Effective April 21, 2008

Dr. Firment earned his MA in 1987 and his PhD in 1990 from the University of Cincinnati. His major field of study was Cognitive Psychology with minors in Perception and Human Factors. He became a member of the psychology faculty at KSU in 1989. His dissertation topic was memory for conceptual categories as instantiated by proverb meanings. He worked more recently on how language can alter the categorization of actions. He is currently interested in techniques of maximizing retention and transfer of academic knowledge. He is presently serving as assessment coordinator for the department.

Recent Course Taught: General Psychology

Dr. Hill earned his PhD in Experimental Psychology from the University of Georgia in 1979 and has been on the faculty at KSU since then. Currently, Dr. Hill is the Director of the KSU Center for Excellence in Teaching & Learning (CETL). His professional activities and research have primarily revolved around teaching-related issues, such as grading practices and strategies and incorporating cross-cultural issues into the psychology curriculum. He has over 40 publications and 110 presentations, most of which are related to topics on teaching in psychology. In 1989 he founded, and continues to coordinate, the annual Southeastern Conference on the Teaching of Psychology. Additionally, Dr. Hill has been significantly involved in the annual Best Practices in Psychology Education conference. He has held a variety of leadership roles in the Society for the Teaching of Psychology (STP), including President and Director of Programming. He was an elected member of the APA Board of Convention Affairs (BCA) and chair of the BCA for the 2005 APA Convention. He received the KSU Distinguished Teaching Award in 1985 and is a Fellow of APA Divisions 1 (General Psychology), 2 (STP) and 52 (International Psychology). He received the 2004 American Psychological Foundation Charles L. Brewer Award for Distinguished Teaching in Psychology.

Dr. Beth R. Kirsner
Assistant Professor of Psychology
Social Science 4013
770.420.4349
bkirsner@kennesaw.edu

Recent Courses Taught: Human Sexuality, Research Sequence and Social Psychology 

Dr. Kirsner earned her BA in Economics from Amherst College in 1988. She earned her MA in Clinical Psychology and PhD in General Psychology from the University of Arizona and joined the KSU faculty in the summer of 2006. Her research interests include human mating behaviors, depression, exercise, and the teaching of psychology. She conducts research on a wide range of topics. She is studying the impact of attitudes toward evolution on learning in her Human Sexuality course, which has a strong evolutionary emphasis. She is evaluating the effectiveness of her efforts to teach students to avoid plagiarism. Finally, she is studying the effects of depression on self-perceived mate value, relationship violence, and mate choice. Dr. Kirsner is a member of several professional organizations, including the Association for Psychological Science, the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality, Society for the Teaching of Psychology, and the Human Behavior and Evolution Society. She is currently the co-editor (with Dr. Williamson) of Parapraxes, the department newsletter. 

Dr. Marek earned her MA (1995) and PhD (1998) in Cognitive Psychology from the University of Florida. Prior to joining the faculty at KSU in 2005, she taught at St. Michael's College in Vermont and at Anderson College in South Carolina. Given her focus on the scholarship of teaching, Dr. Marek is now serving as a section editor for Teaching of Psychology, in which she has previously published several articles. Additionally, she has published invited book reviews in PsycCRITIQUES, an online compendium of introductory psychology texts, and a test bank and an instructor's manual to accompany an introductory psychology textbook. She also has prepared introductory material for several experiments incorporated into the American Psychological Association's Online Psychology Laboratory. In conjunction with students and colleagues, she has published research related to materialistic values, affluence cues, and the work ethic, in journals including Journal of Economic Psychology, Journal of Applied Social Psychology, Personality and Individual Differences, and Individual Differences Research. Dr. Marek is a member of the American Psychological Association, the Association for Psychological Science, and the Southeastern Psychological Association.

Dr. Marsil earned her undergraduate psychology degree from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville and her master’s degree in Experimental Psychology from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga. In 2003, she earned her PhD in Experimental Psychology from the University of Kentucky. Dr. Marsil’s broad academic training includes cognitive, developmental, and social psychology. She taught at Mount Olive College in North Carolina for 3 years before joining KSU’s Psychology Department in 2005. Her primary research interests lie in social cognition and memory. Specifically, these interests are in juror decision making and eyewitness memory, particularly as they relate to children and the elderly. Dr. Marsil has a very active Psychology and Law research lab where undergraduates can participate in the research process from collecting data to designing their own studies. Currently, her lab is investigating juror perceptions of sexual abuse and the CSI effect on jurors. She has published articles in several journals including Law and Human Behavior; Psychology, Public Policy, and Law; and Law and Contemporary Problems. Dr. Marsil has presented her research at several regional and national psychology conferences. Additionally, Dr. Marsil incorporates her real world experience from her work as a trial consultant into her teaching and her research. As a consultant, she provides a variety of services including litigation research, focus groups and mock trials, community attitude surveys, supplemental juror surveys, jury selection, and case theme development. Additionally, Dr. Marsil testifies as an expert witness primarily in cases involving child sexual abuse. She is a member of the American Psychological Association, the American Psychology - Law Society, and the Association for Psychological Science.

Dr. Corinne McNamara
Assistant Professor of Psychology
Social Science 4038
678-797-2227
cmcnama4@kennesaw.edu

Recent Courses Taught: General Psychology and Research Methods 

Dr. McNamara earned her BA in Psychology from the University of Mississippi. After earning her MA in Neuroscience from Baylor University, she returned to the University of Mississippi, where she earned her PhD in Experimental Psychology. Previously, she has taught undergraduate courses at Baylor University, University of Mississippi, and Rhodes College. Before joining the psychology faculty at KSU in Fall 2006, she was a lecturer in psychology at the University of Georgia at Gwinnett. Dr. McNamara's primary interests are in the areas of neuropsychology and interpersonal violence prevention. She has published her research in Physiology and Behavior and Phytotherapy Research. Dr. McNamara is a member of the American Psychological Association, Society for the Teaching of Psychology, and Southeastern Psychological Association.

Dr. Niederjohn received his MA in 1999 and his PhD in 2002 in Clinical Psychology from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He completed his predoctoral internship at Emory University and postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Georgia. He also taught for one year at the University of the South, Sewanee. He joined the KSU faculty in the Summer of 2004. Dr. Niederjohn’s research and practice interests include late-adolescent/early-adult development, the transition to college, and the processes of effective teaching and psychotherapy. Dr. Niederjohn is a member of the American Psychological Association, the Society for the Teaching of Psychology, and the Georgia Psychological Association. He has recently presented his research at the Southeastern Conference on the Teaching of Psychology and co-authored an article accepted for publication in the Journal for Forensic Psychology Practice. He is presently serving as the faculty advisor for Psi Chi, the honors organization for psychology majors. Dr. Niederjohn is a licensed psychologist in the state of Georgia.

Dr. Pearcey earned her master's and PhD degrees from Georgia State University in Behavioral Neuroscience. During the 2000-2001 academic year she completed a postdoctoral teaching fellowship in the Psychology Department at Furman University. Dr. Pearcey's research interests are in the areas of food intake, meal patterns, and activity. Dr. Pearcey serves as a Councilor for the Council on Undergraduate Research. She is also a member of the honors council and an honors mentor here at KSU. She has published her research in several journals including Physiology & Behavior, Appetite, and The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Dr. Pearcey serves as Chair of the department.

Recent Courses Taught: Social Psychology and Theories of Personality 

Dr. Pusateri earned his PhD in Social Psychology from The Ohio State University in 1984. From 1984 through 2003, he taught at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, where he attained the rank of Professor. While at Loras College, he served as Chair of the Psychology Department, Senior Research Associate for the Center for Business and Social Research, Assessment Director, and founding member of the Steering Committee for the annual Iowa Teachers of Psychology workshop. From 2003 through 2006, he served as Assessment Director at Florida Atlantic University, where he received the 2005 President’s Leadership Award for administrative service to the institution. In 2006, he was appointed Associate Director for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in the Center for Excellence in Teaching & Learning at KSU. Dr. Pusateri has numerous presentations and publications related to teaching pedagogy and assessment. From 2000 to 2007, he served as the first Executive Director of APA Division Two (Society for the Teaching of Psychology). Prior to this appointment, he served as Division Two’s Membership Chair (1995-1998) and liaison to APA’s Board of Educational Affairs (1998-2000). He is an external consultant for the APA Education Directorate’s Undergraduate Departmental Consulting Service, and he regularly participates as a faculty consultant for the College Board’s Advanced Placement Psychology Test.

Recent Courses Taught: Social Issues, General Psychology, and Learning and Behavior

Dr. Randall earned his undergraduate degree in Psychology from Wabash College (1989) and his MS (1992) and PhD (1995) in Experimental Psychology from the University of Kentucky. From 1994-1997, he worked as a postdoctoral research scientist in the Center for Developmental Psychobiology and as a lecturer in the Department of Psychology at Binghamton University. Prior to joining the KSU faculty (2005), Dr. Randall served as a visiting faculty member at Mount Holyoke College (1997-1998). He was promoted from assistant to associate professor of psychology at Troy University's Montgomery Campus (1998-2005), where he also served as Psychology Department Chair and Interim Dean of the College of Education. Dr. Randall was appointed Associate Director for Technology-Enhanced Learning in the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning in 2007. In addition to exploring the impact of technology on teaching and learning, his research and scholarly interests include comparative psychology, evolutionary psychology, and the teaching of psychology. Dr. Randall is currently a member of the Association for Psychological Science and the Human Behavior & Evolution Society.

Dr. Rogers earned his MA in 2000 and his PhD in 2003 in Clinical Psychology from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He completed his predoctoral internship at Baylor College of Medicine in the Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. He completed two years of postdoctoral training at the University of Michigan in the Psychological Clinic. Dr. Rogers joined the KSU faculty in the Fall of 2005. His research interests are in the areas of personality assessment, measurement, and interpersonal theory. His clinical interests are in psychotherapy with adults and adolescents, psychological assessment, and psychoanalytic and psychodynamic theory. Dr. Rogers is a member of the Society for Personality Assessment, the Society for the Teaching of Psychology, and the American Psychological Association. He is a licensed psychologist in the state of Georgia.

Dr. Lauren A. Taglialatela
Assistant Professor of Psychology
Social Science 4017
770.423.6975
ltaglial@kennesaw.edu

Recent Courses Taught: Research Methods and Learning and Behavior 

Dr. Taglialatela earned her MA (2000) and PhD (2004) in Cognitive Psychology from Georgia State University. Prior to joining the KSU faculty in Fall 2006, she worked at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University coordinating a cancer intervention trial designed to test the effectiveness of a patient-directed decision aid. Dr. Taglialatela’s research interests include decision making, comprehension and retention of health information, vocal communication and numerousness judgments by nonhuman primates, the interplay of conceptual and perceptual information in object identification and categorization, and the disparity between student study strategies and cognitive principles. She has published articles in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition; International Journal of Primatology; and the Journal of General Psychology. Dr. Taglialatela is an active member of the Southern Society for Philosophy and Psychology and the Association for Psychological Science. 

Dr. Jennifer Willard
Assistant Professor of Psychology
Social Science 4019
770.423.6225

Recent Courses Taught: General Psychology, Social Psychology, and Research Methods

Jennifer earned her MS in General Psychology in 2006 and is currently completing her PhD in Social Psychology from Iowa State University. She joins the KSU Department of Psychology in the Fall of 2008. Broadly, her research in social cognition examines how people’s beliefs and expectations shape social reality. She studies the circumstances under which self-fulfilling prophecies and perceptual confirmation exert their greatest influence. She has studied these effects using a diverse set of expectations, including parents’ beliefs about their child’s alcohol use, people’s stereotypes about overweight individuals, and participants’ expectations about other’s hostility. She has published her research in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Psychological Science, and the European Journal of Social Psychology.

Dr. Adrienne L. Williamson
Assistant Professor of Psychology
Social Science 4015
770.420.4350
awill176@kennesaw.edu

Dr. Williamson earned her MS in Psychology from Augusta State University and her PhD in Experimental Psychology with a subspecialty in Neuropsychology from the University of Memphis. She joined the KSU faculty in the Fall of 2006. Her research focuses on examining the cognitive sequelae of neurological disorders and age on the brain. Additionally, Dr. Williamson is interested in determining factors that influence student learning and metacomprehension. She has published in Child Neuropsychology, Cerebral Cortex, Neurobiology of Aging, Psychology and Aging, American Journal of Neuroradiology, and Microscopy Research and Technique. Dr. Williamson has presented her research at several national and international conferences and is a member of the Association for Psychological Science and the Society for the Teaching of Psychology. She is currently the co-editor of Parapraxes, the departmental newsletter. 

Recent Courses Taught: Life-span Developmental, Cross-Cultural Psychology, Ethnic-Minority Psychology, and Psychology of Gender

Dr. Zhan earned her Master’s and PhD degrees in Developmental Psychology from Cornell University. She came to KSU in 1999. Dr. Zhan’s research interests include cross-cultural developmental topics, gender, parenting in contexts, and psychosocial development of Asian-American children and youth. Recently, Dr. Zhan began research in teaching-related areas such as active learning, students’ learning styles, and professors’ teaching styles. She has published in International Journal of Behavioral Development, Journal of Personality, American Review of China Studies, and Teaching Notes. She co-authored a chapter in the Handbook of Asian American Psychology, a chapter in the Instructor’s Resource Manual for Weiten’s Psychology: Themes and Variations, and an article in the book Chinese Youth in Transition. She is also the author of a book chapter in a social science book series published by People’s University Press in Beijing, China. Dr. Zhan has presented papers and poster sessions at various international, national, and regional conferences. In spring 2008, Dr. Zhan worked as an international visiting faculty at Dalian Maritime University in China, teaching a graduate level seminar in Social Psychology and doing research with Chinese colleagues. Currently, Dr. Zhan serves as KSU’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) chair.

Recent Course Taught: Senior Seminar

Dr. Whittlesey earned her PhD in Developmental Psychology from Cornell University in 1985 and her BA degree in Psychology from Hampton University in 1980. She became a faculty member at KSU in 1992. Past roles at KSU included Chair of the Psychology Department from 1998 to 2002. She has published articles in the areas of developmental psychology and student learning/assessment in a variety of peer-reviewed publications including the Journal of Genetic Psychology, Applied Psycholinguistics, Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, Teaching of Psychology, Educational Gerontology, and Assessment Update. Her book, Diversity Activities for Psychology, was published by Allyn & Bacon. Dr. Whittlesey is a member of the Steering Committee for the National Conference on Undergraduate Education in Psychology and Secretary for the Society for the Teaching of Psychology. In her current role in the Office of Academic Affairs at KSU, she oversees faculty searches and the faculty tenure and promotion and other evaluation processes.