Faculty and Staff Profile

Jody Nicholson

Educational Background

2009 University of Notre Dame Ph.D. Developmental Psychology

2006 University of Notre Dame Ph.D. Developmental Psychology

2003 University of Texas at Austin B.S. Human Development and Family Studies

Courses Taught

Undergraduate:
Child and Adolescent Development
Lifespan Development
Health Psychology

Graduate:
Human Development

Profile

My research concentrates on health promotion and prevention with a focus on risk factors that disproportionately impact individuals from minoritized groups that based on race/ethnicity, income, and access to resources. Currently, I am a site-PI for a multisite randomized controlled trial (RCT) supported by the National Institute of Aging (NIA, Preventing Alzheimer’s with Cognitive Training (PACT; PACTstudy.org), which is evaluating the effectiveness of computerized cognitive training to delay the onset of Alzheimer’s (Nicholson, Hudak, Phillips…Edwards, 2022). My primary research interest is in motivation to participate in clinical trials, with a focus on representation within RCT. Underrepresentation of individuals in research who represent groups with disproportionate health disparities impacts generalizability of findings and the ability to translate research into practice. My training in community-based research has instilled in me a dedication to integrate community voices into research design, practice, and implementation.

Research Publications

Baker, L., Witherspoon, D., Nicholson, J. S., & Fuglestad, A. (2023). The Roles of Child Temperament, Parent Stress, and Parenting Style in Family Mealtimes. Appetite. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2023.106758

Nicholson, J. S., Hudak, E.M., Phillips, C.B., Chanti-Ketterl, M., O’Brien, J.L., Ross, L.A., Lister, J.J., Burke, J.R., Potter, G., Plassman, B., Woods, A.J., Krischer, J. & Edwards, J.D. (2022). The Preventing Alzheimer’s with Cognitive Training (PACT) Randomized Controlled Trial, Contemporary Clinical Trials, 123, 1-8. doi. 10.1016/j.cct.2022.106978.

Lopez, B., Nicholson, J. S., Johnson, H., Garcia, R., Powers, T., & Hughes, C. (2022). Review and meta-analysis for the Caregiver’s Feeding Styles Questionnaire administered to low-income families. Eating Behaviors, 46, 1-9. doi. 10.1016/j.eatbeh.2022.101659

Nicholson, J. S., Villamor, M., & Wright, L. (2021). A developmental lens on food insecurity: The role of children in the household and age groups on food insecurity impacting mental health. Aging & Mental Health, 1-10. doi. 10.1080/13607863.2021.1989376

Edwards, J., Phillips, C. B., O’Connor, M.L., O’Brien, J.L., Hudak, E.M., & Nicholson, J. S. (2021). Applying the Health Belief Model to quantify and investigate expectations for computerized cognitive training. Journal of Cognitive Enhancement, 5, 51-61. doi. 10.1007/s41465-020-00183-3

Nicholson, J. S., Barton, J., & Simons, A.* (2018). Ability to categorize food predicts food choices in Head Start preschoolers. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 50, 238-246. doi. 10.1016/j.jneb.2017.09.026

Nicholson, J.S. (2018). A community-based intervention for low-income families to reduce children’s blood lead levels between 3-9.9 µg/dL. Children’s Health Care, 47(4), pg. 379-396. doi. 10.1080/02739615.2017.1370673

Nicholson, J.S., & James, L. (2017). Parental self-efficacy: The development of a measure to prevent children’s environmental contaminant exposure. Journal of Behavioral Health, 6(1), 36-42. doi. 10.5455/jbh.20160914121117

Nicholson, J. S., Deboeck, P., & Howard, W. (2017). Attrition in developmental psychology: A review of modern missing data reporting and practices. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 41(1), 143-153. doi. 10.1177/0165025415618275

Nicholson, J.S., & Cleeton, M. (2016). Sensitivity and specificity of pediatric lead screener questions for detecting lower levels of lead exposure and environmental risk. Clinical Pediatrics, 55(2), 129-136. doi. 10.1177/0009922815584944.

Deboeck, P., Nicholson, J.S., Kouros, C. D., Little, T., & Garber, J. (2015). Interfacing theory and methodology: Using derivatives to articulate change theories, models, and inferences. Applied Development Science, 19(4), 217-231. doi. 10.1080/10888691.2015.1021924

Nicholson, J.S., McDermott, M., Huang, Q., Zhang, H., & Tyc, V.L. (2015). Full and home smoking ban adoption after a randomized controlled trial targeting secondhand smoke exposure reduction. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 17(5), 6-12. doi. 10.1093/ntr/ntu201

Clawson, A. M., Nicholson, J. S., McDermott, M., Klosky, J. L., & Tyc, V. L. (2015). Tobacco use and exposure among youth undergoing cancer treatment. Journal of Pediatric Health Care, 29(1), 80-87 doi. 10.1016/j.pedhc.2014.07.004

Weed, K., & Nicholson, J.S. (2014). Differential social evaluation of pregnant teens, teen mothers, and teen fathers by university students. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 1–16. doi. 10.1080/02673843.2014.963630

McDermott, M., Nicholson, J. S., & Tyc, V.L. (2013). Accuracy and concordance in reporting secondhand smoke exposure among adolescents undergoing treatment for cancer and their parents. Journal of Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology, 2(3), 125-129. doi. 10.1089/jayao.2012.0026.

Tyc, V. L., Huang, Q., Nicholson, J. S., Hovell, M. F., Lensing, S., …Schultz, B. (2013). Intervention to reduce secondhand smoke among children with cancer: A controlled trial. Psycho-Oncology, 22(5), 1104-1111. doi. 10.1002/pon.3117

Farris, J. R., Bert, S. C., Nicholson, J. S., Glass, K., & Borkowski, J. G. (2013). Effective intervention programming: Improving maternal adjustment through parent education. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research. 40, 211-223. doi. 10.1007/s10488-011-0397-1

Nicholson, J. S., Tyc, V. L, & Lensing, S. (2012). Parental psychosocial predictors of secondhand smoke exposure for children with cancer. Journal of Child Health Care, 16(3), 211-223. doi. 10.1177/1367493511426422