Psychology Undergrad Studies

At its core, psychology is a scientific discipline that investigates the nature of individuals’ thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Anywhere you might find people, you will see psychology in action!

Why choose an education in psychology?

Psychology is scientific: Psychology is a science that uses objective, systematic observation and experimentation to understand mental processes and behavior. The expertise of psychologists is not based on speculation or opinion, but instead on data and methods.

Psychology is practical: The findings of psychology are used by professionals to inform health policy, develop law, structure businesses, predict economic behaviors, design aircraft cockpits, treat mental health conditions, market products, motivate athletes, train animals, reduce prejudice, and more. Needless to say, an education in psychology can be very useful.

Psychology is diverse: Psychology covers a wide range of topics, and chances are good that one will be relevant to you. You will find psychologists working alongside biologists and medical professionals just as frequently as you will find them working alongside educators and policy developers. UMA offers psychology courses that cover a breadth of topics including mental health, childhood development, community, stereotyping & prejudice, and more.

Schedule a meeting with a psychology faculty member to discuss our courses, minor, or research labs

Patrick Cheek

Associate Professor of Psychology

Expertise:

Nonresident parenthood, parental involvement and developmental outcomes, family poverty, family policy, intimate partner violence, rural families, scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL)

patrick.cheek@maine.edu

My academic training and expertise lie in the areas of family science and developmental psychology (sometimes referred to as “Human Development and Family Studies”). Broadly speaking, I engage in the scientific study of why people change over time, especially in the context of families and relationships. Throughout my professional career, I have been engaged in … Read More

Laura Kati Corlew

Associate Professor of Psychology, TEM Program Coordinator

(207) 262-7752

kate.corlew@maine.edu

Dr. Corlew joined the UMA Social Science Program faculty in 2014. She teaches a variety of courses in Psychology (PSY) and Social Science (SSC). She has served as Faculty Coordinator of Civic Engagement since 2015, and has coordinated UMA campus community gardens and advised UMA garden clubs since 2016. She is currently the Coordinator of … Read More

Kenneth Elliot

Professor Emeritus of Psychology

Expertise:

Professional Psychology, Assessment Methods, Personality, Aging and Masculinities, Cross Cultural and Positive Psychology, Academic Ethics and General Education curriculum development

(207) 458-4891

toby054646@gmail.com

Emeritus Aspirations: Awarded Emeritus Faculty status in 2022, a year after retiring I ending my licensed clinical practice. Currently I’m (studying retirement and) contributing to the (small) town in which I reside. My skills have allowed me to contribute as a member of (3) volunteer committees (Broadband, Aging in Place and Neighbors Driving Neighbors). I’ve … Read More

Zachary Roth

Assistant Professor of Psychology

Expertise:

Attitudes; Intergroup Relations; Stereotyping and Prejudice; Psychology of Religion

(207) 621-3172

zachary.roth@maine.edu

I am a social psychologist whose work examines the structure of attitudes and ideologies, and how those structures affect prejudice and intergroup behaviors. I joined the Social Science Program faculty at UMA in 2022 and teach a variety of courses in Psychology (PSY). My courses emphasize students’ agency in their education and utilize applied content … Read More

Additional Resources

Visit the website of the American Psychological Association, or the Association for Psychological Science.

Learn to write papers using APA-Style 7th ed. at the Purdue OWL website.

Listen to an episode of the APA’s podcast Speaking with Psychology where psychologists talk about their topics of expertise.