Psychology Faculty & Staff
Department Chair
Jennifer Berry earned a B.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Kentucky, with a concentration in Behavioral Neuroscience and Psychopharmacology. She routinely teaches learning, biological basis of behavior, research methods and statistics, and a seminar in neuroscience drugs and behavior. Dr. Berry’s research focuses on the neurochemical and behavioral changes resulting from substances of abuse in animal models, including co-consumption of alcohol and nicotine as well as alcohol and caffeine. She also focuses on the neuroendocrine (i.e. stress hormone) responses to these substances of abuse in hopes of better identifying underlying factors contributing to addiction and relapse. To find out more about Dr. Berry’s research, visit the lab website .
Faculty & Staff
Fabiana Alceste earned her B.A. from the University of Florida and earned her Ph.D. from John Jay College of Criminal Justice/The Graduate Center, CUNY. She currently teaches courses in Social Psychology and Psychology & Law, in addition to Research Methods & Statistics courses. Dr. Alceste’s research area is the psychology of police interrogations and confessions, a topic on which she also teaches a senior seminar. Her recent work focuses on how interrogation practices influence judgments about police custody and confession evidence. She hopes that work in this field will improve the criminal justice system by preventing and reversing wrongful convictions.
About Dr. Sebiha Balci
Dr. Sebiha Balci is an Adjunct Professor of Psychology at Butler University. She holds a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from Kent State University and an M.S. in Educational Psychology from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Research Interests
Dr. Balci’s research focuses on learning and motivation in technology-enhanced and online learning environments. Her work examines how instructional design and emerging educational technologies can be used to foster students’ motivation, engagement, and academic achievement. A particular focus of her research is gamification in education—the use of game elements such as badges, points, challenges, feedback, and choice to enhance students’ learning experiences.
More broadly, her scholarship seeks to bridge psychological theories and educational practice by identifying evidence-based approaches for creating learning environments that are motivating, engaging, and supportive of student success.
Areas of Expertise:
Human Experimental Psychology:
Visual Depth Perception in real and virtual environments
Perception of Affordances
Human Factors and Applied Psychology
Cognitive Psychology
Direct Perception and Ecological Psychology
History and Theories of Psychology
Education:
Ph.D., Human Factors Psychology, Clemson University, Clemson, SC (2017).
M.S., Cognitive and Behavioral Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL (2014).
B.A., Double major in Psychology and History, with honors, Denison University, Granville, OH (2012).
Classes Taught:
Introductory Psychology (SW 250)
Research Methods and Statistics I (PS 210)
Research Methods and Statistics II (PS 211)
Biological Bases of Behavior (PS 235)
Sensation and Perception (PS 404)
History of Psychology (PS 420)
Advanced Seminar in Applied Psychology – Human Factors (PS 479)
Careers in Psychology (PS 105)
First Year Seminar – Human Factors and the Design of Your Life (FYS 101 and FYS 102)
Experience:
CATBUS consultant (May 2016 – May 2019): As part of this experience I was tasked with analyzing data regarding Clemson Area Transit, presenting the findings to city leaders, and compiling the results to be used in reports for a federal government funding agency.
LMX concierge website (October 2015 – October 2016): Consulted for a local business designed to facilitate goal achievement. Worked with a team to construct a user friendly website to help grow the business. Primary duties included performing tasks analyses, heuristic evaluations, paper prototyping, user testing, and implementing new webpage designs.
US Engine Valve (April 2016 – August 2016): As part of my experience on this team my primary functions were to act as a quality check after each phase of work, and to draft, refine, and edit the final report and presentation to company leaders regarding the results of numerous task analyses and ergonomic recommendations to improve workspace design, worker safety, and worker efficiency. My secondary functions were to provide guidance and feedback to the project team during the task analysis and recommendation phase.
At Illinois State, I served as the graduate assistant in the University Assessment Services department, where I produced and distributed surveys designed to gather knowledge about various aspects of the University. I was also tasked with analyzing and presenting the data produced by the survey assessments.
Attended the Advanced Training Institute on Nonlinear Methods in Data Analysis, at the University of Cincinnati during the summer of 2013.
Professional Memberships:
American Psychological Association
Human Factors and Ergonomics Society
Psychonomic Society
International Society for Ecological Psychology
Psi Chi
Dr. Renée DeCaro joined Butler University in 2024, after completing her postdoctoral fellowship at VA Boston and Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. She received her BS in Psychology from the University of Southern Indiana and her PhD in Cognitive Psychology from Tufts University. Dr. DeCaro’s research uses a combination of techniques, including behavioral responses and event-related potentials (ERPs), to understand learning successes and errors. She is particularly interested in how these processes change in individuals across the lifespan, in people both with and without a history of traumatic brain injury or mild cognitive impairment.
I am a licensed psychologist in both Massachusetts and Indiana, and I am also a Nationally Certified School Psychologist, licensed in both Indiana and Massachusetts, with many years of direct service and administration experience in public schools and universities, including being the chief psychologist for the Newton Public Schools (Newton, MA), supervising more than 40 psychologists and social workers as well as
providing consultation and direct service at all levels within the system that
has more than 12,000 students. Prior to this position I served as student services
director and special education administrator for two other school districts.
Prior to moving to Indiana a few years ago, I taught at Boston University’s Metropolitan College, including Introductory Psychology, Psychology of Learning, and Developmental Psychology.
In addition to my adjunct faculty position at Butler University, I am currently a presenter for the Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth, a state funded program that offers continuing education workshops to educators, staff, and parents in a number of school districts throughout Massachusetts. The workshops have been in-person and are now online, covering subjects such as anxiety, executive functioning, learning disabilities, bullying, and ASD.
I have more than 25 years of clinical experience, including an independent private practice where I continue to meet with Massachusetts and Indiana clients via teletherapy and in person, providing both therapy and neuropsychological evaluations. Prior to moving to Indiana, I worked for Dana Group Associates in Needham MA doing clinical work, neuropsychological testing, and supervision. I also managed the teens and young adults section of Massachusetts General Hospital’s Aspire program, a program specializing in working with children, adolescents and young adults identified with high functioning ASD.
Dr. Karina Hamamouche joined the faculty at Butler University in 2021 after teaching for two years at Belmont University. She received her PhD in Developmental Psychology from Boston College in 2019. Prior to attending Boston College, she received her BA in Psychology and French from Butler University. She primarily teaches Life Span Development and Psychological Inquiry, but also enjoys teaching Research Methods courses. Dr. Hamamouche’s research focuses on how children learn about number and time. She is interested in how these abilities develop and how an understanding of quantities relates to formal academic achievement. She loves to travel and is an avid college basketball fan.
Allie Hamilton has been an adjunct professor of psychology at Butler University since 2023. In grad school, her research interests were within the field of social psychology, focusing specifically on sexism and perceptions of women. Her favorite part about teaching is getting to share new research with interested students!
Dr. Mickeal Key is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Neuroscience, teaching courses across the Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program’s curriculum for both the Psychology and Biology Departments. As a cognitive neuroscientist, her scholarly work focuses on the efficacy of lifestyle interventions to improve cognitive performance and delay age- and disease-related changes to brain structure in older adults. Her work also seeks to understand how socio-cultural factors impact clinical trial design and efficacy. This interdisciplinary approach combines neuroscience, public health, psychology, clinical research, and health equity to enhance the scientific understanding of brain health while ensuring that research findings are inclusive, relevant, and applicable across the aging population.
Expertise
I am trained as a Clinical Psychologist with a specialty in neuropsychology (how the brain impacts cognitive abilities). My research interests span neurodegenerative disorders (such as Alzheimer’s Disease and Parkinson’s Disease), music and dementia, healthy aging, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and epilepsy. I especially love mentoring undergraduate students as they develop their research skills as student scientists. I am also the Director of Butler’s Neuroscience minor.
Teaching
Courses I teach regularly at Butler include:
Biological Bases of Behavior (PS 235)
Advanced Applied Neuroscience (PS 412)
Food: Pasture, Table, Body and Mind (NW 261)
Music First! Engaging Student Scientists in Community-Based Research (ID 345)
Mental Illness: Biological, Psychological, and Sociological Perspectives (SW 275)
Education and Training
The Cleveland Clinic Foundation (APPCN Approved), Neuropsychology Postdoctoral Fellow
San Diego State University/ University of California, San Diego, Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology
The University of Chicago Medical Center (APA Approved), Clinical Psychology Intern
Georgia Institute of Technology, M.S. in Experimental Psychology
Butler University, B.A. in Psychology, B.S. in Arts Administration
Selected Recent Publications (*student co-author)
Lineweaver, TT, *Collins, AN, *Stopa, M, *Horth, M, *Fishbaugh, ME, Haut, J, Ferguson, L, Klaas, P, Lachhwani, D, Bingaman, W & Busch, R (2022). Mother Knows Best…Or Does She? Perceptions of the Memory Abilities of Pediatric Epilepsy Patients as Reported by Patients and their Parents Across Time. Epilepsy and Behavior,128,108589. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yebeh.2022.108589
Lineweaver, TT, Hall, ACG, *Throgmorton, H, *Callahan, SM & *Bell, AJ (2022).Teaching Students to Study More Effectively: Lessons Learned from an Empirical Comparison of a Study Tips Presentation and a Review Article. Journal of College Reading and Learning. https://doi.org/10.1080/10790195.2022.2056097
Lineweaver, TT, Bergeson, TR, *Ward, MJ, *Hagen, NA, *Ladd, K, Johnson, H, Braid, D, Ott, M, Hay, DP, Plewes, J, Hinds, M, LaPradd, ML, *Bolander, H, *Vitelli, S, *Lain, M & Brimmer, T (2022). Nursing Home Residents’ Positive Behavioral Responses to Individualized Music Predict Improvements in Sundowning Symptoms After Music Listening. Journal of Aging and Health. https://doi.org/10.1177/08982643221087569
Lineweaver, TT, *Collins, AN, *Smith, SC, Horhota, M & Crumley-Branyon, J (2022). Same Goals, but Different Outcomes: Present-Focused versus Future-Focused Memory Beliefs Differentially Predict Young and Older Adults’ Everyday Use of Memory Strategies. Experimental Aging Research. https://doi.org/10.1080/0361073X.2022.2079926
Kowalski, JR, Lineweaver, TT & Novak, KB (2021). Developing Integrative Thinking in Undergraduate Students through an Interdisciplinary General Education Course on Mental Illness. College Teaching. https://doi.org/10.1080/87567555.2021.1982856
Lineweaver, TT, *Fansler, SD, Horhota, M, Crumley-Branyon, JJ & *Wright, MK (2021). Older Adults’ Memory Beliefs Predict Perceptions of Memory Difficulty and Effectiveness. Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition. https://doi.org/10.1080/13825585.2021.1962794
Lineweaver, TT, Bergeson, TR, *Ladd, K, Johnson, H, Braid, D, Ott, M, Hay, DP, Plewes, J, Hinds, M, LaPradd, ML, *Bolander, H, *Vitelli, S, *Lain, M & Brimmer, T (2021). The Effects of Individualized Music Listening on Affective, Behavioral, Cognitive and Sundowning Symptoms of Dementia in Long-Term Care Residents. Journal of Aging and Health. https://doi.org/10.1177/08982643211033407
Lineweaver, TT, Kercood, S, *Gabor, AJ, *Cervantes, J, *Dye, AJ & *Baker, E (2021). The Effect of Medication and Question Wording on Self-Reported Symptoms and Their Accuracy in Young Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 60, 252-269. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjc.12276
Lineweaver, TT, Crumley-Branyon, JJ, Horhota. M & *Wright, MK (2020). Easy or Effective? Explaining Young Adults’ and Older Adults’ Likelihood of Using Various Strategies to Improve Their Memory. Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition, 27, 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1080/13825585.2019.1566432
Lineweaver, TT, Gingerich Hall, A, *Hilycord, D & *Vitelli, S (2019). Introducing and Evaluating a “Study Smarter, Not Harder” Study Tips Presentation Offered to Incoming Students at a Four-Year University. Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 19, 16-46. https://doi.org/10.14434/josotl.v19i1.23734
Office: HB195
Pronouns: he/him
Academic/Professional Focus
Areas of Expertise
Clinical Psychology; subclinical & preclinical versions of psychological disorders; reasoning & psychopathology; clinical judgment & decision making; stigma of mental illness; treatment outcome; substance disorders.
Classes Taught:
Learning (PS202), Research Methods and Statistics I (PS210), Research Methods and Statistics II (PS211), Personality Psychology (PS440), Abnormal Psychology (PS441), Intervention/Psychotherapy (PS443), Seminar in Applied Psychology (PS479)
Other duties:
Institutional Review Board (Chair), Psychology Internship & Career Coordinator, Psychology Keeper of the Birthdays (emeritus).
Education/Experience
Education/Degrees
- 1993 – B.S., Psychology, University of Pittsburgh
- 1998 – M.S., Psychology, University of Memphis
- 2000 – Ph.D., Clinical Psychology, University of Memphis
Certifications
Licensed Health Services Providing Psychologist (HSPP) in Indiana
Association of College & University Educators Certificate in Effective College Instruction
Association Memberships
- Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies
- American Psychological Association
- Society for the Teaching of Psychology
- Society for Clinical Psychology
- Association for Psychological Science
- Society for Judgment and Decision Making
Professional Experience
- 2015-present: Professor – Butler University, Department of Psychology
- 2009-2015: Associate Professor – Butler University, Department of Psychology
- 2003-2009: Assistant Professor – Butler University, Department of Psychology
- 2000-2003: Senior Investigator – University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Treatment Research Center
- 1999-2000: Psychology Resident – Mississippi State Hospital
- 1993-1999: Graduate Assistant – The University of Memphis, Department of Psychology
- 1992-1993: Research Assistant – University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Research Interests
Social Psychology with a specific focus on studying prejudice, prejudice confrontation, social norms, masculinity, and aggression.
You can find out more about my research on my lab website, my GoogleScholar, or by following my research lab on Instagram (@lab_astra)!
Students interested in working with me might be interested in taking a look at this recruitment flyer. Please contact me at codea1@butler.edu if you are interested in getting involved!
Education
Ph.D., Experimental Psychology – Social Psychology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS (2019).
M.S., Experimental Psychology – Social Psychology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS (2017).
B.S., Psychology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS (2013).
Teaching Experience
- Introduction to Psychology
- Research Methods and Statistics I
- Statistical Methods in Psychology
- Experimental Methods Laboratory
- Lifespan Personality Development
- Personality Psychology
- Social Psychology
- Power and Intergroup Relations
- Psychology and Your Future
- Psychology of Aggression and Honor
- Psychology of Investing
Curriculum Vitae
Please click here for an updated version of my CV!
Bio
Dr. Padgett is a native Hoosier from Greenfield, IN who in high school developed a love for the theatre and set off to pursue it as a major in college. That interest led him to study with Dr. Tom Evans at Hanover College in southern Indiana. Although Dr. Padgett’s interests tended more to the technical (Lighting and Sound) side of theatre, Doc Evans was well known for turning college students into professional working members of Actors’ Equity and seemed like the perfect mentor to help him pursue his passion. But a funny thing happened on the way to the theatre as Dr. Padgett soon learned that his relative dearth of talent (especially when compared to say his fellow classmate and friend Woody Harrelson) meant that he might want to consider an alternative career path.
Fortuitously, Dr. Padgett was introduced to the field of Psychology while at Hanover by the late Dr. Harve E. Rawson who became his second mentor (“idol” might be a more accurate description) and he ultimately resolved to make the classroom his stage and started working towards a career as a college professor. His hope was to become a mentor to future generations of college students like the ones that had been so influential in his own life. Having worked with Dr. Rawson at the The Englishton Park Summer Program for Children collecting and analyzing data on the effectiveness of intervention programs for children, Dr. Padgett came to love issues of child development, but figured out rather quickly that his interests and talents made him better suited for a career in research and assessment than actually doing interventions with children. It’s kind of like having a face for radio.
To that end, Dr. Padgett set out to earn a Ph. D. in Developmental Psychology and Measurement and Statistics which led him to study with Dr. Hilary H. Ratner at Wayne State University in Detroit. While in graduate school, Dr. Padgett used his computer programming and data analytic skills to earn a living and to help him land his first professional position at the Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute for Child and Family Development. In a short while he accepted an offer to join the Psychology faculty at Butler University (in the Fall of 1989) and has been at Butler ever since.
As a faculty member at Butler, Dr. Padgett has taught a variety of courses, primarily focused on research methods, statistics and data analytics. His research interests include aspects of developmental child psychology, but also include a smattering of work involving statistical modeling of developmental and psychological processes. In recent years, Dr. Padgett has served as the director of the undergraduate minor in Data Science and currently serves as the Director and Faculty Lead for the Master of Science in Data Analytics program.
Shelby Terwillegar earned her B.A. in Psychology from Anderson University, Indiana, and her M.S. and Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from Ball State University, Indiana. Dr. Terwillegar currently teaches courses in Introductory Psychology and Research Methods & Statistics. Her research examines how psychology can be applied to education, paying special attention to classroom climate and how one’s identity plays a role in their achievement and motivation. Dr. Terwillegar’s most recent work examines the messages that teachers send to their students and how those messages impact students’ academic decision making and classroom engagement.
Research
Alex adopts social structural perspectives to study stereotyping and well-being. He combines traditional surveys, computational methods (e.g., word embeddings), and modeling (e.g., drift diffusion modeling) to investigate how social structural and historical contexts shape perceptions, evaluations, and experiences of social groups. Subsequently, his research examines how psychological processes reinforce or challenge existing social hierarchies and how we can uplift the experiences of minoritized and disadvantaged groups in higher education.
Education
- Ph.D., Research and Experimental Psychology – Social Psychology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN (expected 2027).
- B.A., Psychology and Education, Colgate University, Hamilton, NY (2022).
Teaching Experience
- Psychological Inquiry
- Research Methods and Statistics I and II
Stacy Wetmore earned a B.A. in Psychology (2008) and an M.A. in Experimental Psychology (2011) from The University of Alabama in Huntsville. She received her Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology (2015) from Oklahoma University with minors in quantitative and biological psychology. She routinely teaches cognitive processes, research methods and statistics I and II, advanced statistics, learning, cognitive seminar, and psychology and law. Dr. Wetmore’s research focuses on the intersection between cognition and law, and how memory and decision-making processes can be utilized to understand persistent issues within the legal system. Eyewitness misidentifications and jailhouse informant testimony are two leading causes of wrongful conviction which she seeks to address.