Administrative Office – Psychological Sciences
Dr. Jamie Borchardt, Psy.D.
Interim Department Head & Professor – Department of Psychological Sciences
Associate Dean – College of Education & School of Behavioral Sciences
Office: EJ Howell 105 and Math 301
Email: borchardt@tarleton.edu
Phone: 254-968-1970
Ms. Ashley Harvey
Administrative Coordinator – School of Behavioral Sciences
Office: Math 301
Email: aharvey@tarleton.edu
Phone: 254-968-9090
Faculty – Psychological Sciences
Dr. Jonali Baruah
Professor of Psychology
Office: CAB 256 (Fort Worth)
Email: BARUAH@tarleton.edu
Phone: 817-484-4400
Teaching
Courses Regularly Taught:
PSYC 5300, PSYC 5301, PSYC 5090 (Group processes), PSYC , PSYC 2319, PSYC 5302
Primary Focus:
All, primarily graduate/doctoral
Research
Area(s) of Expertise/Specialization:
Experimental social psychology, organizational behavior, and group process
Lab Information:
The Group Dynamics Lab is located in CAB 224 at our Fort Worth Location. The lab consists of a team of undergraduate and graduate students, along with a postdoctoral scholar, working on interdisciplinary projects focused on virtual and face-to-face group participation and productivity. The broad goal of our research is to understand and facilitate collaborative creativity and decision-making in both in-person and technology-mediated environments.
Recent Publications/Grants:
- Baruah, J., Jimenez, E., & Paulus, P. B. (2025). Comparing Virtual Brainwriting and Video‐Based Brainstorming in Groups. The Journal of Creative Behavior, 59(4), e70058.
- Khapre, S., Mersha, M. A., Shakil, H., Baruah, J., & Kalita, J. (2025). Toxicity in Online Platforms and AI Systems: A Survey of Needs, Challenges, Mitigations, and Future Directions. Expert Systems with Applications, 129832.
- Baruah, J., Dalton, D., & Borchardt, J. (2024). A comparison of online and offline support modalities as predictors of stress among traditional and non-traditional college students. The Journal of Continuing Higher Education, 72(1), 33-49.
Honors and Involvement
Certifications/Licensure:
Awards & Notable Achievements:
Applied/Community Partnerships:
Ms. Carrie L. Baughn
Instructor of Psychology
Office: Math 344 (Stephenville)
Email: BAUGHN@tarleton.edu
Phone: 254-968-9818
Teaching
Courses Regularly Taught:
PSYC 2301; PSYC 2320; PSCY 3301; PSYC 3307; PSYC 3350; PSYC 2314
Primary Focus:
Undergraduate
Research
Honors and Involvement
Campus Involvement: Advisor for Psychology Club
Dr. Kyle Eichas
Professor of Psychology
Office: Mathematics, Wellness, & Fitness 228 (Waco)
Email: EICHAS@tarleton.edu
Phone: 254-299-8974
Teaching
Courses Regularly Taught:
PSYC 3301, PSYC 3307, PSYC 3435, PSYC 4320, PSYC 4350, PSYC 4388 (Developmental Interventions for Youth), PSYC 4390 (VA Internship)
Primary Focus:
Undergraduate
Research
Area(s) of Expertise/Specialization:
Applied developmental science, identity development, intervention outcome research, program evaluation
Lab Information:
The Psychosocial Development Laboratory at McLennan Community College is an online lab aimed at developing theoretical models of self and identity that can guide programs and practices for preparing young people for adulthood.
Recent Publications/Grants:
- Eichas, K., Côté, J. E., & Levine, C. G. (2025). Identity formation, youth, and development: A simplified approach, 2nd ed. London, UK: Routledge.
- Meca, A., Eichas, K., Cruz, B., Allison, K. K., Dennard, C., & Stickley, Z. (2025). Empowering nontraditional college students: A self-transformative intervention for promoting positive identity development. Identity, 25, 242-261.
- Eichas, K., Montgomery, M. J., Meca, A., Garcia, A. J., & Garcia, A. (2021). Engaging marginalized youth in positive development: The Changing Lives Program. In R. Dimitrova & N. Wiium (Eds.), Handbook of positive youth development: Advancing research, policy and practice in global contexts (pp. 431-446). Springer.
Honors and Involvement
Awards & Notable Achievements:
- Faculty Excellence in Student Success Award
- Engaged Faculty Award
Applied/Community Partnerships:
The Waco Youth Development Project combines community outreach with research. It involves working with community partners to implement and maintain a youth mentoring intervention, called the Changing Lives Mentoring Program.
Dr. Eichas is also involved with the VA Center of Excellence Research Program internship at VISN 17 Center of Excellence for Research on Returning War Veterans, the Doris Miller VA Medical Center in Waco, youth mentoring partnerships with La Vega Early College High School, McLennan Community College Upward Bound, and Klaras Center for Families.
Dr. Trina Geye
Associate Professor of Psychology
Office: Math 343
Email: GEYE@tarleton.edu
Phone: 254-968-9933
Teaching
Courses Regularly Taught:
PSYC 2301, PSCY 3309, PSYC 4320, PSYC 4350, PSYC 5320
Primary Focus:
Undergraduate and Master’s
Research
Area(s) of Expertise/Specialization:
Community Based Participatory Research, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, Applied Projects and Internships
Honors and Involvement
Awards & Notable Achievements:
Engaged Faculty Award
Campus Involvement:
Advisor for Psy Chi
Applied/Community Partnerships:
- SETBP1 Society
- Texas Master Naturalists
Dr. Han Hao
Assistant Professor of Psychology
Office: Math 347
Email: HHAO@tarleton.edu
Phone: 254-968-9523
Teaching
Courses Regularly Taught:
PSYC2317; PSYC4301; PSYC5316; PSYC5318; PSYC5090 (Cognitive Individual Differences)
Primary Focus:
All, but primarily graduate/doctoral
Research
Area(s) of Expertise/Specialization:
Working Memory, Attention Control, Individual Differences in Cognitive Abilities, Statistical Modeling and Psychometrics
Lab Information:
The Human Attention Nexus and Dynamics (HAND) Lab examines how attention functions as a key mechanism for human cognition and how cognitive abilities develop and interact over time. The lab combines cognitive theory with psychometric assessments to understand individual differences in attention, working memory, executive functioning, and broader intellectual performance. A central focus of HAND Lab’s research is that cognitive constructs represent complex systems of distinct processes that can be explicitly modeled to clarify what tasks measure and why they predict meaningful outcomes.
Recent Publications/Grants:
- Hao, H., Williams, J. C., Tubiolo, P. N., Silver-Frankel, E., Bauer, K., Luceno, S. R., … & Van Snellenberg, J. (2025) The latent structure of working memory: A large sample factor model of working memory capacity. Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience.
- Hao, H., Conway, A. R., Kovács, K., & Snijder, J. P. (2025). Simulating the process overlap theory of intelligence: A unified framework bridging psychometric and cognitive perspectives. Personality and Individual Differences. 233, 112865.
- Navarro, E., Hao, H., Rosales, K. P., & Conway, A. R. (2024). An item response theory approach to the measurement of working memory capacity. Behavior Research Methods, 56(3), 1697-1714.
Honors and Involvement
Certifications/Licensure:
Awards & Notable Achievements:
- President’s Excellence in Research Scholars (2025)
- Brayfield Outstanding Dissertation Award (2023, Claremont Graduate University)
Dr. Alyssa R. Jones
Assistant Professor of Psychology
Office: EJ Howell 401
Email: AJONES1@tarleton.edu
Teaching
Courses Regularly Taught:
PSYC 3435; PSYC 2317; PSYC 4350; PSYC 3305; PSYC 5301
Primary Focus:
All, but primarily graduate/doctoral
Research
Area(s) of Expertise/Specialization:
Eyewitness Memory and Identification, Face Processing and Recognition, and Cognitive Psychology
Lab Information:
In the Jones Applied Cognition Lab (The JACL), we investigate how people see, remember, and recognize faces, but also how these mental processes impact eyewitness identification, photographic lineup composition, and other forms of legal decision-making. Under the direction of Dr. Alyssa R. Jones, the JACL brings together undergraduate and graduate students to work on research projects involving: Face recognition & memory; Lineup construction, such as lineup filler selection and lineup fairness/bias; Stress effects on ID accuracy; Multi-perp crimes; Eyewitness confidence, reaction time, and accuracy; Juror perception, decision-making and evidence evaluation. Our goal is to create science that is: Theoretically grounded in cognitive psychology; Applied to real-world problems in the justice system; Collaborative, mentoring students at every level to be scientists/researchers. We annually present at, and attend, the following organizations’ meetings/research conferences: Psychonomics Society, American Psychology-Law Society, Southwestern Psychological Association, & A.R.M.A.D.I.L.L.O.
Recent Publications/Grants:
- Carlson, C.A., Lockamyeir, R.F., Carlson, M.A. et al. Comparing the strength of the confidence-accuracy versus response time-accuracy relationship for eyewitness identification. Sci Rep 15, 11064 (2025).
- Carlson, Curt A.;Pleasant, William E.;Carlson, Maria A.;Jones, Alyssa R. (2024). Effects of internal versus external distinctive facial features on eyewitness identification.
- Jones, Alyssa R., Carlson, C.A., Lockamyeir, R.F., Hemby, J.A., Carlson, M.A., Wooten, A.R. (2020). All I remember is the black eye: A distinctive facial feature harms eyewitness identification.
Honors and Involvement
Applied/Community Partnerships:
Innocence Project Texas
Ms. Lisa Mapes
Instructor of Psychology
Office: Math 319
Email: LMAPES@tarleton.edu
Phone: 254-968-9385
Teaching
Courses Regularly Taught:
PSYC: HN1 2301, 2308, 2314, 2315, 2319, 3307, 3350, 3360, 4320
Primary Focus:
Undergraduate
Honors and Involvement
Awards & Notable Achievements:
- O.A. Grant Excellence in Teaching Award
- The Jack and Louise Arthur Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching
Campus Involvement:
- Advisor for Psi Chi Honors Society
- Accessibility Ambassador
Dr. Stephanie Robertson
Professor of Psychology
Executive Director – Tarleton Center for Child Wellbeing
Office: Moody 204
Email: SROBERTSON@tarleton.edu
Phone: 254-968-9813
Teaching
Courses Regularly Taught:
PSYC 6351, 3340, 6356
Primary Focus:
Graduate (Specialist in School Psychology Program)
Research
Area(s) of Expertise/Specialization:
Rare Genetic Disease Phenotyping, Clinical and School Psychology (including psychological, psychoeducational, and school neuropsychological evaluations)
Lab Information:
The Tarleton Neurodevelopmental Disorders Research Center is currently in development.
Recent Publications/Grants:
- Oyler, H., Hudac, K., Chung, W., Snyder, L., Robertson, S., Srivastava, S., & Geye, T. (2024). SETBP1 haploinsufficiency and related disorders: Clinical and neurobehavioral phenotype study. Clinical Genetics, 1–14.
- Robertson, S., Borchardt, J., & Geye, T. (2025). Exploring structured reading groups: Case studies on classroom conversation and engagement. Smart Learning Environments, 12(50).
- Robertson, S. (2025). Beyond the guided tour: Enriching the psychology study abroad experience. Best Practices in Teaching and Learning. (Society for the Teaching of Psychology, Division 2).
Honors and Involvement
Awards & Notable Achievements:
- Engaged Faculty Award (2022)
- Presidential Honor – Texas Psychological Association (2021)
- Excellence Program – Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Accountability Report (2019)
Applied/Community Partnerships:
- SETBP1 Society Community Based Participatory Research
- Cross Timbers Family Services
- Contract service delivery for more than 10 local ISDs
Dr. Amanda Stevens
Assistant Professor of Psychology
Office: Math 348
Email: ASTEVENS@tarleton.edu
Phone: 254-968-9091
Faculty Website
Teaching
Courses Regularly Taught:
PSYC 2317; PSYC 3301; PSYC 3320; PSYC 4302; PSYC 5303; PSYC 5321; PSYC 5379
Primary Focus:
All, but primarily graduate/doctoral
Research
Area(s) of Expertise/Specialization:
Experimental Cognitive Psychology, Metacognition, Emotion and Memory
Lab Information:
In the MetaCognition, Affect, and Thinking (MetaCAT) Lab, we investigate how individuals monitor their own learning, factors that influence metacognitive monitoring, and the dynamic interplay between emotion and memory processes. Our team includes doctoral, master’s, and undergraduate researchers who work collaboratively on projects addressing questions such as: How do expectations of task difficulty influence metacognitive judgments and recognition memory performance? Are emotional statements more likely to be perceived as true compared to neutral statements, and what is the role of processing fluency in this phenomenon? How does curiosity impact metacognitive judgments and memory processes? Does the emotional valence and lyrical content of music impact metacognition and memory? Does sleep quality affect the nature of metacognitive judgments and their correspondence with task performance? Across these lines of inquiry, we draw on theories of cue utilization, dual-process models of metacognitive judgments, and signal detection frameworks to examine metacognition and memory processes. Our goal is to contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms that support accurate metacognitive monitoring, identify the conditions under which metacognition breaks down, and translate these insights into applications for education, memory-based decision making, and everyday learning. Our team attends and presents at the annual meetings of the Southwestern Psychological Association (SWPA), the Association for Research in Memory, Attention, Decision-making, Imagery, Language, Learning, & Organized Perception (ARMADILLO), and the Psychonomic Society.
Recent Publications:
- Stevens, Amanda R., Carlson, C.A., and Pierce, B.H. (2025). Does emotional expression influence face recognition? Re-examining Bruce and Young’s (1986) independence hypothesis.
- Pierce, B.H., McCain, J.L., Stevens, Amanda R., Frank, D.J. (2023). Higher judgements of learning for emotional words: processing fluency or memory beliefs?
Honors and Involvement
Awards & Notable Achievements:
President’s Excellence in Research Scholars ($16,984.50)
Mr. Doug Smith
Instructor of Psychology
Office: Math 302
Email: DSMITH@tarleton.edu
Phone: 254-968-9483
Faculty Website
Teaching
Courses Regularly Taught:
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Area(s) of Expertise/Specialization:
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Google Scholar:
ResearchGate:
Credentials, Honors, and Involvement
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Dr. Logan Yelderman
Associate Professor of Psychology
Office: EJ Howell 205-C
Email: LYELDERMAN@tarleton.edu
Phone: 817-297-4052
Faculty Website
Teaching
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Research
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ResearchGate:
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Dr. Chenmu “Julia” Xing
Assistant Professor of Psychology
Office: EJ Howell 205-D
Email: CXING@tarleton.edu
Phone: 254-918-7661
Faculty Website
Teaching
Courses Regularly Taught:
Primary Focus:
Research
Area(s) of Expertise/Specialization:
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Google Scholar:
ResearchGate:
Credentials, Honors, and Involvement
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