Meet Dr. Jeannette Stein of the Psychology Department

Dr. Stein is a Regional Representative for the Midwestern Psychological Association. April 30-May 2, 2015, she will take ten UM-Flint Psychology students to Chicago, IL, to present their research.

Name: Jeannette M. Stein, PhD
Title: Associate Professor
Department: Psychology

Classes I teach: Principles of Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, Research Design, Statistics, Advanced Research and Writing, Advanced Research Topics, Intergroup Dialogue

Recent Publications:
• Framing Effects: The influence of handedness and interhemispheric interaction. Laterality: Asymmetries of Body, Brain and Cognition, 17, 98-110.
• What do we know when we claim to know nothing? Partial knowledge of word meanings may be ontological, but not hierarchical.  Language & Cognition. 4, 144-166.

Research or Specific Areas of Interest: I am interested in assessing individual differences that affect decision making. In particular, I study how structural brain differences may lead to differences in cognitive flexibility. I am currently studying how these differences impact the bereavement process.

Degree(s)/Education: PhD University of Toledo

Memberships: Midwestern Psychological Association-I am the regional representative

How I fell in love with my field: I have always been fascinated by human behavior, but I had no interest in ‘fixing it’. In my first psychology course, I learned that psychology is more than a profession. It is a science. Each subsequent course provided some answers, but left me with many more questions. The reward of both satisfying and challenging my curiosity through the research process made psychology an obvious choice for me.

What I hope for my time at UM-Flint: I hope that I might influence students to find a balance between fascination and skepticism such that they may successfully pursue their passions.

What I hope for students in my field: I hope they take every opportunity to challenge their beliefs, to learn from others and about themselves.

Three things you should know about me: I believe a healthy lifestyle is a happy lifestyle. I am a morning person. I would rather workout than sleep in on a Saturday morning.

For more information on Dr. Stein, visit her Faculty Profile page.