The Center for Applied Psychology conducts interdisciplinary theory-based and problem-based research aimed at improving human performance and the quality of life.

CAP's faculty continues their extensive involvement in broadening the psychological knowledgebase of the community. By achieving a better understanding our world and the individuals who inhabit it, CAP strives to enhance the human experience on a holistic level through applied scientific research across the spectrum of psychology-related subfields.

Current Research

Drs. Laura L. K. Bryan, Pamela Vaughan, Sherry Schneider, Susan Walch, and Rosemary Hays-Thomas are conducting research on women faculty in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

Dr. Susan Walch, along with Dr. Rebecca Kennedy and Dr. April Glenn are conducting research on suicide outreach and support, with special emphasis placed on reaching gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (GLBTQ) students and military-affiliated students, including active duty service persons, veterans, and military spouses and dependents.

Dr. Sam Mathews is a co-investigator with Dr. Tracy Irani studying the health outcomes of the Deep Water Horizon oil disaster along the northern Gulf coast from Apalachicola, Florida to Baldwin County, Alabama.

Past Research

Mathews, S.R. & Khamzina, S. (2007) Formative Evaluation of the Community Managed Education Project: Naryn Oblast, Kyrgyzstan. Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan: UNICEF.
This project entailed conducting a formative evaluation of a rural education project in rural villages located in remote parts of the Kyrgyz Republic in Central Asia. The villages were located in the foothills of the Ten Shan Mountains along the border with China. The report is available upon request.

Mathews, S.R., Lofstrum, & E., Poom-Valickis, K. (in press) Psychology in the Classroom: Promoting Reflective Practice through a Case-Based Approach. Tallinn, Estonia: Tallinn University Press.
This monograph is the first effort in the Baltics to provide a focus on educational psychology aimed at teachers and is based on authentic cases of classroom experiences by classroom teachers in the region. Although this monograph is based on Estonian cases, it is being expanded to reflect a more global perspective and will be published in an English language version for broader distribution.