Joseph McGahan

Professor

School of Behavioral & Social Sci

STRS 334A

318-342-1338

Joseph R McGahan, PhD
Professor, Psychology

Education

Ph D

1988, Social Psychology
University of Oklahoma

MS

1978, Educational and Child Psychology
Yeshiva University, NY

BA

1975, Psychology
S.U.N.Y. at Oswego, Oswego, NY

Biographical Sketch

Community Service is right up there with my interests in teaching (e.g., social psychology, research methods, history of psychology, personality, and various advanced topics) and, (currently) to a lesser extent research. However, my community development efforts are an extension of my research interests and the emerging positive results from our community service efforts are revitalizing my interests in research. For example, my work with students on (potential) projects related to literacy (e.g., financial literacy), "everyday correlations" (under the umbrella of The Psychometrics of Everyday Living and, in particular, intuitive covariation assessment) and the implications for being a "mindful motorist" are extensions of my research foundation (i.e., intuitive statistical reasoning).

Research Interests

What do people think about the relationship (perhaps correlation) between responsibility and freedom still represents my primary research interests. In addition to improving the measurement scheme I developed to assess this perceived covariation, I have become increasingly interested in how changing the law to legalize recreational marijuana has influenced how people think about the above mentioned association.

Creative Works

Producing a children's book with two students based on State Farm grant. Mentioned elsewhere is these documents., Shelby the seal.. (2023).

Recent Publications

McGahan, J., Salzman, D., Sneed, M., Lambert, C. (2013). Linguistic Responsibility and Security. Security Info Watch.

Frangou, G., Wilkerson, K., McGahan, J. (2008). Perceived freedom-responsibility covariation among Cypriot Adolescents (pp. 183-202). The Journal of General Psychology: Experimental, Physiological and Comparative.

White, N., McGahan, J., Sutherlin, J., Alibeli, M. (2010). Public Perceptions Concerning Flu Pandemic Preparedness as it Relates to the H1N1 Swine Flu.

Wilkerson, K., McGahan, J., Stevens, R., Williamson, J. D., Low, J. (2009). Judgment and judgment latency for freedom and responsibility relatedness given subtle linguistic variations (pp. 641-656). Journal of Psychology: Interdisciplinary and Applied.

White, N., McGahan, J., Sutherlin, J., Alibeli, M. (2009). A Report for the Center for Community Preparedness Office of Public Health Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals Assessment of the Dissemination of the Individual and Family Handbook "How You Can Be Prepared for a Flu Pandemic".

McGahan, J., Roberts, J., Wilkerson, K. (2009). An interdisciplinary approach to tolerance of ambiguity, ecumenical theology, and world peace (pp. 14). Forum on Public Policy: A Journal of the Oxford Round Table.

Nevala, D., Gray, N., McGahan, J., Smith, T. (2006). Gender differences in the effect of visual sexual stimulation on the perceived covariation of freedom and responsibility (pp. 133-153). The Journal of Psychology.

Cordell, D., McGahan, J. (2004). Mutual gaze duration as a function of length of conversation in male-female dyads (pp. 109-114). Psychological Reports.

Futch, G., Wilkerson, K., McGahan, J., McCown, W., Williamson, J. D. (2002). Judgments about length, weight, and width covariation as a function of intelligence and depth of processing in elementary school children: A preliminary study (pp. 1109-1114). Psychological Reports.

Pryor, P., McGahan, J., McDougal, B., Haire, S., Marashi, H. (2001). The influence of need for cognition on judgments about height, weight, and body fat covariation (pp. 1147-1157). Psychological Reports/Perceptual & Motor Skills.

Yates, M., McGahan, J., Williamson, J. D. (2000). Intuitive covariation assessment of the illusory correlation (pp. 397-411). Journal of General Psychology: Experimental, Physiological, and Comparative.

Pryor, P. L., McGahan, J., Hutto, C., Williamson, J. D. (2000). The effect of imaginary sexual stimulation on the perceived covariation between freedom and responsibility: A preliminary study (pp. 645-658). The Journal of Psychology.

McGahan, J., McDougal, B., Williamson, J. D., Pryor, P. (2000). The effects of contingency structure for intuitive covariation judgments about height, weight, and body fat (pp. 325-336). Journal of Psychology: Interdisciplinary and Applied.

Pryor, P., McGahan, J., Hutto, C., Williamson, J. D. (2000). The effects of visual sexual stimulation on judgments on the perceived relationship of freedom and responsibility: A preliminary study (pp. 645-658). The Journal of Psychology: Interdisciplinary and Applied.

McGahan, J., McDougal, B., Williamson, J. D., Pryor, P. (2000). The equivalence of contingency structure for intuitive covariation judgements about height, weight, and body fat (pp. 645-658). Journal of Psychology.

Richard, F. D., McGahan, J. (1998). An evaluation of the conditional probability strategy and rule analysis methodology in judgments of covariation (pp. 819-831). Psychological Reports.

McGahan, J., Williamson, J. D., Bonnette, C., Pettway, J., Payton, M. (1998). Height, weight, and body fat: Assessments of covariation based on visual information or reported correlations (pp. 99-110). Perceptual and Motor Skills.

McGahan, J., Williamson, J. D., Stoeker, J. (1998). Length, weight, and width: Covariation assessments based on haptic exploration. Perceptual and Motor Skills.

Jenkins, C., McGahan, J., Richard, F. (1994). Effects of a common linguistic misrepresentation on judgments about the relationship between height and weight (pp. 339-347). Perceptual and Motor Skills.

Reardon, R., Durso, F., Foley, M., McGahan, J. (1987). Expertise and the generation effect (pp. 336-348). Social Cognition.

Research Grants

McGahan, J. R., "A Cooperative Approach for Getting from Here to There and Back" (Funded), Sponsored By ULM and State Farm, External to The University of Louisiana at Monroe, $15,000. (April 2020 - Present).

McGahan, J. (Principal), "A More Thoughtful and Cooperative Approach for Getting from Here to There and Back" (Funded), Sponsored By State Farm, The University of Louisiana at Monroe, $15k. (March 03/10 2019).

Awards & Honors

2003 Professor of the Year.

2003 Finalist for Outstanding Professor.

1998 Outstanding Professor.

1994 Outstanding Researcher.

Courses Taught

PSYC 2001INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY, 3 course(s)

PSYC 2005ADOLESCENT PSYCHOLOGY, 5 course(s)

PSYC 3001EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY, 17 course(s)

PSYC 3039INTRO TO RESEARCH METHODS, 26 course(s)

PSYC 4000PSYCHOLOGY LABORATORY, 20 course(s)

PSYC 4002SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, 19 course(s)

PSYC 4006PERSONALITY, 7 course(s)

PSYC 4007HISTORY AND SYSTEMS, 12 course(s)

PSYC 4011ADVANCED TOPICS, 11 course(s)

PSYC 4039Statistics, 1 course(s)

PSYC 4051Psy Test Measurement, 2 course(s)

PSYC 4098UNGRAD PSYCHOLOGY INTERNSHIP, 32 course(s)

PSYC 5002SOCIAL COGNITION, 11 course(s)

PSYC 5023Research Methods, 1 course(s)

PSYC 5028SEMIN/CONTEMPORARY ISSUES/PSYC, 1 course(s)

Joseph R McGahan, PhD Professor, Psychology