Faculty members in the Department of Psychology conduct diverse and innovative experimental and applied research. Current areas of specialization in psychology include biopsychology, behavioral neuroscience, perception, developmental, social and applied social, clinical and cognitive. Many faculty members are cross-appointed to other departments within the university and there are several adjunct appointments from outside the university. Funding is provided by all major agencies, NSERC, MRC, and SSHRC, as well as from contracts with other government departments and private enterprise.
The Biopsychology Program is the largest interdisciplinary graduate degree-granting program at Memorial University. Interdisciplinary research in the Program is focused on behavioral ecology and animal behavior. Faculty involved in the program are primarily associated with the departments of Biology and Psychology and also include faculty from the departments of Biochemistry and Geography, the Ocean Sciences Centre, the Canadian Wildlife Service, Forestry Canada, and Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Behavioral research projects integrate different levels of analysis from molecular biology and genetics through organismic, social, community and ecosystem interactions. Current projects include whale interactions with commercial fishing gear and fishermen, the parental dynamics of rodents, kin interactions of fishes, the energetics of seals and seabirds, the habitat associations of boreal forest birds, seabird/fisheries interactions, the population genetics of marine birds and fishes, and wildlife as indicators of environmental conditions.
ADAMEC, Robert E. Research professor
Keywords
• Neuroscience; ethology; emotion; epilepsy; anxiety; forensic;
stress; substance abuse
Current research
• Anxiety and epilepsy
• Path analysis in human post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Animal models of PTSD
• Pharmacological prophylaxis for anxiety associated with
PTSD
• PATA analysis in adolescent substance abuse
Past research
• Role of early experience and personality, psychopathology
associated with limbic epilepsy
Other research and consulting
• Temporal lobe function as part of an insanity plea
ADAMS, Russell J. Professor
Keywords
• Sensory development; colour vision; visual activity; infancy;
birth; contrast sensitivity; visual development
Current research
• Development of vision in normal and neurologically-abnormal
infants and children
• Mechanisms of human colour vision
• Effect of birth and obstetric variables on sensory function
• Development of new tests to measure early visual functioning
• Screening preterm infants for visual and neurological disorders
• Early biochemical events such as, nutrition, long-term
visual and non-biological development, and preterm infants
ANDERSON, Rita Associate professor
Keywords
• Human cognition: mental imagery, discovery and creativity
in the visual-spatial domain; animal behaviour, cognitive ethology,
and social behaviour
Current research
• Role of mental imagery in discovery and creativity in the
visual-spatial domain
• Human and wolf perceptions of wolf (Canis lupus) social
interactions
• Visual and auditory communication in wolves (Canis lupus)
• Chemical communication in harbour seals (Phoca vitulina)
Past research
• Publications 1993 to present
Recent publications (topics)
• Imagery, Creativity, and Discovery: A Cognitive Perspective
• Absence of parent-young recognition in kittiwakes
• Imagery and spatial representation
• Attitudes and the perception of wolf social interactions:
implications for public information programs; ecology and conservation
of wolves in a changing world
ANDREWS, Emir Anne Associate professor
Keywords
• Variables influencing learning at the university level
Current research
• Development of Web-based courses for distance education
• Multi-media distance courses
Past research
• Long delay in learning (rats)
• Videotape vs live instruction
• Variables affecting videotape instruction
• Student problems in large psychology classes, innovative
assignments in such classes
• Use of computer-assisted instruction in personalized instruction
BUTTON, Cathryn Associate professor
Keywords
• Attitudes; stereotypes; measurement and surveys; gender
differences; interpersonal judgements; program evaluation
Current research
• Attitude perceptions, age and gender stereotypes
• Role of physical appearance in inferences
• Gender differences in attitude and age stereotypes
Past research
• Accuracy of attitude stereotypes
• Dimensions underlying attitude inferences
• School Improvement Program, an evaluation
• Enterprise Education Program, an evaluation
Potential research
• Interaction of age, gender, and appearance stereotypes
on attitudes, inferences and interactions
• Behavioural consequences of stereotypic inferences (opinion
survey), program evaluation about attitudes
COURAGE, Mary L. Professor
Keywords
• Developmental psychology; infant behaviour; visual perception;
memory development
Current research
• Infant visual perception
• Development of infants with very low birth rates
• Visual acuity
• Memory development
Past research
• Cognitive development
• Visual fields and peripheral vision
CRASKE, Brian Professor
Keywords
• Human kinesthesis; position sense; spatial orientation
Research specialty
• Position sense and kinesthesis (humans)
Current research
• Calibration of registered eye position
• Interaction of visual and kinesthetic maps
• Mechanisms of limb position sense
Past research
• Oscillatory mechanisms in the human motor system
Special equipment or facilities
• Three-dimensional sonic digitizer
GRANT, Malcolm J. Associate professor
Keywords
• Social psychology; attitudes; cognition; computer models
Current research
• Social perception
• Dimensions underlying perceptions of others' attitudes
Past research
• Belief change and evaluation of evidence
Potential research
• Computer recording and analysis of interaction in groups,
computer simulation
HANNAH, T. Edward Professor
Keywords
• Health psychology; social behaviour; attitudes; gender
stereotypes
Current research
• Perceptions of others' attitudes
Past research
• Health behaviour across life span
• Community attitudes toward community residential centres
• Attitudes toward seat belt use
• Psychological hardiness and health behaviour
• Moods and happiness
• Chaotic characteristics of daily mood fluctuations
Potential research
• Superordinate buffers of stress
• Social psychological predictors of health behaviour
HARLEY, Carolyn Professor
Keywords
• Physiological psychology; neuroscience; hippocampus; memory;
electrophysiology; brain metabolism; glycogenolysis
Current research
• Noradrenaline-induced, long-term potentiation and the biological
basis of attention and memory
Past research
• Behavioural functions of the hippocampus
Potential research
• Neural activity in animals, its role in mental representations
MARTIN, Gerard Professor
Keywords
• Spatial learning; motivation; drug discrimination learning;
toxicology; development of learning; learning in birds; chemotherapy
Research specialty
• Animal behaviour, including their capacity to learn; work
provides basis for developing models of how humans interact with
the world
Current research
• Spatial learning in mammals
Future research
• Cognitive capacities of animals, concentrating on the relationship
between electro-physiological activity of neurons in the hippocampus
and the learned behaviour of rats
MILLER, Ted (see Biology)
MONTEVECCHI, William Professor
Keywords
• Behavioural ecology; animal behaviour; seabird-fisheries
interactions; seabird oceanography; animals as indicators of environmental
quality; endangered species; conservation biology
Current research
• Birds as bio-indicators and energy consumers in marine
systems
• Seabird-capelin interactions
• Food webs of marine birds and mammals in the NW Atlantic
• Birds of Newfoundland
• Land bird communities, indifferent forest habitats
• Harlequin ducks
Past research
• Radio isotopic analyses of the energy requirements of free-ranging
seabirds
• Stable isotopic analysis of seabird and seal diets
• Composition and energy contents of capelin and other pelagic
fish
• Population genetics of murres and gannets
Potential research
• Marine and terrestrial protected areas
• Energetics of tropical seabirds
PENNEY, Catherine G. Professor
Keywords
• Reading disability; spelling disability; phonological disorder;
dyslexia; remedial reading; remedial spelling; reading by analogy;
Rime-based reading; Glass analysis word identification drills;
phonological prerequisites for reading; word identification; modality
preferences and dyslexia
Current research
• Cognitive deficits associated with reading and spelling
disorders (dyslexia)
• Phonological prerequisites for reading
• Remediation of reading and spelling disorders
Past research
• Effects of auditory and visual presentation of verbal material
upon retention
• Suffix effects in auditory, verbal, and short-term memory
• The mnemonic basis of frequency judgments
Potential research
• Learning disabilities in mathematics
• Phonological analysis of disordered speech in individuals
with severe reading disorders (with Carrie Dyck)
• Development of programmed instruction to teach beginning
reading and spelling
PETERSON, Carole Professor
Keywords
• Children's eyewitness memory; preschool children and interview
techniques; narrative skills and children; developmental psycholinguistics
Current research
• Accuracy of children's long-term memory, stressful events
• Interviewing preschoolers, comparing different question
formats
• Development of narrative skills, role of parents
Past research
• Narrative development in children, developmental psycholinguistics
• Coherence and cohesion in children's narratives
RABINOWITZ, F. Michael Professor
Keywords
• Cognitive development; nature-nurture; computer simulation
Current research
• Cognitive development
• Computer simulation
• Mathematical models
Past research
• Nature versus nuture
Potential research
• Cognitive development
• Computer simulation
• Mathematical models
ROSS, Abraham S. Professor
Keywords
• Applied social psychology; program evaluation; attitudes;
health promotion evaluation
Current research
• Impact assessment of primary, health care nursing stations
• Structure of attitudes
• Community health needs assessment
• Effect of physical attractiveness on interpersonal attributions
Past research
• Program evaluation in developing nations
• Impact of media on attitudes
• Aging and loneliness
SHERRICK, Michael F. Professor; President's Award for
Distinguished Teaching, 1992; AAU Distinguished Teaching Award,
1992
Keywords
• Motion perception; motion sickness; teaching excellence
Current research
• Motion perception; motion sickness
Past research
• Induced visual motion
• Visual backward masking
Potential research
• Human spatial orientation
• Excellence in university teaching
• Issues in higher education
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