Faculty

Conway portrait

Conway, Andrew (Cognitive Psychology)

Now recruiting graduate student(s) for the 2027/2028 academic year.

Department Head

Office: SH 220

Phone: (575)646-2502

Email: aconway@nmsu.edu

Personal Webpage: https://caliberlab.wixsite.com/website

Area of Research: Dr. Conway's research is aimed at understanding individual differences in cognitive abilities. People differ in their cognitive abilities and these differences matter in life, in terms of academic achievements, job performance, income, and health. Dr. Conway's research is concerned with how cognitive abilities are measured and what role they play in various real-world cognitive tasks such as learning new information, reading and listening comprehension, and decision making.

Education:

  • B.S. in Computer Science & Psychology from Union College in (1991)
  • M.A. in Experimental Psychology from University of South Carolina in (1993)
  • Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology with a minor in Statistics from University of South Carolina in (1996)
Will Crescioni portrait

Crescioni, Will

College Assistant Professor

Email: willcres@nmsu.edu

Area of Research: My research focuses on human agency, particularly through the constructs of self-control and belief in free will. Much of my work examines the impact of belief in free will on judgments about the self and others, including perceptions of meaning in life and of moral responsibility.

Education:

  • B.S., Psychology & Philosophy, LSU
  • M.A., Social Psychology, Florida State University
  • Ph.D., Social Psychology, Florida State University
Jesse Grabman head shot

Grabman, Jesse (Cognitive Psychology)

Now recruiting graduate student(s) for the 2027/2028 academic year.

Assistant Professor

Office: SH 325 

Email: jgrabman@nmsu.edu

Personal Webpage: https://grab-lab.com/

Area of Research: I’m interested in understanding the mechanisms underlying metacognition (knowing what we know), and particularly how individuals may differ in this ability. This interest applies broadly, but some current focuses are: 1) the predictive value of eyewitness confidence in the criminal justice system, 2) mathematical models of the confidence generation process, and 3) changes in metacognitive processes as we age.

Education:

  • B.A. Psychology, University of Virginia (2013)
  • M.A. Psychology, University of Virginia (2019)
  • Ph.D. Psychology (Cognitive & Quantitative), University of Virginia (2022)
Guynn headshot

Guynn, Melissa (Cognitive Psychology)

Now recruiting graduate student(s) for the 2027/2028 academic year.

Associate Professor

Office: SH 323

Phone: (575) 646-1047

Email: mguynn@nmsu.edu

Area of Research: My primary research interests are in the area of human memory.  One line of work focuses on prospective memory, or memory to do things in the future in the absence of a direct prompt to remember.  My interests in this area include the generation-recognition model of recall, the distinction between organizational and distinctive effects on memory, and collaborative inhibition in memory.  More generally, I’m also interested in how the construct of a “retrieval mode” supports both prospective and retrospective memory.

Education:

  • B.A. – Furman University, (1991)
  • M.A. – Rice University, (1994)
  • Ph.D. – University of New Mexico, (2001)
Hout headhsot

Hout, Michael (Cognitive Psychology)

Professor

Office: SH 343 (Office hours: Mon and Tue 10:00-11:00am by appointment in person or via zoom) 

Phone: (575) 646-1730

Email: mhout@nmsu.edu

Personal Webpage: Michaelhout.com

Area of Research: Visual Cognition, visual attention, memory, eye-movements, and computational modeling.

Education:

  • Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh
  • Master’s of Arts in Psychology from Arizona State University
  • PhD in Psychology from Arizona State University
Headshot of Cameron Kay

Kay, Cameron (Social Psychology)

Assistant Professor

Office: SH 326

Phone: (575) 646-1833

Email: ckay@nmsu.edu

Personal Webpage: https://armlab.org

Area of Research: Dr. Kay studies the psychological foundations of antisocial beliefs and behaviours. He investigates why people adopt harmful worldviews, ranging from conspiracy theories and climate change denial to generalized prejudice and extremism. To support this work, he develops psychometrically sound scales and tools for improving data quality.

Education:

  • B.A. Psychology, University of British Columbia (2015)
  • M.S. Psychology, University of Oregon (2018)
  • M.A. Journalism, University of Oregon (2018)
  • Ph.D. Psychology, University of Oregon (2023)
  • Postdoctoral Scholar, Environmental Social Sciences, Stanford University (2025-2026) 
Tim Ketelaar

Ketelaar, Timothy (Social Psychology)

Associate Professor

Office: SH 346

Phone: (575) 646-1833

Email: ketelaar@nmsu.edu

Area of Research: Emotion, evolutionary psychology, and philosophy of science

Education:

  • BS Psychology, (1986), University of Iowa
  • MS Social-Personality Psychology, (1989), Purdue University
  • PhD Personality Psychology, (1993), University of Michigan
  • Postdoctoral Fellow, (1993-1996), NIMH Program in Emotion Research (Directors: Paul Ekman & Richard Davidson; Mentor: Gerald Clore)
  • Postdoctoral Fellow, (1996-1997), Center for Adaptive Behavior & Cognition Max Planck Institute for Psychological Research (Director: Gerd Gigerenzer)
Picture of Justin MacDonald

MacDonald, Justin (Cognitive Psychology,Engineering Psychology)

Now recruiting graduate student(s) for the 2027/2028 academic year.

Graduate Program Director, Professor

Office: SH 347 (Office hours: Wed 10:00-11:00am and Thu 1:30-2:30pm via zoom)

Phone: (575) 646-6223

Email: jmacd@nmsu.edu

Personal Webpage: Justin MacDonald

Area of Research: Inferential statistical procedures, auditory sensation and perception, decision-making under uncertainty, and the mathematical/computational modeling of phenomena in these areas.

Education:

  • B.S., Psychology, University of Washington, (1996)
  • M.S., Quantitative-Mathematical Psychology, Purdue University, (1999)
  • Ph.D, Quantitative-Mathematical Psychology, Purdue University, (2003)
Laura Madson

Madson, Laura (Social Psychology)

Professor

Office: SH 342 (Office hours: Mon and Friday 10:30-11:30am)

Phone: (575) 646-6207

Email: lmadson@nmsu.edu

Personal Webpage: https://lauramadson.com

Area of Research: Gender, sexuality, scholarship of teaching and learning

Education:

  • B.A., Psychology and English – Luther College, (1991)
  • M.S., Social Psychology – Iowa State University, (1993)
  • Ph.D., Social Psychology – Iowa State University, (1996)
Michael Marks

Marks, Michael (Social Psychology)

Professor

Office: SH 330 (Office hours Tuesday 1:00-2:00pm or via zoom)

Phone: (575) 646-1980

Email: mjmarks@nmsu.edu

Area of Research: Close relationships, attachment, and emotion

Education:

  • B.A., Psychology (2001), University of CA, Davis
  • M.S., Social Psychology (2004), University of IL, Chicago
  • Ph.D., Social Psychology (2007), University of IL, Urbana-Champaign
Dawn Moore portrait

Moore, Dawn Michele (Cognitive Psychology)

College Assistant Professor

Office Hours: By appointment

Email: dmm@nmsu.edu

Areas of Interest: Executive function, attention, cognitive development, learning, memory, academic performance, infant development

Education:

  • BA Psychology, Cleveland State University
  • MBA (Marketing & Accounting), Cleveland State University
  • MA Psychology (Cognitive), Claremont Graduate University
  • PhD Psychology (Cognitive), Claremont Graduate University
  • Postdoctoral Researcher, New Mexico State University, Caliber Research Lab (Director: Andrew R. A. Conway)

Dominic Simon head shot

Simon, Dominic (Cognitive Psychology)

Now recruiting graduate student(s) for the 2027/2028 academic year.

Associate Professor

Office: SH 331 (Office hours: Tue and Wed 9:00-10:00am)

Phone: (575) 646-3533

Email: domsimon@nmsu.edu

Area of Research: Human learning and memory, motor learning, skill acquisition

Education:

  • BSc Kinesiology / Physics, St Mary’s College, (1990) Strawberry Hill, UK
  • MA Psychology, University of California, (1994) at Los Angeles, USA
  • PhD Psychology, University of California, (1997) at Los Angeles, USA
  • Postdoctoral Fellow, Dept. of Kinesiology, McMaster University,(1999-2002) Hamilton, ON, Canada
Julia Soares headshot

Soares, Julia (Cognitive Psychology) 

Office: SH 328

Email: soares@nmsu.edu

Personal Webpage: https://profjuliassoares.wixsite.com/mite

Area of Research: My research examines memory in everyday settings, with particular interest paid to the effects of interacting with digital technologies like smartphones, digital cameras, internet search, and AI chatbots. This includes work examining autobiographical memory and learning, as well as a person's metacognitive judgements of their memory. 

Education:

  • B.A. Psychology, Binghamton University, State University of New York (2014)
  • M.A. Psychology, University of California, Santa Cruz (2016)
  • Ph.D. Psychology, University of California, Santa Cruz (2020)
David Trafimow head shot

Trafimow, David (Social Psychology)

Now recruiting graduate student(s) for the 2027/2028 academic year.

Professor

Office: SH 337

Phone: (575) 646-4023

Email: dtrafimo@nmsu.edu

Area of Research: Social cognition, attributions and memory for events and persons, methodological, statistical, and philosophical issues pertaining to science.

Education:

  • BA Psychology, University of Illinois (1984)
  • MA Psychology, Indiana University (1988)
  • PhD Psychlogy, University of Illinois at Champaign (1993)
Maribeth Trego Portrait

Trego, Maribeth (NMSU Global - Cognitive Psychology)

College Assistant Professor

Student Hours: Calendly

Email: mbtrego@nmsu.edu

Areas of Interest: I am interested in the complex interplay between memory, the classroom environment, and technology, with particular focus on how students’ and teachers’ actions during lecture affect the students’ recall of information and academic success. The ultimate goals of my research are threefold: 1) to help students of all backgrounds to succeed in an academic setting, 2) increase motivation to learn, and 3) to design better methods of instruction at the university level (in both online and in person environments).

Education:

  • A.A.S in Culinary Arts - Alamance Community College
  • B.A. Psychology (Natural Science Concentration) & a minor in Statistics - Appalachian State University
  • M.A. Psychology (Cognitive), University of California - Riverside
  • Ph.D. Psychology (Cognition & Cognitive Neuroscience), University of California - Riverside
Bryan White headhsot

White, Bryan (Cognitive Psychology)

College Assistant Professor

Office: SH 339

Email: bryanw@nmsu.edu

Personal Webpage: https://www.bryanleewhite.com

Areas of Interest: Dr. White's research interests focus on cognition, specifically visual search, as well developmental and human factors psychology. Bryan enjoys teaching a great deal and covers several subjects, Including Introduction to Psychology, Developmental Psychology, and Cognitive Psychology.  Bryan’s teaching philosophy is student centered, and rests on the belief that effective instruction requires flexibility, creativity, and responsiveness to the needs of the student.  

Education:

  • B.A. Psychology, UNM
  • B.A. English - Creative Writing, UNM
  • M.A. Psychology, NMSU
  • Ph.D. Psychology, NMSU

 
Emeriti


J.R. Cowie (Emeritus), Ph.D. (Strathclyde University, Glasgow, Scotland) – automatic language processing, psycholinguistics

V. S. Johnston (Emeritus), Ph.D. (Edinburgh) – biopsychology, comparative, psychopharmacology, neuropsychology

J. E. McDonald (Emeritus), Ph.D. (New Mexico State University) – cognitive psychology, engineering psychology

L. Thompson (Emerita), Ph.D. (University of California Santa Cruz) – cognitive/developmental psychology

K. Paap (Emeritus) Ph.D. (Wisconsin) – psycholinguistics

R. Schvaneveldt (Emeritus) Ph.D. (Wisconsin) – engineering psychology, aviation

W. Stephan (Emeritus) Ph.D. (Minnesota) – stereotyping and prejudice, cross-cultural psychology