Psychology Research

The Institute was formed by Clemson University faculty conducting research in human factors and ergonomics. There is an Institute Director and Associate Director. All other faculty members of the institute are considered Institute Associates. Graduate and undergraduate students who play a significant role in the Institute through funded research are named Fellows and Junior Fellows of the Institute respectively. The Institute received official approval through Clemson University’s Board of Directors and South Carolina’s Commission of Higher Education and began operations on January 15, 2009.

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The Institute for Engaged Aging

The Institute for Engaged Aging aims to discover, develop and disseminate best practices for engaged aging through research, education and community outreach. Institute initiatives will enable older adults to be engaged in family and community living regardless of their social, economic, or health status. IEA Website

Age-Related Changes in Cognitive Abilities & Everyday Technology Performance

Cognitive abilities underlie performance in everyday tasks. How do age-related changes in abilities (e.g., memory, spatial abilities, verbal abilities) affect older adults' ability to use everyday technologies? In addition, how do other age-related differences cause differences in how we use highly automated technologies such as smartphones and GPS? Richard Pak

How does decision-making and reward motivation change across the lifespan

One goal of our aging research is to identify mechanisms of cognitive aging and work to develop effective interventions to maintain healthy cognitive functioning as one ages.  We also examine how aging affects health-related and financial decisions strategies, cognitive biases, susceptibility to misinformation, and responsivity to feedback. Kaileigh Byrne

Older Adult Technology Acceptance and Age-friendly Design

Technology is ever increasingly part of our modern lives. Technology has the potential to make many of our daily tasks easier and more enjoyable, increases our ability to be socially connected with loved ones and the world around us, and can help us be more productive and fulfilled members of society. These benefits are only realized if we accept and use it though, and many older adults choose not to do so, frequently citing usability concerns and frustrations. Often, designers focus explicitly on younger target audiences when designing their products at the exclusion of older users who may stand to benefit more from adopting certain technologies. Research on how best to implement universal design practices and include older adults in the design process can not only make new technologies more accessible and acceptable to older users, but more user-friendly to a wider audience as well.  Dustin Souders

Driving Distraction

Does talking on a cell phone, talking with a passenger, or using an in-vehicle navigation system really distract drivers’ attention from the road? We use both low and high-fidelity driving simulators to understand how drivers maintain attention and situation awareness in the face of distraction. Lee Gugerty

Fatigue and Driving

One part of my stress and fatigue research program includes investigating the effects of sleep deprivation and daytime sleepiness on driving skills under a variety of driving conditions (e.g., different types of roads, traffic conditions, and weather conditions). The goal of this research is to document the effects of fatigue on driving and to develop potential methods of monitoring and preventing sleepiness while driving. June J. Pilcher

Night Vision and Driving

Driving at night is substantially more dangerous than driving in daylight. We study how well drivers see at night and how our night vision affects our ability to drive safely. For example, we are studying how visible and conspicuous pedestrians and bicyclists are to drivers, and we are exploring new ways to make vulnerable road users safer at night. We do experiments outdoors at night and in daylight, and we also use innovative lab-based methods indoors. Rick Tyrrell

Vision in Challenging Conditions

How well do we see in fog? Is the glare from the headlights of oncoming vehicles debilitating or just annoying? And when should we use our high beams? How does our ability to see change as we grow older? We study the limitations of human vision, ways to compensate for our visual limitations and the extent to which we are aware of our own visual limitations. Rick Tyrrell

Emergent Advanced Vehicle Technologies and the Driver

Prior to the last decade, the driving task had changed little since its inception. The integration of more in-vehicle technologies and higher levels of automation over that time have promised more convenience and safety while driving, but fundamentally change the relationship between the driver and the driving task like never before. Using a high-fidelity driving simulator along with other tools and methods, we research how human driving performance and situation awareness is affected by the use of advanced vehicle technologies, ranging from the advanced driver assistance systems found in vehicles today (e.g., adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, and blind spot monitors) to the more fully automated vehicles of tomorrow.  Dustin Souders

Blood pressure-associated emotional dampening

We are doing psychophysiological studies of blood pressure-associated emotional dampening and its effects on threat appraisal and risk-taking behaviors.  We have linked blood pressure to general health risks, risky driving in a driving simulator, and financial risk-taking.  Our latest studies seek to link laboratory assessments of blood pressure, depression, and simulated risk to COVID-19 risk-taking and risk-mitigating behavior. James McCubbin

The SHAARP Lab examines methods to maintain older adults' independence and mobility. We focus primarily on cognitive and functional abilities that may be modifiable through targeted interventions. We are currently examining mobile cognitive and everyday functioning assessments as well as the impact of various cognitive intervention programs on cognitive, physical, and health outcomes in older adults. We are particularly interested in the real-world implications of our findings. We are seeking graduate and undergraduate research assistants! Please see www.SHAARP.org for more information. Lesley Ross

How do stress, time pressure, and social pressure affect decision-making strategies? Can we develop interventions, using technology and decision aids, to mitigate the negative effects of psychological pressure on decision-making?  Under which conditions are such interventions effective? This research seeks to answer these questions using basic and physiological research approaches. Kaileigh Byrne

Social Aspects of Human-Robot Collaboration

A new class of robots are designed to work alongside humans to accomplish tasks (e.g., factory assembly, home care, etc) and for entertainment. How can we ensure that the human-robot collaboration is as productive, safe and enjoyable as possible? Richard Pak

Human Factors of Teleoperation

How much information is lost when viewing the world through the ‘eyes’ of a robot? Our research focuses on answering this question and discovering ways to improve the performance of operators while teleoperating remote robots. Our group is currently performing both basic and applied research studies focused on this issue. Christopher Pagano

I’m supposed to meet someone at the east entrance of city hall, but which entrance is that? I’m lost but I can see where those two landmarks ahead of me are located on this map; so where am I on the map? We have studied how jet pilots, operators of remotely piloted vehicles (UAVs) and students perform tasks like these. Lee Gugerty

Vision, Attention, and Conspicuity

We explore the application of basic vision science, attention, and conspicuity for assessment of safety and for forensic applications. Ben Stephens

Depth Perception in Virtual Environments

Our research focuses on human depth perception in virtual environments, particularly in near-field (within arm’s reach). Our group is also researching ways to remedy observed discrepancies between distance estimates in a virtual environment compared to a real world viewing environment. Various applications include laparoscopic surgery simulators, teleoperation, physical rehab in a virtual environment, etc. Christopher Pagano

Perception for Action

Our research focuses on how humans interact with their environments and perceive capabilities for action. For example, how do we know if we can pass through a narrow doorway or a narrow gap in traffic? And, how do we know how far away objects are? Our group aims to answer these types of questions through the use of virtual reality and experiments conducted in the real world.

Stress and Fatigue

Almost any topic related to stress and fatigue in humans can capture my interest. My students and I are currently investigating a wide range of topics in relation to stress and fatigue including sleep habits, sleep deprivation, thermal stress, attentional processes, motivation, engagement, cognitive & emotional functioning, decision making, logical and moral reasoning, social functioning, social support, and health and well-being. These topics are applicable in educational settings, work settings, shift work and daily life. As applied-oriented researchers, our overall purpose is to provide preventative measures that can be used in many work, education and social settings to improve performance, health and well-being. June J. Pilcher

Multidimensional (3D) Displays and Visual Cognition

Can multidimensional (3D) displays improve our visual cognitive abilities? Recent work has suggested that organizing visual information by depth can augment our working memory ability. Our work in this area focuses on expanding the current understanding of how depth information can help (or hurt) performance on a variety of cognitive tasks. This understanding will allow us to make design recommendations involving the implementation of multidimensional displays. Dawn Sarno

Cybersecurity and Phishing

The limited cybersecurity research that has been conducted in the realm of psychology has demonstrated that most email users are extremely poor at detecting phishing emails.  Our works focuses on why email users have such poor sensitivity to phishing emails, and how we can make them more resilient for when spam filters inevitably fail. Dawn Sarno

Movement While Working

Modern society often creates a dichotomy for exercise and working. With the exception of professional athletes, usually one does not think of movement or exercise while working. My research project is trying to change that. We are using FitDesks (stationary desks with a desk top) on campus and in K-12 schools to encourage students to be active but at a low level (i.e., no sweating allowed) while studying. We are also placing the FitDesks in work settings to encourage employees to be active while working. We use a wide range of measures to investigate how movement while working affects cognitive performance, attention, motivation, engagement, stress levels, emotional stability, health and well-being. As applied-oriented researchers, our overall purpose is to change educational and work settings to improve performance, health and well-being in students and workers. June J. Pilcher

Retirement and the Return to Work

In the next 40 years, the number of people 65 or older will double. How will this change the nature and length of work life? How can HR professionals meet the challenge of an aging labor force? We study the unique aspects of retiree work behavior and the incentives that draw them back into the workforce. Mary Anne Taylor

Stigma of Seeking Help for Psychological Problems in Different Environments

Individuals with psychological problems will often avoid seeking treatment because of the stigma associated with admitting such problems. Our team has investigated the stigma associated with admitting psychological problems among individuals with less severe psychological difficulties among combat veterans and college students. We have also examined the stigma of seeking treatment for psychological problems in the work environment, and have found support for the hypothesis that individuals who report having problems but do not seek help report greater stigma than those who get help from various sources. We recently received a grant from the Department of Defense to study multiple reasons why military veterans do not receive needed treatment for psychological problems. Thomas W. Britt

Cyber Bullying

Whereas the traditional bully was most frequently encountered at school during school hours, a new bully is now on the scene. This bully is often anonymous and can bully his or her victim 24/7. Cyber bullying, also known as electronic bullying or online social cruelty, refers to bullying that occurs through electronic means, such as email, chat rooms, instant messages, web pages, and text messages sent to cell phones. As one victim of cyber bullying phrased it, the inability to escape cyber bullying without completely disconnecting from social communications means that one is forever tethered to one’s tormenter. Our research on cyber bullying examines the frequency with which it occurs, who is involved as victims and/or perpetrators and its consequences. Robin M. Kowalski

Complaining

Everyone complains, although clearly some people complain more than others. Even though complaining has negative connotations associated with it, there must be some benefit to complaining or people would not do it so often. Very little research within psychology has examined complaining. Thus, our research focuses on why people complain, the intrapersonal and interpersonal consequences of complaining, and who is most likely to complain. Robin M. Kowalski

The Positive Psychology of Courage

Courage is needed in many difficult situations, including saving others in physical peril, standing up for what is right and stepping outside one's comfort zone to try something new. Although courage has been praised throughout history, it turns out we know remarkably little about the psychology of this important virtue. My research examines courage as a multi-faceted construct, and I am currently working on developing and testing a model of courageous action. In other words, in a given situation, what will help someone behave more courageously? What factors determine (after the fact) if we label an action as courageous? These questions have application in a variety of applied settings including schools, the work place, therapy and coaching settings, and society at large. Cindy Pury

Determinants and Consequences of Self-Engagement

What determines whether individuals become personally engaged in activities such as work, voting and relationships? Our program of research examines the predictors and consequences of engagement in different areas. We have published articles addressing engagement at work, among soldiers in military operations and in voting and academic tests. Thomas W. Britt

Meaningful work and Stressors among Emergency Medicine Physicians

I have begun a program of research examining meaningful work as a buffer against the negative effects of workplace stressors among emergency medicine physicians as part of my collaborations with Prisma Health. In addition, I have examined how the chronotype (whether an individual is a morning person or evening person) of emergency medicine personnel, in conjunction with shift work, is related to the negative effects of sleep disruption, and whether problems with infertility are greater in female emergency medicine physicians as a result of the unique stressors impacting the specialty. Thomas W. Britt

Judgment and motivation

Harry Copland once said, "there are old pilots and there are bold pilots but there are no old, bold pilots." In other words, lots of real-time activities like flying, driving and working depend in large part on good judgment and fail due to bad judgment. I’m interested in how people make judgments including predictions of their future performance, predictions of their future experiences and assessments of risk. I’m researching how those judgments affect their motivation, decisions and actions. I’m also looking at how technical and scientific models of risk and prediction are communicated to non-technical stakeholders so that they can make better decisions. Fred Switzer

Organizational Stress, Motivation, Performance and Resiliency

Employees encounter stress in virtually all occupations, but certain occupations can be characterized as “high stress.”  Soldiers deployed on combat operations and foreign language analysts working for the U.S. government to uncover intelligence vital to national security represent two groups of individuals who experience high levels of stress at work. Our research in this area addresses factors that enhance the resiliency of personnel in high stress environments. These factors include high quality leadership, performing meaningful work, and a sense of optimism and hope that a mission is succeeding. Our ultimate goal is to design organizational stress interventions that will reduce the levels of stress facing employees and allow them to thrive under stress that cannot be avoided. Thomas W. Britt

Employment Interview Content and Processes

What personal characteristics do interviewers try to assess in an employment interview, and how well do they measure these things? What do interviewees do to try to manage the impression they make on interviewers, and are these attempts successful? Although the interview remains the most popular personnel selection technique, relatively little is known about the quality of the information obtained in interviews. Pat Raymark

Infrastructure Resilience

One of the biggest challenges facing our country is making our infrastructure (electricity, water, gas, transportation, cyber, etc.) more resilient to natural and human-made disasters. These infrastructure systems are physical but they’re also human - in the form of teams of operators, maintenance, and management personnel. Along with engineers, computer scientists, mathematicians, and others, psychologists are helping make our infrastructure systems more resilient. Fred Switzer

Quantitative Research Methods

How can you tell statistically if a company is discriminating against minorities or women? Can you use machine learning to determine if company’s leadership program is working? Does an employment test that’s valid in the steel industry also work in the restaurant business? How do you know? When several studies of a phenomenon have different results how do you tell what is true? How do you predict how many of each type of employee you will need in one year? In five years? One of my research interests is quantitative methods in organizational research and how companies and researchers can use computational and mathematical methods to understand and solve problems. Fred Switzer

Comparison of Assessment Methodologies

What are the advantages and disadvantages of various assessment methodologies (e.g., paper-and-pencil tests, interviews, biodata, simulations), and do these advantages and disadvantages vary depending on what is being assessed (e.g., cognitive ability, job knowledge, emotional intelligence, personality, leadership)? Current research frequently confounds methods with content, such that we don’t know the most efficient and accurate way to assess personal characteristics within selection settings. Pat Raymark

Organizational Stress and Resiliency

Employees and organizations face numerous demands as they attempt to excel. Our research program examines demands associated with high stress jobs (e.g., foreign language analysts, military personnel), as well as factors that sustain health and performance under difficult operational conditions. We are also involved in projects investigating how positive psychological states and stressors combine to predict health and performance among employees. Thomas W. Britt

Psychophysiology, Occupational Health Psychology

My research program is designed to examine the effects of stress and fatigue on normal human functioning at the physiological, behavioral and cognitive levels. Basic laboratory studies assess autonomic and neuroendocrine control of blood pressure, affects on regulation and pain sensitivity in persons at enhanced risk for hypertension, coronary heart disease and pain disorders. Applied studies assess the effects of occupational stress and fatigue on professional and executive performance. The overarching goal of applied studies is to design stress prevention and mitigation strategies to optimize human health and performance in difficult work environments. James McCubbin

Stress and Fatigue

Almost any topic related to stress and fatigue in humans can capture my interest. My students and I are currently investigating a wide range of topics in relation to stress and fatigue including sleep habits, sleep deprivation, thermal stress, attentional processes, motivation, engagement, cognitive and emotional functioning, decision making, logical and moral reasoning, social functioning, social support and health and well-being. These topics are applicable in educational settings, work settings, shift work and daily life. As applied-oriented researchers, our overall purpose is to provide preventative measures that can be used in many work, education and social settings to improve performance, health, and well-being. June J. Pilcher

The Positive Psychology of Courage

Courage is needed in many difficult situations, including saving others in physical peril, standing up for what is right and stepping outside one's comfort zone to try something new. Although courage has been praised throughout history, it turns out we know remarkably little about the psychology of this important virtue. My research examines courage as a multi-faceted construct, and I am currently working on developing and testing a model of courageous action. In other words, in a given situation, what will help someone behave more courageously? What factors determine (after the fact) if we label an action as courageous? These questions have application in a variety of applied settings including schools, the work place, therapy and coaching settings, and society at large. Cindy Pury

Occupational Health Psychology

My research addresses three aspects of occupational health psychology: (1) economic stress; (2) organizational climate; and (3) issues faced by workers in high risk occupations. My economic stress research studies how issues such as workers’ worries about money, debt, and/or losing their job influence their health as well as their resulting attitudes and behaviors at work.  My research on organizational climate examines workers’ perceptions of the extent to which their organizations prioritize their safety, health, and well-being as well as the implications of those perceptions for their workplace experiences. My research on high risk occupations investigates personal (e.g., personality, death anxiety, demographic differences) and situational (leadership, social support, shift work, etc.) influences on workers’ occupational health in higher risk occupational contexts such as military personnel, retail workers and health care professionals (e.g., nurses, physicians). Robert Sinclair

Movement While Working

Modern society often creates a dichotomy for exercise and working. With the exception of professional athletes, usually one does not think of movement or exercise while working. My research project is trying to change that. We are using FitDesks (stationary desks with a desk top) on campus and in K-12 schools to encourage students to be active but at a low level (i.e., no sweating allowed) while studying. We are also placing the FitDesks in work settings to encourage employees to be active while working. We use a wide range of measures to investigate how movement while working affects cognitive performance, attention, motivation, engagement, stress levels, emotional stability, health and well-being. As applied-oriented researchers, our overall purpose is to change educational and work settings to improve performance, health and well-being in students and workers. June J. Pilcher