
Joan Barth, Senior Research Social Scientist
306 E. Paul Bryant Drive Office 201 | (205) 348-5083 | jbarth@ua.edu
https://issr.ua.edu/people/joan-barth/
Research Interests
- social-emotional development
- gender differences in science and math education experiences
- adolescent risk behaviors
- children’s decision making skills
- education contexts
- neurocognitive development in young children
Accepting Students

Sheila R. Black, Associate Professor
183 Gordon Palmer Hall | (205) 348-5083 | sblack@ua.edu
Research Interests
Cognitive Aging
Racial Disparities in Cognitive Aging
Contributions of African Americans to the field of psychology
Accepting Students

Frances A. Conners, Professor
356B Gordon Palmer Hall | (205) 348-5083 | fconners@ua.edu
http://fconners.people.ua.edu/
Research Interests
- language and cognition in individuals with intellectual disabilities
Accepting Students

Katie E. Garrison, Assistant Professor
407 Gordon Palmer Hall | (205) 348-5083 | kegarrison@ua.edu
https://kegarrison.people.ua.edu
Research Interests
- self-control
- emotion regulation
- motivation
- electroencephalography (EEG)
Accepting Students

Ansley Tullos Gilpin, Associate Professor and Director of Experimental Psychology
192 Gordon Palmer Hall | (205) 348-5083 | agilpin@ua.edu
Research Interests
- fantasy orientation and pretend play
- executive functions
- school readiness
- children’s use of testimony (information from other people) to learn about the world
- imaginary companions (mean and nice)
- children’s understanding of fantasy/reality,
- development of religiosity
- pretend play’s role in early childhood intervention (ASD)
Accepting Students

Andrea Glenn, Associate Professor
101-E McMillan Building | 205-565-8352 | andrea.l.glenn@ua.edu
Research Interests
- Disruptive behavior problems and antisocial behavior, in youth and adults
- Reducing inequality in youth outcomes through mental health intervention programs
- Biologically-informed prevention and intervention
- Mild traumatic brain injury as a risk factor for behavior problems
Accepting Students

James C. Hamilton, Associate Professor
387 Gordon Palmer Hall | (205) 348-5083 | jchamilt@ua.edu
http://jchamilt.people.ua.edu/
Research Interests
- motivational explanations for excessive medical illness behavior
- dynamics of the victim role
- social psychology of death attitudes and death acceptance
Accepting Students

Erin Harrell, Assistant Professor
402 Gordon Palmer Hall | (205) 348-5083 | erharrell@ua.edu
https://erharrell.people.ua.edu/
Research Interests
• Applied Cognition
• Health Adherence and Decision Making
• Human Factors Approaches to Understanding Aging
• Technology Adoption and Successful Longevity
Accepting Students

William Peter Hart, Associate Professor
367C Gordon Palmer Hall | (205) 348-5083 | wphart@ua.edu
Research Interests
- social cognition
Accepting Students

Caitlin M Hudac, Assistant Professor Core Faculty in CYDI
101G McMillan Building | (205) 348-2123 | cmhudac@ua.edu
Research Interests
- Brain development across the lifespan
- Infant, child, and adolescent cognition and socio-emotional development
- Social motivation and affective responses to ostracism
- Genetic factors of neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g., autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability)
Lab Website: http://b-rad.ua.edu
Accepting Students

Rajesh K. Kana, Professor
383 Gorden Palmer Hall | 205-348-1391 | rkkana@ua.edu
Research Interests
Autism spectrum disorders
Social Cognition
Social Cognitive Neuroscience
Neuroimaging
Clinical and Translational Neuroscience
Accepting Students

Debra McCallum, Director of ISSR, Director of the Capstone Poll, Senior Research Social Scientist
ISSR | (205) 348-3820 | dmccallu@ua.edu
http://issr.ua.edu/directory/debra-mccallum/
Research Interests
- social influence
- social-psychological aspects of health behavior and outcomes
- safety and well-being of children and youth
- evaluations of education
- community intervention programs
Accepting Students

Kristina McDonald, Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies
257AA Gordon Palmer Hall | (205) 348-6320 | klmcdonald2@ua.edu
http://klmcdonald.people.ua.edu/
Research Interests
- precursors and consequences for youth who endorse hostile social motivations
- how friendship interactions may influence social cognitions
- how social context (e.g., school diversity) may affect peer relationships
- how physiological reactivity to social threat interacts with social cognitions to predict behavior
Accepting Students

Ian M. McDonough, Assistant Professor
410-A Gordon Palmer Hall | (205) 737-3442 | immcdonough@ua.edu
http://immcdonough.people.ua.edu/
Research Interests
- episodic memory
- intelligence
- aging
- structure and functional neuroimaging
- dynamic fluctuations of brain activity
- biomarkers of preclinical Alzheimer’s disease
- intervention
- Health Disparities
Accepting Students

Edward Merrill, Professor Emeritus
195 Gordon Palmer Hall | (205) 348-5083 | emerrill@ua.edu
http://emerrill.people.ua.edu/
Research Interests
- cognitive development
- developmental disabilities
- down syndrome and language
- down syndrome and wayfinding
- implicit cognition and decision making
- sex differences in cognitive abilities

Jeffrey G. Parker, Associate Professor
202 ISSR | (205) 348-5083 | j.g.parker@ua.edu
Research Interests
Peer Relationships
Adolescent Friendship Quality
Jealousy in Friendships
Accepting Students

Beverly Roskos, Associate Professor
364-C Gordon Palmer Hall | (205) 348-5083 | broskos@ua.edu
Research Interests
- comprehension, representation, and use of spatial information, including group and individual differences
- wayfinding
- sex differences in spatial ability
- media comprehension
- visual creativity
- perceptions of temporary spaces

Alexa Tullett, Associate Professor
410 Gordon Palmer Hall | (205) 348-5083 | atullett@ua.edu
http://atullett.people.ua.edu/
Research Interests
- belief systems people use to organize the world
- how people come to understand the feelings and thoughts of others
Accepting Students

Mengya Xia, Assistant Professor
169 Gordon Palmer Hall | (205) 348-5083 | mxia3@ua.edu
Research Interests
-Family systems processes and adolescent well-being
-Contextual and individual factors that promote individual competence and social-emotional development
-Mixture modeling (e.g., LPA/LCA), multilevel modeling, dynamical systems models, and other methods for intensive longitudinal data design
-Family-centered preventive intervention on individuals positive development
Accepting Students