Researchers

Wallace E. Dixon, Jr., Ph. D.

Dr. Dixon is the chair of the Department of Psychology. His research focuses on early childhood temperament, language learning, and executive control.

Dr. Andrea Clements, Ph. D.

Dr. Clements is professor in the Department of Psychology.

Kerry Proctor-Williams, Ph. D.

Dr. Williams is and Associate Professor in the Department of Communicative Disorders.

Elizabeth Hay, B. A.

Elizabeth is a second year graduate student in the Experimental Master's program. She is currently working as a graduate assistant for Dr. Dixon and is involved in research in the lab, lab scheduling, and student training. Elizabeth's research interests include language acquisition/development and the use of social routines by young children, especially the use of 'please' and 'thank you'. In her spare time, Elizabeth enjoys being in the kitchen making anything from homemade pizza and pasta to chocolate souffls and ice cream.

Leslie King B.A.

Leslie has been a resident of East Tennessee for most of her life. She received her Bachelor's from East Tennessee State University and is currently a second year general psychology Master's student. Her research interests include creating a new measure to assess the executive functioning ability in pre-verbal infants and comparing this ability with cognitive tasks such as language acquisition. In addition to research, Leslie is also interested in behavioral assessment and hopes to one day help children and their families manage behavioral disorders. During her downtime, Leslie enjoys spending time with her family and friends, enjoying the outdoors, and sitting down with a good book.

Sarah May, B. A.

Sarah May is a second year psychology master's student who plans to graduate in May of 2010. Her interests have always been in the area of child development, and she enjoys working with children. More recently she has focused her research on nutrition, nutritional choices for promoting health, and body mass index in children. She enjoys the great outdoors that surround Johnson City, TN by hiking, biking, and taking in the scenic beauty that surrounds this area. Her future plans are to complete a PhD program specializing in Health Psychology, and to study nutritional benefits for physical health, and the role this plays in psychological health.

David Bumgarner, M.A.

David is a doctoral candidate in the clinical Phd. program. David received his master's degree from the University of West Florida. He is currently working as a graduate assistant for Dr. Dixon and is involved in both research in the lab and updating the baby lab website. His research interests are in child/adolescent health specifically conditions related to executive attention, temperment, and language proficiency. In his spare time he enjoys hiking, playing music, and hanging out with his wife Amber. David plans to complete his Phd. and pursue work in both the academic and clinical settings.

Sierra Wolcott B.A.

Sierra is in her 2 nd year of graduate school and is a Graduate Assistant for Dr. Proctor-Williams. She received her B.S. from the University of South Alabama in speech and hearing sciences. She is interested in the research of language disorders, specifically expressive language disorders. She is also interested in adults with traumatic brain injury especially treatment interventions. In her spare time she enjoys reading, watching movies, and "singing and dancing to my hearts content". Her future plans include graduating with her master's degree and pursuing a career in the public schools as a speech-language pathologist.

Carrie Fly

Carrie is Senior Child Psychological Sciences major with a minor in Human Development and Learning. She is interested in becoming a school guidance counselor and is interested in the cognitive development of humans. In her spare time, she enjoys playing tennis, hiking, working as a counselor at a camp in Asheville, NC, and hanging out with friends. After graduating from ETSU in December 2010, her plans for the future include going to graduate school at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA and getting her masters in School Counseling,

Vincent Carroll

Vincent is currently a Sophomore at ETSU and is interested in a variety of topics within the world of psychology, including social development of children and adolescents, psychology in relation to the criminal justice system, and abnormal psychology. He is a huge fan of the Atlanta Braves and Alabama Crimson Tide, and his hometown is Chattanooga, TN. He is also the tallest member of the lab, and is sometimes asked to get things off of high shelves. He plans to attend graduate school at and pursue an MA and, eventually, Ph.D. He would like to do research, teach, and possibly treat clients.

Sara Casada

Sarah is Junior and her research interest involve memory and problem solving. In her free time she enjoys reading, writing, cooking, and swimming. After finishing her undergraduate degree, she plans to go to graduate school in research psychology. Eventually she hopse to work in an academic setting teaching and conducting research.

Joseph Tucciarone

Joseph is technically a Sophomore (two credits shy of junior at the beginning of this current semester). His research interest involves the interaction of music and the mind, and the effectiveness of music therapy, especially with regard to children with autism and other communicative disorders. In his iPod, the R's go like this: R.E.M., Radiohead, Ravel, Ray Charles w/ Nina Simone, Richard Bona w/ Pat Metheny, Richard Hell and the Voidoids, Rickie Lee Jones, RJD2, and Roy Goodman (conducting the Hanover Band as they perform the second movement from Haydn's Symphony No. 94 in G major). R may just be the most eclectic letter in my library next to S. His future plans are to hold a Ph.D in cognitive neuropsychology and a Master's in music therapy, to publish regularly, and to operate a non-profit therapy center on a huge swath of land in rural New England; this acreage would also include an organic farm with southward facing slopes upon which to grow the grapes for his vineyard, one barn for his wife's ceramic studio, another barn for his recording studio and library, a lake (or least a section of a river), and a bed and breakfast operated by him and his wife. He also plans to draw a weekly comic strip for the local paper, wherever they end up, and to write sardonic ficition in the vein of Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

Jacqueline "Jackie" Hillenbrand

Jackie is Junior at ETSU. Her research interest is in Child psychology. She is intersted in working with children 12 and under who have experienced traumatic situations. Besides school she is currently employed at News Channel 11, doing production (audio, cameras, graphics, editing, etc.) She also loves to read and sing. In the future she plans to finish her undergraduate degree at ETSU and go on to Grad school to get her masters and eventually her PhD.

Lois Garrett

Lois is a Junior who's research interest is in infant, adolescent, and young adult behavior, personality, and cognition. She enjoys traveling thoughout the nation, hiking, spending time with family in both California and Minnesota, discussing religion and philosophy. She is currently employed by the Department of Housing and Residence Life. In the future she plans to attend graduate school and work as a adolescent and couples counselor.

Jiaju Wu

Jiaju is a senior at ETSU and is planning on graduating in the Spring 2010. His research interests are language error corrections, language development, attention, emotion, and education in children. Jiaju is originally from China and in 2008 worked at a summer camp in New York as a counselor. During his time there he was responsible for the daily activities and counseling of 20, 6-7 year olds. In the future he plans to attend a Phd. program and continue his work with children.

Shufang Sun

Shufang is a currently a senior and her research interests are in psychotherapies, anxiety disorders, language development, and mood disorders. She is originally from China and enjoys reading, traveling, and playing the violin. One of her major accomplishments was being first author on a peer-reviewed journal publication. She plans to continue her education in graduate school.

Jennifer Silva

Jennifer is a Senior and is interested in early childhood development. Outside of school she enjoys hanging out with her friends, going to see live music, playing soccer, and taking her dog Justice to the dog park. In the future she plans to graduate from ETSU and attend graduate school with a focus on child psychology.