Elizabeth Crider

Elizabeth a third year graduate student who is currently studying a method of cross cultural training that emphasizes human and cultural similarities as an addition to current training methods that focus on cultural differences.  She has a broader interest in cross cultural issues in the workplace, as well as a strong interest in occupational health psychology.

I currently am a 5^th year PhD graduate at Central. I originally hail from the cold tundra of Northern Minnesota (Duluth to be more specific). I graduated with my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from St. John’s University. I spent some time working at a camp for people with disabilities as director of programming and eventual found my way back to academia in Cedar Fall Iowa. I graduated with my master’s degree from the University of Northern Iowa in I/O Psychology. While studying in Iowa, I was researching (a) environmental conservation attitudes and behaviors amongst college students, (b) the development of flow-states (i.e., complete cognitive engagement or the “in-the-zone” mentality) in children, and (c) reviewer perceptions of applicants based on resume biodata. I also taught at a local community college. For the last three years here at Central, I’ve been involved in (a) the development of a “workplace savoring” scale, (b) a meta-analysis on challenge and hindrance stressors, and (c) a meta-analysis on core self-evaluations and job performance/ job satisfaction. Currently, I am engaged in Steve’s lab research on the influence of companion animals on workgroup behaviors and am also working in Terry’s lab studying the relationship between social support and workplace incivility. My dissertation topic examines the psychological outcomes of employees working for companies that have been identified as “corporately responsible”. In my off time, I spend a lot of time adventuring outdoors with my dog Dillon. I am an avid rock climber, which is my primary stress recovery activity. What else? I enjoy short walks on rocky beaches … ?

Melanie Essayans

 I am originally from Hamburg, Germany, but grew up in Des Plaines, Illinois.  I received my B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Hispanic Studies from Illinois Wesleyan University.   My current research projects focus on coaching relationships and what makes certain individuals more receptive to coaching than others, the target-based antecedents of bullying in the workplace, and the potential mismatch between person-environment fit within organizations. My hobbies include traveling, playing with my dog, being outdoors, and reading.

Bernard Voss

Bernard is a second year graduate student who graduated from Morehead State University with a B.S. in Psychology. He is working on his thesis involving social dominance orientation, organizational identification, and counterproductive work behaviors. He is also working with others on a project investigating the impact of gossip in the workplace. In the future, Bernard plans to continue current themes and integrate other interests such as stress, abusive supervision, and power distance.

Chris Honts

I am originally from Bettendorf, Iowa.  I hold a B.S. in psychology from Truman State University with minors in business administration and statistical methods.  While at CMU, I have consulted for companies, such as Dow Corning and Domino’s Inc.  My current research projects focus on co-worker normative expectations and stress recovery, human animal interactions in the workplace, personality differences between self-report and behavioral observations, workplace incivility, and the effects of social networking site information on selection decisions.   Some of the non-school activities I enjoy are kayaking, running, competing in triathlons, weightlifting, and various winter sports.

Mihyang An

 I am a third year Doctoral student at Central. I come from South Korea, and have been living here, since fall, 2009. Living in the different culture is not easy but my program friends help me a lot adjust new atmosphere and culture.  I am so lucky to be here.  My research interest is work family balance and workplace aggression in Occupational Health Psychology, as well as research methodology. Currently I am working on the Primary Health Environment study and the aggression study. I love swimming and exercise and watching movies.    

Sabrina Tabarovsky

I am a second year Doctoral student from Queens, New York.  My research interests include shopping and hunting for a good deal on shoes.  I am also the chauffeur for any and all international students in our program.  Oh, and I also enjoy studying teams and social media, when I have the time.  

Amanda McDonald

Shane Curtis

I am originally from White Lake, MI. I am currently a junior pursuing my B.S in psychology with a minor in business administration. My research experiences include cleaning and analyzing data, being a confederate, running participants, rating responses and behaviors, and performing literature reviews. I am interested in pursuing graduate work in the field of I/O psychology. My research interests include personnel selection and placement, performance appraisal and management, work motivation, and leadership.

Sarah Fox

Hi! I’m a senior at CMU and I will be graduating in May with a B.S. in Psychology with a minor in Legal Studies.  I’m currently working on a project involving social media and its relevance to industrial organizational psychology, including legal issues relating to monitoring and selection.  I’m also involved in another I/O lab where we are studying different team dynamics, and I’m collecting data on an experiment where we are examining the influence of stress and its impact on participants’’ ability to remember their Miranda rights.  My current research interests involve employment law issues relating to I/O, along with various aspects relating to psychology and law.  Specifically, I am interested in child and adult interrogation tactics and their influence on false confessions, voir dire procedures and jury selection, and memory formation relating to eyewitness identifications.