2 0 0 8 biologically embedded and impact people’sbiologically embeddedandimpact for risk how stressors that life occur early during canget how stress plays outinthebodybiologically, and cuses specifically on the effects of stress. He studies have independent specialties. Professor fo Miller they doalotofoverlapping research, theyalso from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. While as theprotective that canbuffer factors people pathways that canexplain therelationship aswell life. They studythepsychological andbiological lifeearly conditions affect physical healthlater in relate to how socioeconomic status, poverty, and . to area beableto expand into of thisimportant to jointhefaculty, isthrilled andthedepartment Research. They willbe thefirsthealthpsychologists Psychology for andtheInstitute Policy Department gists who willhave joint appointments withthe Columbia.of British are Both healthpsycholo team coming to Northwestern from theUniversity Professor are ahusband-and-wife ChenandMiller Edith Chen and Gregory Miller Edith ChenandGregory New Faculty Profiles: T The research ofProfessor ChenandMiller atNorthwestern University ofPsychology The newsletter oftheDepartment and Greg Miller, thisyear. to ourdepartment welcome two newprofessors, Edith Chen he Psychology isexcited Department to psych watch - - have found aplace for bothofthemat Northwest a joint research labinthefall. They feel grateful to together intheirnewjobs, andtheywillbestarting They are excited to work to have theopportunity pair saidsimply, “We doourbestwork together.” sional andpersonallives, thehusband-and-wife interests. UCLA andfirstbonded over theirshared academic thetwo metingraduatewas Greg Miller; schoolat with whomshecollaborated. Oneofthesepeople ofthepeopleshemetand chology asafunction over timeherinterests toward shifted healthpsy disorders, outstudyinganxiety but She started doctorate at University ofCalifornia, Los Angeles. and thendecidedto switch to psychology for her ofscience University, from Harvard in thehistory varied academicpath. Shereceived herbachelor’s health psychology, butProfessor Chenhadamore that contribute to healthdisparities. hood, family, andindividualpsychological factors also doeswork onunderstandingtheneighbor childhood healthproblems suchasasthma,and medical problems. Professor Chenfocuses on When asked how theybalance theirprofes- Professor hasalways Miller beeninterested in Edith &Gregwiththeirson,Jonah(age6) 2012 continued onpage3 - - - Degree Recipients. Printer: ElkGroveGraphicsInc. Design: RobertGrilloCreative,Inc. Editors: KatieMeyer&BenGorvine Chair: DanMcAdams at: [email protected]. e-mail or 60208; IL Evanston, ern Psychology, of partment us either by mail, at PsychWatch, De- contact Please welcome. always are our historic building. Your comments of feature architectural distinctive a from the lights in the details are newsletter the of head University. at Psychology of ment ni, faculty, and friends of the Depart- PsychWatch is a newsletter for alum- ABOUT PSYCHWATC Tomeka Bolar Distinguished StaffProfile: A NoteFromtheChair: Edith Chen&GregoryMiller. New FacultyProfiles: In thisssue Marilyn Brewer Distinguished AlumnaProfile: Satoru uzuki Distinguished FacultyProfile: Alumni Questionnaire. Psychology Faculty. Alumni News. Awards. niversity, 2029 University, ...... The graphics in the mast- ...... 10-11 ...... Swift heridan Road, Sheridan Northwestern

...... Northwest Hall entry, 6-7 1,3 12 - 8 9 3 5 2 4 psychwatch The newsletter of the Department of Psychology at

A Note from the Chair by Dan P. McAdams

reetings from Northwestern! The most important thing that faculty In my remarks to the graduating members in the Psychology Department do is to Gseniors and their parents this past June, teach and train the wonderful students we are I focused on a few stories about the undergradu- honored to know here. ates in the Psychology Department. Let me Beyond teaching and training, our faculty begin my annual report to you along the same chalked up a large number of impressive accom- lines: plishments on the fronts of scientific research Ganesh Thippeswamy worked this past and professional development. These are listed year with Professor Ben Gorvine on a proj- in other places in our newsletter, but let me ect that aims to provide guidance for at-risk recognize a few of the most noteworthy here. students attending an alternative high school in Along with Sir Paul McCartney and a handful Chicago. Ganesh co-facilitated a young men’s of other luminaries, Professor Alice Eagly was group at the school, leading discussions on inducted into the American Academy of Arts centuries, and that today we may be living in the masculinity, parenting, and personal develop- and Sciences this past year. Sandy Waxman was most peaceful epoch ever. I was skeptical when ment. Along with Ben, Ganesh co-authored a officially invested as the Louis W. Menck Profes- I started the book, but Pinker won me over by recently published paper entitled “A Qualitative sor in Psychology, and Dedre Gentner received the end. You should read it and see what you Assessment of HIV/AIDS Related Knowledge in a parallel honor, receiving the endowed Alice think! Inner-City Minority Students.” Gabrielle Twight Professorship. Satoru Suzuki For the new academic year, we welcome 16 Professor Robin Nusslock credits Ellen was promoted to full professor, Steve Franconeri new PhD students in the Psychology Depart- Reynolds for nearly single handedly getting his received tenure and was promoted to associate ment. Our new Director of Graduate Studies, lab up and running this past year. Ellen con- professor, and Ben Gorvine was promoted to Professor Sue Hespos, presided over a very suc- ducted her own research in the area of psycho- senior lecturer. cessful recruiting season. Among our new junior physiology, as well, producing an outstanding Perhaps the biggest highlight of the year colleagues, three students are from underrepre- honors thesis. She is off to Columbia University was the inaugural Northwestern Symposium on sented minorities. this fall to take a full-time position as a research Mind and Society, which took place on April 19 The new year also welcomes two new coordinator for a neuroscience lab. and featured Dan Gilbert, a faculty to Northwestern University. Through a Nicole Hendrix worked with Professors Sue rock star and professor at Harvard. Gilbert par- joint search with Northwestern’s Institute for Hespos and Sandy Waxman in research on infant ticipated in a panel discussion in the afternoon, Policy Research, the Psychology Department cognition. Sandy describes Nicole as a “dedi- which centered on issues raised in his recent hired a superstar husband-and-wife team: Pro- cated, thorough, and terrific writer.” Sue reports book, Stumbling on Happiness. Gilbert’s public fessors Edith Chen and Greg Miller. This single that Nicole will be leaving crying babies behind address that evening was extraordinary — a hire suddenly gives us a formidable program in this fall to attend graduate school in educational cross between a stand-up comedy routine and health psychology, which we hope to augment psychology at the University of Iowa. scientific lecture. Nearly 1,000 people filled with an upcoming hire in the area of “personality Grace Berman and Ben Yu worked this Pick Staiger Auditorium to hear Gilbert speak. I and health.” You can read about Edith, Greg, and past year in Professor Eli Finkel’s social psychol- believe this to have been one of the most suc- their son Joshua in accompanying articles for ogy lab. Quoting Eli here, Grace “hurled herself cessful, high-profile academic events that North- this issue of Psychwatch. headlong into one of the most contentious western University has ever put on. Contingent The department was also fortunate this topics among scholars of interpersonal attrac- on funding, the Psychology Department plans year to receive a generous grant from the tion. [Seems ironic that scholars who study to host a second Northwestern Symposium on Alumnae of Northwestern University Gifts and love should end up being so “contentious”!] Mind and Society in 2013-14. Grants Committee that allowed us to upgrade Along the way she provided crucial evidence In a related vein, a second highlight of the ceiling-mounted projectors in our two Swift to resolving scholarly debates in the field.” Ben the year was a big student-sponsored public Hall seminar rooms. The improved capability blended his expertise in biology with expertise lecture delivered by Harvard Professor Steve of these state-of-the-art projectors will allow in psychology to produce a thesis that required Pinker, back in February. Pinker spoke about faculty, graduate students, and guest presenters the best of both. He showed that testosterone his new book, The Better Angels of our Nature. to display high-resolution slides (such as brain spikes when people are exposed to romantic Amassing an enormous amount of scientific images) with improved clarity and visibility. mating opportunities, and, to quote Eli again, and historical evidence, Pinker’s book makes the I hope your year was as good as ours here “he discovered something essential about the counterintuitive argument that human violence at Northwestern. Do drop us a line — via email human psyche along the way.” has dramatically declined over the past two or whatever— to get us up to date on what is going on in your professional life. Or come to campus. We are eager to include news from our alumni in future editions of this publication. And should you fancy to offer other forms of support, we would love to hear about that, too. The Psychology Department continues to search for new ways to enhance our research enterprise and improve our educational mission. If you feel you can help us in that regard, let us know.

Steven Pinker spoke at NU on Februrary 20 Dan Gilbert spoke at NU on April 19 Photo Credit: Stephen Anzaldi Photo Credit: Natalie Krebs 2 Distinguished Faculty Profile: Satoru Suzuki

atoru Suzuki is a faculty member in the fundamental entity. Brain, Behavior, and Cognition division who He left UMass after Sstudies vision, cross-modal interactions, and getting his master’s awareness. He has been with Northwestern’s De- and switched into a partment of Psychology since fall 1997. The main psychology doctoral goal of his research is to understand how people program at Harvard. perceive things. He works to understand how Fate was on his side interactions of neural responses create perceptual because that year reality. the program took Professor Suzuki also studies conscious and in students with unconscious processing and how the two work unconventional together in people’s daily lives. He is curious about backgrounds. Al- the common, frustrating situation where you know though he was slow what you want to say, but you cannot figure out in the beginning, the right words to explain it properly. People have he believes having an ongoing dialogue between their conscious a non-psychology mind that has desires and intentions, and their background allows unconscious mind that actually generates things him to make a such as words, ideas, actions, and emotions at the unique contribu- request of their conscious mind. By investigat- tion to the study of Satoru with his daughter, Kya ing how information processing differs between the brain and mind. the conscious and unconscious modes of neural Now with his research on perception, he feels like believes colleagues make or break a job, and he is interactions, Professor Suzuki strives to understand he is finally settled on the core subject matter that happy to be surrounded by friendly people. He also how best to access your unconscious mind so as to he had long been searching for. appreciates the high quality of undergraduate stu- increase the likelihood of generating ideas, actions Professor Suzuki and his fellow researcher, dents that Northwestern attracts. His favorite class and experience. Research Associate Professor Marcia Grabowecky, to teach is an undergrad class titled “Conscious- Over the course of his academic journey, also a member of the psychology faculty, are the ness.” He likes that it is all discussion based and that Professor Suzuki has explored a variety of interests, principal investigators of the Visual Perception, he gets to discuss the cutting edge research being always in a quest to get to the bottom of things. Neuroscience, and Cognition Lab. When asked done in the field with young minds. When he started his bachelor’s at Wesleyan Univer- how the collaboration started, Professor Suzuki Music is Professor Suzuki’s second love. He sity, he was originally interested in biotechnology. replied that when he first came to Northwestern he almost double majored in music while in college, He soon realized that he wanted to investigate the did not know Dr. Grabowecky. They did not speak and has always been passionate about composing. core information driving biological theories. He for nearly a year, but Dr. Grabowecky eventually While at Wesleyan, he had the opportunity to work switched to physics and found the subject matter broke the ice and came to his office to talk. They with a dance major on her senior project. He would more in tune with the way his mind worked. After realized they shared similar research interests, had go to rehearsals and work with a group of dancers, completing his undergraduate degree, he was complementary expertise, and worked very well each improvising in reaction to each other’s art accepted into a doctoral program in physics at together. They have been collaborating on their while he improvised melodies and rhythms to the University of Massachusetts. Physicists talk research ever since. harmonize with the dancers’ movements and senti- about “reality” as an objective understanding of When describing his feelings about North- ments. Between his research and playing soccer the universe, but he could not get past the idea western, Professor Suzuki said he feels grateful to with his daughter, Professor Suzuki does not have a that all knowledge has to go through our mind. be in an institution where everyone is collegial. He lot of time for outside activities, but he remembers Every physics experiment had to be constructed finds it easy and fun to collaborate with colleagues that experience in college fondly. He hopes he can so that the human brain could understand, and in the social, clinical, and personality areas, as well go back to composing sometime in the future. he realized that the human mind was the most as those within his own area of research. He

Edith Chen and Gregory Miller continued from page 1 ern, where the current faculty is welcoming health psychology, and Professor Miller will Chicago. Professor Miller said there are few and enthusiastic about expanding the de- teach an advanced undergraduate seminar places for which they would consider throw- partment’s academic scope. Professors Chen on psychoneuroimmunology. They hope to ing their life into upheaval, but Northwestern and Miller look forward to bringing health develop new graduate health psychology is a great university with wonderful people psychology into more prominence. There are courses in the future. and a strong research reputation. He also many people doing health-related research This summer Professors Chen and Miller added jokingly that they luckily already love at Northwestern, but there has historically packed up their family and made the long purple. When not doing research, they spend been less focus on this within the Psychology move from Vancouver to Chicago. Vancou- time with their six-year-old son, Jonah, and Department. Professors Chen and Miller will ver consistently ranks as one of the world’s enjoy skiing, traveling, and hiking. In the help align courses from other departments most livable cities, so they are sad to leave it upcoming year they look forward to explor- to develop a larger contingent of health behind. They said it speaks to the quality of ing Chicago, discovering new restaurants, and classes. Next spring, Professor Chen will teach Northwestern that they are willing to move, learning to love the Cubs. an undergraduate special topics course on and they remain optimistic about loving 3 psychwatch The newsletter of the Department of Psychology at Northwestern University

Distinguished Alumna Profile: Marilynn Brewer

orthwestern alumna Marilynn Brewer was Graduate Student Profile: born and raised in Chicago, and received her Daniel sanchez in Brain, behavior, NPhD in social psychology from Northwestern University in 1968. After spending her first few years as and cognition an assistant professor at Loyola University of Chicago, From the blistering heat of the southern California she spent the next twenty years as tenured faculty at high desert, Daniel Sanchez found reprieve in the cool University of California Santa Barbara and at the University shores near the University of California, San Diego. With of California Los Angeles, where she also served as Director an early passion for science bolstered by the great Don of UCLA’s Institute for Social Science Research. In 1993 she Herbert (Mr. Wizard), he was originally committed to a was hired as the Eminent Scholar in Social Psychology at career in engineering and physics in order to find a place Ohio State University, and since 2009, has been Professor in the research and development area of the automotive in- Emeritus at Ohio State University and a visiting professor at dustry. However, after a few psychology courses revealed the University of New South Wales in Australia. doctoral degree) had a tremendous influence the mysteries of the brain, Danny decided he was more Across her distinguished career Dr. Brewer authored on my social conscience that shaped both my interested in reverse-engineering the process of human or edited a dozen books, as well as more than 200 articles. political values and my research interests for the cognition. A reductionist interest in neuroscience led him She has been recognized as one of psychology’s most influ- rest of my life. to work in the rat lab of Dr. Squire, under the guidance of ential scholars in the understanding of intergroup relations, But nothing that I experienced during Dr. Robert Clark. Although the memory research conducted social identities, and the self-concept, with her work cited my four years of predoctoral and two years of in the laboratory was of significant interest, he quickly more than 20,000 times. The importance of Dr. Brewer’s postdoctoral work at Northwestern compared decided that working with rodents was not a personally work has been recognized across multiple disciplinary to the impact of having Donald Campbell as my desirable career path. After dabbling in language research boundaries within psychology, as reflected by her multiple academic advisor and mentor. Although nominally with Dr. Tracy Love, Daniel found his way into the implicit prestigious awards, including the Kurt Lewin Award (Society trained in the field of social psychology, I found memory lab of Dr. Paul Reber, where he is currently in the for Psychological Study of Social Issues), the Donald T. that working with Don Campbell was an educa- process of developing his dissertation work. Campbell Award for Distinguished Research in Social tion in epistemology, evolutionary theory, and His primary interests reside in understanding how Psychology (Society for Personality and Social Psychol- research methodology all writ large. I gradually people are ogy), the International Society for Self and Identity Career honed my intellectual debating skills, arguing able to acquire Award, the Harold Lasswell Career Award (International with Don over issues of human nature and the expertise in Society of Political Psychology), the Distinguished Scientist “selfish gene” (learning in the process that Don complex skills. Award, (Society for Experimental Social Psychology) and was always open to a good argument, but never It has long been Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award (American actually changed his mind). While I was still a understood that Psychological Association). Her professional and scientific graduate student Campbell invited me to become practice makes contributions were further recognized when she was elected a research associate on an interdisciplinary perfect, but the to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2004. program of research entitled the Cross-Cultural underlying neu- Beyond her clear scientific impact, Dr. Brewer also Study of Ethnocentrism (CCSE). The CCSE proj- ral mechanisms strongly influenced the field of psychology through her ect, funded by the Carnegie Foundation, was an that support service. She has served as editor or associate editor of four ambitious collaborative effort led by Campbell procedural journals, as the president of five scientific societies, and and Robert A. Levine, an anthropologist from the improvements was both a founding member and president of the American University of Chicago. Combining ethnographic are still quite Psychological Society. methods and structured interview surveys in mysterious. Dr. Brewer is known for being both a fearless meth- sites all over the world, the goal of the project For instance, using the Serial Interception Sequence odologist, a broad thinker, and a cross-disciplinary scholar was to test the universality of certain principles Learning (SISL) task, researchers have yet to find any exploring fundamental questions of the sociality of human of ingroup favoritism and intergroup relations— tangible limit on the amount or complexity of information nature. She traces the genesis of many of these aspects to pretty heady stuff for a still-fledgling social one can acquire during perceptual-motor learning. Danny’s her time in the Northwestern psychology department, and scientist. One aspect of the CCSE — a survey dissertation research is specifically concerned with the especially to her graduate mentorship by Professor Donald study of intergroup perceptions in East Africa— interplay between the explicit (knowing what) and implicit Campbell. became the basis for my doctoral dissertation (knowing how) memory systems, and has been personally research and a later book co-authored with Don. motivated by his passion for art and cartooning. Likewise, Marilynn Brewer – A Few Northwestern Reminiscences Apart from these tangible products, the questions a side-project collaboration combining neuroscience and When I entered the doctoral program in psychology posed by the CCSE project—questions of group cryptography has been extremely rewarding in that it at NU in 1964, I was incredibly naive, both intellectually identity and intergroup behavior—became the allows for a unique return to his original passion for math and politically. Having graduated from a small liberal arts key questions that I would pursue throughout my and engineering. While a career in academia, allowing for college, my education in the social sciences had been broad research career. the continued pursuit of understanding the brain, remains but not very deep. So I was grateful that the psychology In a number of autobiographical essays, the obvious goal, he likes the idea of leaving his future doctoral program at that time had a structured curriculum Don Campbell expressed his gratitude to the psy- options open (hopefully, with options that coincide with of required courses for the first two years of graduate chology program at Northwestern for affording returning to the salty breeze of the Pacific coast). The work. Taking classes on the content, methods, and history him the luxury of pursuing his broad (and often recent addition of a rambunctious son to his small family of psychology from faculty such as Ben Underwood, Win Hill, idiosyncratic) intellectual interests without the has consumed his being and has added richness to his life Carl Duncan, and Al Erlebacher upped my level of sophistica- constraints of rigid disciplinary or subdisci- that makes living in the present far more important than tion in the discipline substantially. At the same time, the plinary boundaries. As the indirect beneficiary worrying about the future. political climate of the late 1960s (including the Democratic of this intellectual freedom, I share his gratitude, . convention in Chicago in 1968, just after I completed my along with many fond memories of my tenure at Northwestern. 4 Distinguished Staff Profile: Tomeka Bolar

s the business administrator for the De- In 2010 Tomeka received the Phil partment of Psychology, Tomeka Bolar is Waldenberg Weinberg College of Arts and Aan integral figure in the department. She Sciences Staff Mentor of the Year Award. Graduate Student Profile: has been working for Northwestern for 16 years, The award goes to the Weinberg College and has been in the Psychology Department for Staff member who has shown outstand- Josh Wilt in Personality the past 11. Tomeka started at Northwestern in ing leadership in coaching and mentor- Josh grew up in a small town near Pittsburgh, PA, where March of 2001 as a program assistant in the Lin- ing their fellow staff members. In her 11 he spent much of his time playing basketball and dreaming of guistics Department. She was originally drawn years with Psychology, Tomeka has done making the NBA. Notably, he was also instilled with an undying to Northwestern because she wanted to work in a variety of tasks in the department, and love for the Pittsburgh traditions of rooting for the Steelers and an academic atmosphere. She appreciated the she shares the tips and tricks she learned eating pierogies. fact that she was able to take classes at night with the other staff members who now As an undergraduate at Ohio State University, Josh and expand her education while working full- have those duties. She has a friendly voraciously gathered as much experience as he could in psychol- time. She was not interested in earning another relationship with all of the Psychology ogy research; he worked as a research assistant in personality, degree, but simply liked the opportunity to learn staff and maintains a welcoming environ- clinical, social, psychobiology, and neuroscience labs, and he more about different subject areas. She started ment in the main office. Despite her heavy completed an internship focused on forensic psychology. Unable the job with a bachelor’s degree in English, and workload, she always makes time for her to decide which area of psychology he found most fascinating, over the years she took several night classes in coworkers. Two years after receiving the Josh made his way to the Wake Forest University master’s pro- organizational behavior. award she says she is still doesn’t know gram in general psychology. He was fortunate to work under the A few years into working as a Linguistics’ who nominated her. guidance of personality psychologist William Fleeson on research program assistant, Tomeka got a call from the Tomeka lives in Dalton on the border examining how behavioral states influence subjective judgments Dean of Finance. Their department was down a of Illinois and Indiana which means she of one’s own authenticity, and while doing so the decision to staff member, and they asked if she could help has an hour-and-a-half commute each pursue personality psychology became clear. with some of the workload. She said yes because way. She says she does not mind the time Josh — as she puts it — “You cannot say no to the except when the road conditions are poor feels extremely Dean.” She thought she was just helping out as in the winter and the commute increases grateful for the a favor, but as it turns out they were testing her. to two hours or more. She spent her child- opportunity to work Six months later, she got a call from the Dean’s hood in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, but she with his advisers office asking if she would consider applying to has lived in the Chicago area since 1978. at Northwestern, be the business administrator of Psychology. Her husband works as a cable installer in William Revelle Tomeka said she would not have thought to Dalton and his family lives out there as and Dan McAdams. consider the position upgrade, but at the recom- well. The Bolars have two children: Nylah Each has been a mendation of the Dean of Finance she applied who is 9, and Jeremiah who is 4. When constant source and got the job. asked how she balances a full-time job of inspiration and Today Tomeka’s primary duties include with two young children, Tomeka said guidance with grant and office management. Her she’s glad to live near family because her respect to the favorite part of the job is managing the depart- mother-in-law can help them out. When foundations of ment’s grants. She gets to help faculty members she is not working Tomeka enjoys going personality psychology, experimental design, and the identifica- put together their proposals and manage their to movies with her family. In particular she tion of new and interesting topics for investigation. Josh is also budgets after they receive the grants. She thinks likes seeing shows at an old drive-in movie indebted to the undergraduate research assistants who have it is exciting to have a hand in the groundbreak- theater that’s still operating in Indiana. been integral to a wide variety of research projects, from using ing research being carried out in the depart- cell-phone text-messaging to collect data on the experience of ment. college graduation to interviewing professional dancers about their life stories. Currently, Josh is working on his dissertation, which is broadly focused on how affect, behavior, cognition, and desire are manifested in personality traits and life-narratives. When asked how such seemingly different topics fall within the same field, Josh will respond with his favorite quote from Dr. Revelle, one that reflects what Josh finds so appealing about personality: “Personality is the last refuge of the generalist in psychology.” Josh is looking forward to someday landing an academic job and passing on his enthusiasm for the field of personality to his own graduate students. He is nearly as excited about the upcoming seasons of Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, and Justi- fied, as well as re-watching The Wire and The Shield. When not doing research or watching iconic television programs, Josh can be found at the movies with his wife, where they are steadfastly pursuing the goal of one day seeing 1,000 movies together.

Tomeka Bolar (left) with Azurii Collier ‘12 and financial assistant Kylah Eagan 5 psychwatch The newsletter of the Department of Psychology at Northwestern University

PhD Recipients 2011-2012

WINSTON CHANG VANI MATHUR BENJAMIN SCHALET (Lance Rips- Adviser) (Joan Chiao-Adviser) (Emily Durbin- Adviser) “Casual Thinking with Physical “Racial disparities in the “Openness, Intellect, and Graduate Student Profile: Mechanisms” subjective and neurobiological Absorption: An Exploratory maureen craig in social processing of pain perception Study of Structure and Maureen is a fourth year doctoral student in social BOBBY CHEON and experience” Links to Psychopathology” psychology. After growing up in Grand Rapids, Michigan, she (Joan Chiao-Adviser) began undergraduate studies at . She started “Gene-Environment Interac- HEATHER MIROUS DAVID SYLVA on the path to a career in social psychology in a rather unusual tions on Intergroup Bias: The (Mark Beeman- Adviser) (Mike Bailey- Adviser) way: as a future civil engineer. However, after taking (and lov- Role of Threat Sensitivity and “Mood Makes or Breaks Mean- “Neural Correlates of ing) a course on stereotyping and discrimination, she began her Motivations for Social Affilia- ing? Mood Effects on Inference Sexual Arousal in Bisexual, studies in social psychology. She participated in three research tion” Processing During Narrative Homosexual, and Hetero- Comprehension in Adults & sexual Men” labs as an undergraduate, including a stint one summer in HEEYOUNG CHOO Children” Oklahoma as a researcher for an NSF Research Experience for (Steve Franconeri- Adviser) SYLIA WILSON Undergraduates program. “Gist perception of size, numer- DESTINY PEERY (Emily Durbin- Adviser) Currently, Maureen’s research interests lie primarily osity, and orientation” (Galen Bodenhausen- Adviser) “The Laboratory Parenting in the interplay between social cognition and intergroup rela- “Race at the Boundaries: Better Assessment Battery (Lab- tions. For example, what influences members of stigmatized AZURII COLLIER Understanding the Construc- PAB): Development and groups to perceive (Mark Beeman- Adviser) tion of Race through the Study Validation of an Observa- other stigmatized “The Mechanisms of Intuitive of Racial Categorization of tional Parenting Rating groups as potential Judgments and Representa- Ambiguous Targets” System” allies or as potential tions of Solution Knowledge competitors? In her during Insight Problem Solv- ANDREA PROCTOR research she has ing” (Lance Rips- Adviser) found that reminding “The Computation and Process- racial minority group ing of Lexical Aspect in Brief HEATHER LUCAS members (e.g., Latinos) Narratives” (Ken Paller- Adviser) of the discrimination “Neurocognitive Interactions that their racial group Between Fluency and Familiar- has faced leads to ity Memory” greater positivity towards and perceived similarity with another racial minority group (e.g., Black Americans). This suggests that salient racism may trigger a common “disadvantaged racial minority” (ingroup) identity, engendering more positive attitudes toward and feelings of closeness with other racial minority groups. Intriguingly, a different pattern of results emerged in her studies exploring these processes in White women. In these studies, White women primed with sex- ism expressed more intergroup racial bias, compared to women who were not primed with sexism. One explanation for these results is that it may be easier to elicit a common “disadvan- taged” identity among members of disadvantaged groups within a category dimension (i.e., race), compared with disadvantaged group members across category dimensions (i.e., gender and race). Conversely, different types of discrimination may be seen as more or less similar to other types of discrimination and the perceived similarity of the discrimination experiences may drive the differing results. Maureen will further explore when one may expect intergroup positivity among minority group members in response to ingroup discrimination in her dissertation. When not conducting research, Maureen likes to run, having completed her first marathon in fall 2011. Maureen also Graduate admissions coordinator,Florence Sales, with the 2012 PhD recipents on graduation day. enjoys going into the city to take advantage of the numerous Photo Credit: Sara Jensen comedy clubs that Chicago has to offer, cooking at home, and playing her most recently acquired musical instrument, the violin. After graduation, Maureen plans to pursue a research- focused career at an academic institution.

6 MA/MS Recipients 2011-2012

MA Recipients BRIAN EDWARDS ILIANA VARGAS CAITLIN DUFFY Adviser: Lance Rips Adviser: Ken Paller Adviser: Eli Finkel PRIYA KAMAT DARYA ZABELINA CASEY NOBLE Adviser: Wendi Gardner Adviser: Mark Beeman Graduate Student Profile: Adviser: Sid Horton NEHJLA MASHAL Sasha sherman in cognitive Adviser: Richard Zinbarg Before pursuing her PhD at Northwestern in Cogni- MS Recipients tive Psychology, Sasha attended Rutgers University in New KEVIN PRICE Jersey, where she double-majored in Cognitive Science and YIN-JUEI CHANG Adviser: Marcia Grabowecky Art History. At Northwestern she has primarily focused on Adviser: Susan Hespos understanding auditory-visual interactions. Her research uses behavioral, neural, and computational methods to understand how meaningful sounds interact with visual perception. She has shown that various types of sounds Undergraduate Honors Students 2011-2012 influence perception and visual scanning of faces, objects, and scenes. For example, she has demonstrated that laughter modulates the perception of emotional expressions depending on visual context. GRACE BEEMAN ALCINA LIDDER KI EUN SHIN Sasha Adviser: Eli Finkel Adviser: Richard Zinbarg Adviser: Richard Zinbarg extended the previous WILL DOMBAI DANIEL MESCHER MAX SUTTON-SMOLIN research, Adviser: Wendi Gardner Adviser: Mesmin Destin Adviser: David Rapp which only JOSHUA GREGORY KAITLIN MEYER NEIL VASQUEZ investigated auditory- Adviser: Richard Zinbarg Adviser: Renee Engeln Adviser: Michael Bailey visual interac- NICOLE HENDRIX JENNIFER PIEMONTE BENJAMIN YU tions in facial Adviser: Susan Hespos Adviser: Renee Engeln Adviser: Eli Finkel expression perception KEVIN HSU ELLEN REYNOLDS for single, Adviser: Michael Bailey Adviser: Robin Nusslock isolated faces, to crowds of faces, and demonstrated a surprising result. For a single face, laughter increased the KRISTINE KOHLHEPP ANNA RHOAD perceived intensity of a happy expression, whereas for Adviser: David Rapp Adviser: Karl Rosengren a crowd of faces, laughter produced an opposite effect, increasing the perceived intensity of a sad expression CHRISTINE LEE KATHRYN RULON in a crowd. In terms of how auditory features influence Adviser: Karl Rosengren Adviser: Renee Engeln visual perception, Sasha has shown that different auditory rhythms guide eye gaze to specific regions of spatial frequency. Fast rhythms guide eyes toward regions of high spatial frequency (e.g., cluttered areas), whereas slow sounds guide eyes away from high spatial frequencies. This result suggests that auditory rhythms can motivate visual scanning patterns. Beyond her primary research, Sasha is passionate about the intersection between art and science, and is cur- rently working on forging collaborations with museums to create unconventional exhibits that increase awareness of the relevance of scientific principles in understanding art. She hopes to create an exhibit that allows museum-goers to experience first-hand how their interaction with an art piece can change based on the design of the visual system, adaptive nature of the brain, and the viewer’s current emotional state. She can often be found perusing different exhibits at the Art Institute of Chicago.

Jennifer Piemonte presenting at the 2012 Midwestern Psychological Associa- tion Meeting in Chicago 7 psychwatch The newsletter of the Department of Psychology at Northwestern University

Awards

Faculty Honors and Awards The Graduate School for his project, “Understanding canization: Sociolinguistic Effects on Perceptions of the Development of Social Norms for Cooperation.” Asian College Students in the United States.” Matthew’s was entitled “The Effects of Environ- Faculty members of the Department of Psychology mentalism Schema Priming and Distance between continue to receive numerous awards for their contri- Dorianne Levy was a recipient of the Diversity Fund Recyclable Item and Bin on Recycling Behavior.” butions in research and teaching at the international, Graduate Travel Award for the 2012 SPSP Conference, national, and local level. the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship, and the Ford Foundation Pred- All of the students listed below won Lois Elizabeth Henrikson Undergraduate Travel Awards to support octoral Fellowship. Professor Dan McAdams received the 2012 Jack Block their travel to conferences for the presentation of Award from the Society for Personality and Social their research: Psychology for career contributions to personality John Meixner received a Graduate Research Grant psychology. from the University Research Grants Committee for Nicole Hendrix to present at International Confer- his project, “Detecting Real-Life Events with the Con- ence of Infant Studies in Minneapolis Senior Lecturer Renee Engeln received the 2011- cealed Information Test: A Field-like Application.” Kevin Hsu to present at Society for Sex Therapy 2012 Undergraduate Psychology Association Award and Research in Chicago for Excellence in Teaching. Stacey Parrot received a National Science Foundation Claire Waluch to present at the Association for (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship. Psychological Sciences in Chicago Michael Sladek to present at the Association for Professor Alice Eagly was elected as a member of the Psychological Sciences in Chicago American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Annie Senior was awarded the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship. Anna Rhoad to present at the Association for Psychological Sciences in Chicago Professor Sue Mineka was elected as a 2012 Fellow of Jennifer Piemonte to present at the Midwestern the Society of Experimental Psychologists. Christina Young was awarded the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship. Psychological Association in Chicago, the Association of Psychological Sciences in Chicago, and the Inter- Professor Alice Eagly received an honorary doctorate national Conference of Infant Studies in Minneapolis from the University of Bern in Switzerland. Iliana Vargas received the National Science Founda- tion (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship. Ellen Reynolds and Benjamin Yu won the William Assistant Professor Joan Chiao was named a Rising Hunt Award for best undergraduate research project Star by the Association for Psychological Science and Dasha Zabelina received a Graduate Research Grant in Psychology. received an NIMH Early Career International Travel for her project, “Creativity and Psychopathology: Award. Attenuated Sensory Gating as a Shared Vulnerability Factor” and a Frank X. Barron award from Division 10 Professor Dedre Gentner received a Humboldt of the APA. Research Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. Undergraduate Honors and Awards Graduate Student Honors and Three psychology majors received special “URG-Un- Awards derwood” awards. All emerged as top applicants for both the department’s Underwood Fellowship and the university’s summer Undergraduate Research Bobby Cheon won an APA Dissertation Research Grants offered through the Provost’s Office: Award and the 2012 Salimetrics Distinguished Student Scholar Award. He was also awarded the Mesum Mathison, working with Sandy Waxman Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues Francis Park, working with Bill Revelle Fellowship. Mike Sladek, working with Renee Engeln

Brock Ferguson was awarded the Social Sciences In addition, three psychology undergraduates and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) received funding for their summer research from Fellowship. the University’s Undergraduate Research Grants committee: Christian Hoyos received the National Science Foun- dation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship. Marissa Gillis, working with Robin Nusslock Stephanie Schuette, working with Dedre Gentner Dani Alcorn, working with Renee Engeln Xiaoqing Hu won the 2012 Chinese Government Award for Outstanding Self-Financed Students Congratulations to Jason He and Matthew Kingery, Abroad. the co-winners of the Win Hill Award, for the best papers in Research Methods. Ming Hui received a Graduate Research Grant from Jason’s paper was entitled “The Allure of Ameri-

8 Alumni News

1940s Jayson L. Mystowski BA ‘97 currently works for Cogni- Megan Trachok BA ’10 is pursuing an education Frances Applehans BS ‘41 earned her MA in counsel- tive Behavior Associates as a licensed clinical psy- specialist degree in school psychology with a minor ing psychology from Missouri State, and then she chologist and associate clinical director. He earned in counseling at Indiana University. She works as a worked as a psychomitrist at an Illinois District 15 his PhD from UCLA in 2003. Since 2004 he has graduate research assistant for the Equality Project. elementary school. She retired in 1991. worked as an assistant clinical professor in UCLA’s Currently she is working on the WT Grant concern- Department of Psychology. He is also a diplomate ing issues of disproportionality in suspension and 1960s of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy. His favorite expulsion of African American students. She had the Joel Saks BA ’60 was an emeritus professor of oph- memory of Northwestern is completing his honor’s honor of presenting at the 2012 American Educa- thalmology at University of Cincinnati and Tulane thesis work with Dr. Susan Mineka. tional Research Association Annual Meeting. University, and is now retired. 2000s Michelle Melyn BA ‘61 is a pediatric neurologist now Eddy Ameen BA ‘03 is currently employed as the In Memoriam semi-retired in private practice. Previously she was assistant director of APAGS, American Psychological We are saddened to learn that Dr. William Marshak the head of the division of child neurology at Univer- Association’s graduate student division and living in PhD 1981 passed away in November 2009. He was a sity of Illinois, Chicago. Washington, DC. veteran of the United States Air Force from 1971 until 1993, retiring as Lieutenant Colonel. After receiving Walter J. Dowling BA ‘63 is a professor at the Kimberly Robertson BA ‘03 is currently a Ph. D. candi- his doctorate, he returned to the Air Force Academy University of Texas Dallas. He’s conducting research date at Vanderbilt University studying psychological where he taught until 1986. He worked as a chief in cognitive psychology and teaching courses science and quantitative methods. scientist at Sytronics Inc. in Dayton and also served in perception, music cognition, and history of as an adjunct psychology professor at Wright State psychology. He is the associate editor of the journal 2010s University. His wife said he was very proud to be an Psychomusicology: Music, Mind, & Behavior, which Stephanie Richman BA ‘10 is studying as a graduate alumnus of Northwestern and she proudly displays has just become an APA journal. He is also the associ- student at the University of Kentucky. Stephanie his doctorate degree in her home. ate editor of the journal Music Perception. He fondly earned the Society for Personality and Social Psy- remembers working with Donald T. Campbell while chology travel award for 2012. at Northwestern. He describes him as an incredibly inspiring teacher and role model who altered the course of his life for the better.

1970s Richard Berlin, BA ’72 remained at Northwestern and earned his MD in 1976. He now works in his own private practice as a physician of psychiatry, and is a senior affiliate in psychiatry at the University of Massachusetts medical school. Richard is also an ac- complished poet. His second book of poetry, Secret Wounds, was selected as the best poetry book of 2011 by USA Book News Awards. The book focuses on his life as a doctor.

Deborah Bovilsky, PhD ’72 works at her own private clinical practice for adults and adolescents.

Karen Vroegh PhD ’72 is now retired, but worked as a Child Development instructor for nursing students at Evanston Hospital. She was also a research psycholo- gist at the Institute for Juvenille Research and the di- rector of research at the Chicago Child Care Society. She currently resides in Evanston and is an active vol- unteer in the community. She enjoys having access to many Northwestern activities nearby.

1990s Maria Byskosh, BA ’97 is self-employed as a doctor of clinical psychology at a private practice in Bar- rington, IL.

Photo Credit: Katie Meyer

9 psychwatch The newsletter of the Department of Psychology at Northwestern University

Psychology Faculty

J. MICHAEL BAILEY ELI FINKEL DOUGLAS MEDIN PhD University of Texas, 1989 PhD University of North Carolina, PhD University of South Dakota, Donors 2011-2012 Sexual orientation, gender noncon- 2001 1968 We would like to extend our utmost formity, sexual arousal, behavior Interplay between close relation- Concept and classification learning, genetics, evolutionary psychology. ships, the self and health processes; cross-cultural cognition, decision gratitude to all our donors. Every dona- optimal self-regulation as inter- making, computational models of tion helps to support the department personal process; determinants of cognition, culture and education. MARK BEEMAN romantic attraction. in its teaching, research and outreach PhD University of Oregon, 1991 endeavors. Your support is truly Cognitive neuroscience, higher GREGORY MILLER appreciated. order language comprehension and STEVEN FRANCONERI PhD University of California, Los disorders, insight problem solving, PhD , 2004 Angeles, 1998 hemispheric differences. Visual attention, visual memory, Health psychology, mechanisms link- reflexive attention capture, object ing stress and health Lewis E. Albright, PhD tracking, number perception. Mr. Andy Anderston, III GALEN BODENHAUSEN Mr. Arthur H. Henderson, Jr. PhD University of Illinois, 1987 SUSAN MINEKA Prejudice, stereotyping, and inter- WENDI GARDNER PhD University of Pennsylvania, 1974 Dr. Rebecca Kathryn Bencic group relations; self-regulation PhD Ohio State University, 1996 Behavioral and cognitive processes Dr. Norman W. Carlson of social cognition; influences of Social exclusion and belonging, of fear, anxiety and depression; Ms. Susan J. Carlson emotion and arousal on judg- cross-cultural differences in social cognitive and behavior therapy for ment and decision-making. cognition and behavior, social anxiety disorders, primate models of Mrs. Betsy Ann Miller Chapman aspects of the self, social neurology, psychopathology. Mr. John A. Chapman emotion and evaluation. EDITH CHEN Ms. Johanna Marie Cronin PhD University of California, Los DANIEL MOLDEN Ms. Annette De La Torre Angeles, 1998 DEDRE GENTNER PhD Columbia University, 2003 Health psychology, socio- PhD University of California, San Influences of motivation on judg- Mr. Matthew Roland De La Torre economic status and health Diego, 1974 ment processes, notably strategies Dr. Robert De La Torre Cognition and language in learning of hypothesis testing; processes and development, processes of by which meaning is assigned to Ms. Carol DeBoth JOAN CHIAO similarity, analogy and metaphor, behavior. Roger L. Dominowski, PhD PhD Harvard University, 2006 acquisition of word meaning. Ms. Begum Dora Cultural neuroscience; social and affective neuroscience across ROBIN NUSSLOCK Mr. Michael Peter Downing PhD University of Wisconsin, Madi- development; social and emotional SUSAN HESPOS Marie C. Duncan, MD perception; social dominance and PhD Emory University, 1996 son, 2009 affiliation Comparison of object, spatial and Biopsychosocial models of bipolar Mr. Alexander John Dybsky number representation abilities in disorder and unipolar depression Mr. Ryneal Nilson Eugenio children and adults. Fidelity Inv. Ch. Gift Fund MESMIN DESTIN PhD , 2010 KEN PALLER Mr. Ronald C. Fish PhD University of California, San Perception and interpretation of WILLIAM (SID) HORTON Dr. Ellen R. Girden socioeconomic status; educational PhD University of Chicago, 1999 Diego, 1986 motivation; youth perception of Higher-level aspects of language Memory, disorders of memory, face Dr. Madeleine M. Gross perception, combining neuropsy- future economic success linked to use and conversation, figurative lan- Mr. Jason Gu chology with brain imaging and EEG everyday choices and educational guage and narrative comprehension. outcomes. methods to study human cognition. Ms. Kathrin Julia Hanek Bruce M. Hartung, PhD SARAH MANGELSDORF Ms. Cassandra Marie Kapp ALICE EAGLY DEAN OF WEINBERG COLLEGE DAVID RAPP PhD University of Michigan, 1965 PhD University of Minnesota, 1988 PhD SUNY- Stony Brook, 2000 Ms. Christina Anne Katsos Reading comprehension; identifying Sociopolitical attitudes of women Social and emotional development Mr. Joong Hyun Jake Kim and men; gender and leadership; in infants and young children and remediating struggling readers’ heroism; the content of ; difficulties; mechanisms underlying Mr. Peter L. Klibanoff prejudice; attitudinal selectivity in narrative experience; multimedia Raquel S. Klibanoff, PhD exposure and memory. based influences on learning. DAN MCADAMS Dr. Linda Jo Koenig PhD Harvard University, 1979 Personality and development, adult Mr. Craig Martin Kopulsky development, identity and develop- Dr. Alan S. Lert ment of the self, culture, political psychology, biography. Ms. Alexandra Levit Melvin M. Mark, PhD

10 PAUL REBER KARL ROSENGREN RICHARD ZINBARG Donors 2011-2012 PhD Carnegie Mellon University, 1993 PhD University of Minnesota, 1989 PhD Northwestern University, 1989 We would like to extend our utmost Human learning and memory, noncon- Cognitive and motor development. Vulnerability to and psychotherapy for scious memory, cognitive neuroscience, anxiety disorders; structure of anxiety; gratitude to all our donors. Every dona- functional neuroimaging. relations between personality and psy- tion helps to support the department ARYEH ROUTTENBERG chopathology; psychometric theory. PhD University of Michigan, 1965 in its teaching, research and outreach WILLIAM REVELLE Molecular basis of memory. SARA BROADERS endeavors. Your support is truly PhD University of Michigan, 1973 SENIOR LECTURER Personality theory and assessment; PhD University of Chicago, 2003 appreciated. interrelationships of personality, SATORU SUZUKI motivation, and cognitive performance; PhD Harvard University, 1995 biological basis of personality; mea- Mental encoding of physical dimen- RENEE ENGELN Lewis E. Albright, PhD Edward Harrison Marston, PhD surement and psychometrics. sions; influences of prior experience, SENIOR LECTURER Mr. Andy Anderston, III Ronald K. McLaughlin, PhD attention, intention and mental states PhD Loyola University Chicago, 2004 Mr. Arthur H. Henderson, Jr. Ms. Kaitlin Krescencia Meyer on perception. Mr. Martin Harper Murphy Dr. Rebecca Kathryn Bencic JENNIFER RICHESON BENJAMIN GORVINE PhD Harvard University, 2000 Slater E. Newman, PhD SENIOR LECTURER Dr. Norman W. Carlson Intergroup contact, controlling DAVID UTTAL PhD University of Michigan, 2002 Ms. Susan J. Carlson Mrs. Dixie M. Nohara prejudice, detecting and confronting PhD University of Michigan, 1989 prejudice and discrimination, racial Cognitive development, specifically Mrs. Betsy Ann Miller Chapman Frederica W. O’Connor, PhD of symbolic and spatial reasoning in categorization. Mr. John A. Chapman Dr. Carol Olander toddlers and preschoolers; cultural dif- JOAN LINSENMEIER ferences in mathematics cognition and Dr. Donald L. Patrick SENIOR LECTURER Ms. Johanna Marie Cronin achievement. PhD Northwestern University, 1977 LANCE RIPS Ms. Annette De La Torre Dr. Miles L. Patterson PhD Stanford University, 1974 Mr. Matthew Roland De La Torre Mr. Audrius V. Plioplys Human reasoning, semantics and SANDRA WAXMAN DAVID SMITH long-term memory; experimental, com- Dr. Robert De La Torre Sigita Plioplys, MD PhD University of Pennsylvania, 1985 DISTINGUISHED SENIOR LECTURER putational, and mathematical analysis PhD Virginia Commonwealth University, Ms. Carol DeBoth Dr. Roberta S. Popik Conceptual development and language of deduction. acquisition in infancy and early child- 1993 Roger L. Dominowski, PhD Ms. Regina Dombek Rabin hood; cross-cultural perspectives on Ms. Begum Dora The Retirement Research Foundation language acquisition; development of J. PETER ROSENFELD MARCIA GRABOWECKY Prof. Aryeh Routtenberg conceptual knowledge and reasoning Mr. Michael Peter Downing PhD University of Iowa, 1971 abilities. RESEARCH ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR Psychophysiology; mechanisms, pro- Marie C. Duncan, MD Mrs. Emily Scheller PhD University of California, Berkeley, cesses, and detection of deception. 1992 Mr. Alexander John Dybsky Dr. Rudolph W. Schulz Mr. Ryneal Nilson Eugenio Stewart A. Shankman, PhD Fidelity Inv. Ch. Gift Fund Ms. Dara Joann Shapiro Mr. Ronald C. Fish Ms. Ki Eun Shin Dr. Ellen R. Girden Katieann Rachele Skogsberg, PhD Dr. Madeleine M. Gross Dr. Michelle Bank Stein Mr. Jason Gu Dr. Glenn F. Sternes Ms. Kathrin Julia Hanek Ms. Yale Sun Bruce M. Hartung, PhD John Templeton Foundation Ms. Cassandra Marie Kapp Arthur R. Thomas, Jr., PhD Ms. Christina Anne Katsos Dr. Thomas E. Thorton Mr. Joong Hyun Jake Kim Howard L. Willett Foundation, Inc. Mr. Peter L. Klibanoff Gary R. Wolfe, PhD Raquel S. Klibanoff, PhD Dr. Richard Evan Zinbarg Dr. Linda Jo Koenig Mr. Craig Martin Kopulsky Dr. Alan S. Lert Ms. Alexandra Levit Psychology Department Faculty Melvin M. Mark, PhD Photo Credit: Sara Jensen

11 Alumni Questionnaire

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