Affiliation(s):

• Wayne State University Department of Psychology

Although I don’t send too many text messages myself, I find that emojis greatly enhance any texting conversation. With more and more people communicating via text more often than over the phone, it is important to examine how this form of non-verbal communication is perceived.

I’m also interested in the effects that smartphone behaviors have on cognitive processes like mind wandering. Not all smartphone use is detrimental and some use is positive. So it is not sufficient to examine broader measures like how much time per week someone spends using their smartphone. Rather preliminary data from my lab showed that only the social networking apps predicted spontaneous (unintentional) mind wandering. The next step will be to further analyze our data to see if some of these social networking apps are more detrimental than others.

Write It Up by Paul Silvia is a must read for every scholar. We are not born knowing how to write well. Nor can we expect to learn everything about writing from our coursework or mentors. It is ultimately our own responsibility to learn how to write at the high level required for publication. Dr. Paul Silvia, a psychology professor at UNC-Greensboro, provides helpful instruction on how to select the most appropriate journals, how to come up with a good title for your paper, and how to better engage your readers. I require students doing an honors thesis with me to read his book, and we discuss how to apply the points from it to their own work. My mentees and I find Silvia’s writing style to be very engaging and enjoyable. He practices what he preaches. I also like Paul Silvia’s How to Write A Lot, which is very helpful for those choosing an academic career.

My Ph.D. advisor, Zachary Estes, is my favorite scientist and role model. I appreciate the high standards he has for his own work and his students’ work. Yet he also understands there is more to life than scientific pursuits. When I became singularly focused on my work during my fourth year of graduate school, he kindly pointed out to me that I was at risk of becoming a dull person who had nothing to talk about other than work. More recently, he is also a great example of how you can pivot midway through your career to focus on other topics that may or may not be related to your original work. Ten years ago, he shifted from being a cognitive psychologist to a marketing psychologist, beautifully applying his cognitive expertise on thematic relations and valence to research questions related to marketing.

I start every day going for walks around my neighborhood with my dog (Cocker Spaniel/Pomeranian mix). I also enjoy walks with my human friends. I like to watch Top Chef and Master Chef and try out new recipes, though my cooking isn’t nearly as advanced as the meals prepared on those shows. Ten years ago, I traveled extensively throughout Europe for conferences and to see friends. Once the world opens up a little more, I’d like to resume some of my traveling by seeing some sites out west.