Timothy J. Lawson, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology
College of Mount St. Joseph
Cincinnati, OH 45233
E-mail: tim_lawson@mail.msj.edu

 

Courses Taught

  • PSY 103: Introduction to Psychology - An introduction to the scientific study of human behavior and mental processes, including the basic terminology, methods, principles, and theories of psychology.
  • PSY 208: Social Psychology - The study of how we think about, relate to and influence one another. Social perception, attitudes, social influence, prejudice, aggression, and attraction are examined.
  • PSY 309: Social Influence - An in-depth look at how salespeople, governments, marketers, friends, and others influence our attitudes and behavior. A variety of influence tactics and ways of defending ourselves against them are examined.
  • PSY 375: Research I - An introduction to psychological research emphasizing ethics and the integration of research design and statistics. Observational, correlational and survey research are explored in conjunction with descriptive and inferential statistical analysis.
  • PSY 376: Research II - A continuation of PSY 375. Use of more advanced research designs and statistical methods. Includes experimental design, single-subject research, and quasi-experimental methods.
  • PSY 380: Pseudoscience and Controversial Claims - Examines a variety of controversial therapies, psychological tests, paranormal claims, and other psychological phenomena. Pseudoscientific approaches to gathering evidence for these phenomena are compared and contrasted with scientific approaches.
  • PSY 400: Senior Thesis - Independent project that integrates the theory and research relevant to a student's area of specialization. A thesis project demonstrates research skills and growth in student's area of study.

Education

1989 - Ph.D. Miami University, Oxford, Ohio. Doctorate in social psychology. Doctoral Dissertation: The Role of Social Support Orientation in Moderating the Stress-Buffering Effect of Social Support.

1987 - M.A. Miami University, Oxford, Ohio. Master's degree in social psychology. Master's Thesis: The Role of Social Support in Moderating the Stress that First-year Graduate Students Experience.

1985 - B.A. Adrian College, Adrian, Michigan. Bachelor's degree in psychology (magna cum laude). Senior Thesis: The Effect of a Pleasant Artificial Scent and Informal Name Usage on Person Perception.

Experience

2000 - present
Professor, College of Mount St. Joseph, Cincinnati, Ohio. I teach Introduction to Psychology, Social Psychology, Social Influence, Pseudoscience & Controversial Claims, Research I, Research II, and Senior Thesis.

1997 - 2000
Associate Professor, College of Mount St. Joseph, Cincinnati, Ohio.

1991 - 1996
Assistant Professor, College of Mount St. Joseph, Cincinnati, Ohio.

Recent Publications

     Lawson, T. J. (in press). Scientific perspectives on pseudoscience and the paranormal: Readings for general psychology. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

     Lawson, T. J., Bodle, J. H., Houlette, M. A., & Haubner, R. R. (2006). Guiding questions enhance student learning from educational videos. Teaching of Psychology, 33, 31-33.

     Lawson, T. J. (2003). A psychic-reading demonstration designed to encourage critical thinking. Teaching of Psychology, 30, 251-253.

     Lawson, T. J., Schwiers, M., Doellman, M., Grady, G., & Kelnhofer, R. (2003). Enhancing students' ability to use statistical reasoning with everyday problems. Teaching of Psychology, 30, 107-110.

     Loeffler, R. L., & Lawson, T. J. (2002). Age and occupational status of defendant in relation to mock juror sentencing. Current Psychology: Developmental, Learning, Personality, Social, 21, 289-292.

     Lawson, T. J. (2002). Everyday statistical reasoning: Possibilities and pitfalls. Pacific Grove, CA: Wadsworth.

     Lawson, T. J. (2000). Teaching a social psychology course on the Web. Teaching of Psychology, 27, 285-289.

     Lawson, T. J. (2000). Are kind lies better than unkind truths? Effects of perspective and closeness of relationship. Representative Research in Social Psychology, 24, 11-19.

Awards

Sister Adele Clifford Excellence in Teaching Award, College of Mount St. Joseph, 2002-2003.

Ohio Magazine’s Excellence in Education Award, 2003

Graduate Student Achievement Award, Miami University, 1989.

Outstanding Senior in Psychology Award, Adrian College, 1985.

Professional Affiliations

Association for Psychological Science (APS)
Society for the Teaching of Psychology
Society for Personality and Social Psychology
Midwestern Psychological Association
Council of Teachers of Undergraduate Psychology (CTUP)

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