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Wendi Benson, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Psychology Office: KAB 119; 702.992.2683 Click for Full CV Dr. Benson joined NSC in 2013 from Washington State University Vancouver. Dr. Benson has a passion for showing students the power of the scientific method through hands-on experience. Her commitment to providing unique experiential learning opportunities for NSC students won her the 2015 iTEACH Teaching Excellence Award. Dr. Benson and her team won the Heritage iTEACH Award for her work on the NSC Organizational Climate survey in 2016. In her spare time, Dr. Benson loves spending hiking with her family, discovering odd music, and playing video games and table top games with friends and family. Research interests: Dr. Benson is an Experimental (Industrial/Organizational) Psychologist. She uses survey research and focus groups to examine job, health, and psychological outcomes of workplace aggression, job insecurity, and organizational climate. Dr. Benson also conducts quasi-experimental research examining the effectiveness of innovative teaching and assessment practices for students taking traditionally anxiety provoking classes (like statistics). She has presented findings from this research on campus and at national conferences with her colleagues and undergraduate Research Assistants. Courses taught: PSY 210 Introduction to Statistical Methods, PSY 375 Advanced Research Methods, PSY 450 Industrial/Organizational Psychology, ECON 261/262 Principles of Statistics I and II, MGT 367 Human Resource Management, and Graduate School Preparation |
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Jonathan Dunning, Ph.D.
Associate Dean of Liberal Arts & Sciences Associate Professor of Psychology Office: LAS 243; 702.992.2658 Dr. Dunning's Website Dr. Dunning earned his B.S. in psychology at The University of Georgia and his Ph.D. in psychology at Stony Brook University. Early in his career, Dr. Dunning realized that he loved to teach and encourage students to become excited about psychology. He has taught many courses covering a broad array of topics; his teaching interests include introductory psychology and topics like emotion, psychophysiology, learning, and anxiety. Dr. Dunning was the recipient of the Teaching Excellence Award in 2017. Research interests: In one line of research, Dr. Dunning studies emotion and fear. Specifically, he uses psychophysiological measures (e.g., facial EMG, startle response, EEG/ERPs) to investigate how people experience emotions, how they regulate their emotions, and how these processes play a role in fear learning and anxiety disorders. In a more recent line of research, he is engaged in the scholarship of teaching and learning, examining the effectiveness of evidence-based teaching and learning strategies in novel ways and/or contexts. Courses taught: PSY 101 General Psychology, PSY 375 Advanced Research Methods, Psy 420 Psychology of Learning, PSY 412 Motivation and Emotion, PSY 460 Social Psychology |
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Carol Lee, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Psychology Office: KAB 113; 702.992.2698 Anxiety Mechanisms & Behaviors Lab Website Dr. Carol Lee (she/her/hers) earned her B.A. in psychology at the University of California San Diego, and her Ph.D. at the University of Massachusetts Boston. She completed her APA-accredited clinical internship at the VA Pacific Islands Healthcare System, Honolulu. Dr. Lee is passionate about making research and clinical training inclusive, approachable, and accessible. In her free time, she enjoys rock climbing, playing with her dog, and reading mysteries. Research interests: Dr. Lee is a clinical psychologist, whose research primarily focuses on identifying and examining the relations between mechanisms of therapeutic exposures and behavioral experiments for anxiety-related disorders. She also has a secondary interest in methods of disseminating and increasing the accessibility of evidence-based strategies for stress and anxiety management. Clinically, she is experienced in working with anxiety disorders, PTSD, & borderline personality disorder, and is trained in CBT, DBT, CPT, and PE. Courses taught: PSY 240 Introduction to Research Methods, PSY 375 Advanced Research Methods, PSY 441 Abnormal Psychology, PSY 453 Psychology of Anxiety Disorders, COU 315 Counseling Skills in Human Services |
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Shantal Marshall, Ph.D.
Chair, Department of Social Sciences Associate Professor of Psychology Office: KAB 114; 702.992.2684 MISA Lab Website Dr. Shantal Marshall was the first in her family to attend college, earning her B.A. in psychology and sociology from UCLA in 2004 and her PhD from Stanford University in social psychology in 2011. She has instructed children from first grade up to and including PhD students and has always had a passion for teaching well. In 2011 she was the first to receive the Award for Innovative Teaching from the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI). In her free time, she likes to dance Zumba and watch sci-fi shows on Netflix. Research interests: Dr. Marshall is a social psychologist. Dr. Marshall’s research focuses on the way that individuals construct their concept of race through their consumption of popular culture and how it affects their understanding of identity, inequality, and stereotypes. Courses taught: PSY 101 General Psychology, PSY 210 Introduction to Statistical Methods, PSY 375 Advanced Research Methods, PSY 460 Social Psychology, PSY 468 Psychology of Inequality, SOC 414 Sociology of Pop Culture |
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Roberta Miranda, M.S., LCPC, LCADC
Lecturer of Counseling Office: KAB 111; 702.992.2678 Courses taught: COU 315 Counseling Skills in Human Services, COU 320 Drugs and Behavior, COU 322 Perspectives on Addiction, PSY/COU 497 Supervised Field Experience |
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Laura Naumann, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Psychology Faculty Senate Chair, 2020-2021 Chair of NSHE Council of Chairs, 2020-2021 Office: KAB 112; 702.992.2686 Dr. Naumann's Website Originally from Houston, Texas, Dr. Laura Naumann was able to attend The University of Texas at Austin for her undergraduate degree with the aid of need-based Pell grants and merit scholarships. She received her B.A. in Psychology in 2003 and her Ph.D. in Social and Personality Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley in 2009. Dr. Naumann joined the faculty at NSC in 2013. Dr. Naumann was the recipient of an Excellence in Teaching Award in 2016. Dr. Naumann also enjoys Zumba, but her preferred viewing is competitive reality TV shows and quirky romantic comedies. Research interests: Dr. Naumann is a personality psychologist. Her research examines how the interaction of one’s culture and personality predict important behaviors and life outcomes (e.g., interpersonal interactions; academic achievement; cultural values). Keywords include personality measurement; personality judgments; racial/ethnic identity development; acculturation processes; academic achievement. Courses taught: PSY 101 General Psychology, PSY 240 Introduction to Research Methods, PSY 375 Advanced Research Methods, PSY 435 Personality Psychology, PSY 468 Psychology of Inequality, PSY 469 Psychology and the Legal System |
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Vanessa Rodriguez Barrera, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Psychology Office: KAB 115; 702.992.2739 Dr. Rodríguez Barrera has a doctorate degree in psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles with a specialization in behavioral neuroscience. As the first and only person in her family to earn a college degree she is driven to inspire students to reach for their goals. She first fell in love with the brain as an undergraduate and has never looked back. She joined Nevada State College in the fall of 2019 and can't wait to have you in one of her classes. She enjoys scoping out delicious food, cooking, reading, and spending time with loved ones. Research Interests: Dr. Rodriguez Barrera is generally interested in the neurobiology and physiology of fear and anxiety. She worked in a fear research lab and studied the role of hippocampal neurogenesis in auditory fear conditioning using animal models for years. However, she is now focused on applying her training to investigate the experience of anxiety within the college classroom and its physiological correlates. Courses taught: PSY 403 Physiological Psychology, PSY 405 Perception, PSY 101 General Psychology |
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Christina Squires, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Psychology Office: KAB 116; 702.992.2627 Dr. Squires's research interests include the development and use of self-regulation during the early childhood years and the influence of socioeconomic contexts (e.g., poverty, homelessness) on children’s cognitive development. Much of her research is devoted to understanding developmental processes among low-income and at-risk children. She primarily conducts longitudinal quantitative research using samples of children and families from diverse economic, ethnic, linguistic, and racial backgrounds. Dr. Squires has taught various courses related to human development and cognition. She views teaching as an opportunity to incite learning and strives to design learning experiences that bring together individuals from diverse backgrounds and perspectives. Outside of the classroom, Dr. Squires enjoys cooking, hiking, and yoga. Courses taught: PSY 201 Lifespan Development, PSY 416 Cognitive Psychology, Psy 375 Advanced Research Methods |