published in the magazine since 1927. gies, Research and Theory for College and University Teachers. Among other honors, he has received me valuable suggestions and professional to become tomorrow’s leading psychological researchers. We accomplish these goals as a eight honorary degrees and the American Psychological Foundation Gold Medal for advisement. I found that he was not only an large, diverse and interdisciplinary community of scholars. Our simple recipe for suc- I hope you enjoyed the summer. I’m look- Lifetime Contributions to Psychology. Many of you may know that Bill loves a card game excellent scholar but also a superior sports- cess continues to be to recruit the best faculty and to attract the brightest students. This ing forward to the crisp and colorful Ann called Murder! which has become a sort of Psychology legacy. Bill continues the tradition man, specifically in softball. Although I left spring, a record number of 59 Psychology and Biopsychology undergraduate concentra- Arbor fall. If your travel plans include Ann of playing this game a few times a week in East Hall. And he loves to teach new players; UM in 1970, I have been greatly affected by tors received an Honors designation with their degrees. Together with the University, Arbor, please stop by the department, and Bill is a teacher through and through. When you ask Bill about himself, he’ll modestly his excellent leadership and serious concern we support and develop interdisciplinary training and research programs. We firmly always feel free to send an email to say, “I’m a country boy,” and “I was just lucky.” But when you ask people who have known about education and his research to develop believe that subsequent major scientific discoveries will likely emerge from exciting new [email protected] to let us know and worked with him for years? “Nobody could do it better. Bill is a master-builder,” instruments to evaluate the effectiveness of intersections between a variety of disciplines in and outside of psychology. Michigan what’s on your mind. says Al Cain. “One of the finest human beings on the planet,” comments Barbara Hofer. education.” 2 www.lsa.umich.edu/psych/ 3 ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND HONORS distinction to UM. Professor Patricia Reuter- quences of human aggression. Joshua Berke, demands for controlled attention. Her FACULTY NEWS In May, Professor Norbert Schwarz was named Lorenz received a Faculty Recognition Award PhD (Harvard University), joins the Bio- study on automatic vs. controlled reactions a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts for significant achievements in research psychology faculty in January as Assistant will be published in the November Psycho- Assistant Professor Oliver Schultheiss’ “Bush rage.” Seeing a photo of President and Sciences. Schwarz’ research interests and other scholarly activities; demonstrated Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience logical Science. Professor Martin Sarter, PhD research showing that movies can raise Bush was enough to provoke aggressive include social cognition, in particular excellence in teaching, advising and Scholar. His research concerns the role of (University of Konstanz), comes to the Bio- or lower hormone levels was published in thoughts and inhibit more helpful ones. the interplay of feeling and thinking and mentoring; and participation in service basal ganglia circuits in the learning, selec- psychology area; he studies the regulation the journal Hormones and Behavior and Since it’s hard to turn on the TV these conversational influences on judgment and activities. Professor Susan Gelman received the tion and performance of actions, and how and function of the cortical cholinergic subsequently covered by media outlets days without seeing the president, “images reasoning. Professor Phoebe Ellsworth has 2004 Eleanor Maccoby Book Prize from such neural mechanisms are altered in input system. Kevin Miller, PhD (University around the globe. “When you’re watching of President Bush in the media may have been named Frank Murphy Distinguished APA’s Division 7 for her book, The Essential psychiatric and neurological disorders such of Minnesota), will join us in January with movies, your hormones are responding, not the unintended consequence of activating University Professor of Law & Psychology. Child. The selection committee was as drug addiction and Parkinson’s Disease. a joint appointment in the School of Edu- just your mind,” said Schultheiss. Professor aggressive thoughts and inhibiting helpful The citation notes that she “has conducted “unanimously impressed by the research, Nick Ellis, PhD (University of Wales), joins cation; he studies the nature and sources Terry Robinson’s research showing that rats ones,” at least among political liberals, they the best, most highly regarded, and thinking, and writing that went into the us as Professor in the Developmental and of early math and literacy development. can indeed become addicted to drugs was reported. In a study on workplace incivility most broadly useful research within the book.” The Michigan Daily Best of 2A poll Cognition & Perception areas and as Re- Stephanie Preston, PhD (UC Berkeley), will be published in the journal Science and picked released last May, Assistant Professor Lilia American academy on the implications of voted Psychology 111 Best University Course. search Scientist at the English Language joining us next September. up by the Associated Press. “What confers Cortina found that 834 of 1,167 office workers social psychology for American criminal Institute. His research is mainly in the area susceptibility to experimenting and trying she interviewed experienced mistreatment procedure, answering empirical questions PROMOTIONS of second and foreign language acquisition. IN MEMORIAM drugs may be quite different than what at work. “Workplace incivility is still a over which the courts previously had To Associate Professor with tenure: Rosario Daniel Keating, PhD (Johns Hopkins Univer- Professor Emeritus John W. Atkinson (known changes your brain and leads to addiction,’’ major issue,” Cortina said.