Courses taught most frequently     PSY130    Critical Thinking     PSY332     Cognition     PSY346I    Human Sociobiology

Course Descriptions

Critical Thinking (PSY130)

The purpose of this course is to develop skills that enable students to use their minds more effectively.  It is concerned with the development of critical thinking skills.  Critical thinking means to think consciously, deliberately and skillfully.  It is to use one’s mind effectively and optimally to achieve desired ends.  In this regard, the course focuses on the following: Identifying inner biases and beliefs, suspending judgment and avoiding jumping to conclusions, understanding causation and hypothesis testing, articulating thoughts clearly, distinguishing facts from mere opinions, accepting diverse points of view, understanding probability, identifying valid and invalid forms of argumentation, and learning how to analyze arguments effectively.  To achieve these ends, the course makes use of various homework and in-class assignments where each of these skills is developed.  In addition, students have to complete two written papers and three exams, all of which focus on their ability to think and to express themselves clearly and effectively.

Cognition (PSY332)

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the basic theories and research in cognitive psychology.  Specific areas that are addressed include attention, perception and pattern recognition, memory, language processing, judgment and reasoning, categorization, and problem solving.  In addressing these content areas, we pay special attention to how empirical research in cognitive psychology is conducted.  The goal is to hone students’ scientific reasoning skills, and to get them to think and solve problems like cognitive psychologists.  Students are assessed by tests that require predominantly written answers, rather than multiple-choice questions.  They are also given regular quizzes.  In addition, students are required to expand their knowledge of cognitive psychology by writing a term paper on any topic in the field that is of interest to them.  This paper requires that they read and integrate a minimum of five journal articles in the area of cognition.

Human Sociobiology (PSY346I)

This course introduces students to the basic theories and research in evolutionary psychology. It begins by introducing students to basic concepts in evolutionary biology, and how these pertain to the architecture of human cognition. In addition to discussing fundamental issues, we also explore specific content areas including, among other things, sexual attraction and mate selection, violence and aggression, social status, cooperation and social exchange. Throughout the course, attention is paid to a discussion of how research in evolutionary psychology is carried out. Students are assessed with primarily written tests, and with regular quizzes. In addition, students are required to expand their knowledge of this field by writing a term paper on any topic that is of interest to them. This paper requires that they read and integrate a minimum of five journal articles in the area.

Research interests

My research interests are broadly in the area of cognitive psychology.  In particular, I conduct research in the following areas: (a) Figurative language .  This research looks at the role of comparison and categorization processes in the comprehension of metaphors and similes, as well as the nature of the cognitive architecture underlying the capacity for figurative cognition. Specifically, I am examining the role of working memory mechanisms in the production and comprehension of metaphors.  (b) Attention.  This research tests different theories of negative priming, examining what happens to information that is ignored.  (c) Reading acquisition. Individual differences in reading acquisition are linked to individual differences in phonological awareness, the ability to explicitly identify and manipulate speech sounds.  I examine whether differences in phonological awareness are caused by deficiencies in the mechanisms underlying speech perception.  (d) Evolutionary psychology .  My empirical research in evolutionary psychology is concerned with testing implications of social contract theory, a theory that examines the psychological mechanisms underlying our capacity to engage in social exchange (in cooperation for mutual benefit).  My theoretical research critiques the central idea of evolutionary psychology, the idea that the human mind is predominantly made up of domain-specific modular mechanisms.  I am working on a theory of the psychological mechanisms underlying general intelligence, which I argue is necessary for solving novel problems, and for developing novel solutions to longstanding adaptive problems.

Publications

1.  Peer-Reviewed Articles

Chiappe, D. L. and MacDonald, K. (2005). The evolution of domain-general mechanisms in intelligence and learning. Journal of General Psychology, 132, 5-40.

Chiappe, P., Chiappe, D. L., & Gottardo. A. (2004). Vocabulary, context and speech perception among good and poor readers. Educational Psychology, 24, 825-843.

Chiappe, D. L., Brown, A., Dow, B., Koontz, J., Rodriguez, M., and McCulloch, K. (2004). Cheaters are looked at longer and remembered better than cooperators in social exchange situations. Evolutionary Psychology, 2, 108-120.

Chiappe, D. L., Kennedy, J. M., and Chiappe, P. (2003). Aptness is more important than comprehensibility in preference for metaphors and similes. Poetics, 31, 51-68.

Chiappe, D. L., Kennedy, J. M., and Smykowski, T. (2003). Reversibility, aptness, and the conventionality of metaphors and similes. Metaphor and Symbol, 18, 85-105.

MacLeod, C., Chiappe, D. L. and Fox, E. (2002). The crucial roles of stimulus identity and stimulus matching in negative priming. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 9, 521-528.

Chiappe, P., Chiappe, D. and Siegel, L.  (2001).  Speech perception, lexicality, and reading disability.  Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 80, 58-74.

Chiappe, D. L. and Kennedy, J. M. (2001).  Literal bases for metaphor and simile.  Metaphor and Symbol, 16, 249-276.

Chiappe, D. L.  (2000).  Metaphor, modularity, and the evolution of conceptual integration.  Metaphor and Symbol, 15 , 137-158.

Chiappe, D. L. and Kennedy, J. M. (2000).  Are metaphors elliptical similes?  Journal of Psycholinguistic Research, 29(4) , 371-398.

Chiappe, D. L. and Kennedy, J. M. (1999).  Aptness predicts preference for metaphors or similes, as well as recall bias.  Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 6, 668-676.

Kennedy, J. M. and Chiappe, D. L. (1999).  What makes a metaphor stronger than a simile?  Metaphor and Symbol, 14, 63-69.

Chiappe, D. L. (1998).  Similarity, relevance, and the comparison process.  Metaphor and Symbol, 13, 17-30.

Chiappe, D. L. and Vervaeke, J. (1997).  Fodor, Cherniak, and the naturalization of rationality.  Theory and Psychology, 7 , 799-821.

Chiappe, D. L. and Kukla, A. (1996).  Context-selection and the frame problem.  Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 19, 529-530.

Chiappe, D. L. and MacLeod, C. M. (1995).  Negative priming is not task bound:  A consistent pattern across naming and categorization tasks.  Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 2, 364-369.

2.  Book Reviews

MacDonald, K. and Chiappe, D. L. (forthcoming). Review of ”The Origin of Mind: Evolution of Brain, Cognition, and General Intelligence” by David Geary. Human Ethology Bulletin.

Chiappe, D. L. (forthcoming). Review of ”Evolutionary Psychology: The New Science of the Mind” by David Buss. Journal of Bioeconomics.

Chiappe, D. L. (2003). Review of ”Understanding figurative language” by Sam Glucksberg. Metaphor and Symbol, 18, 55-61.

Chiappe, D. L. (2000).  Review of “Social and Cognitive Approaches to Interpersonal Communication” by Susan R. Fussell and Roger Kreuz (Eds.). Journal of Pragmatics, 32, 847-853.

3.  Non-refereed Publications and Book Chapters

Kennedy, J. M., and Chiappe, D. L. (in press).  Metaphor in movies.  In J. Anderson and B. Anderson (Eds.) Moving image theory: Ecological considerations .  Southern Illinois University Press.

Chiappe, D. L. and Collins, P. (1994).  Behaviourism, introspection, and consciousness.  Cognoscenti, 2, 16-19.

Chiappe, D. L. and Kukla, A. (1993).  Artificial intelligence and scientific understanding.  Cognoscenti, 1, 7-9.   Reprinted in Psycoloquy, 11 (064), article 4.

Chiappe, D. L. and Kukla, A. (1993).  Psychology's contribution to epistemology:  Comment on Mos.  History and Philosophy of Psychology Bulletin , 2, 11-12.
   
4.  Paper and Poster Presentations

Chiappe, D., Chambers, V., Stute, C., McCulloch, K., Nelson, D., and Melendrez, J. (2005). The role of working memory functions in metaphor production. Poster presented at the 2005 meeting of the American Psychonomic Society.

McCulloch, K. and Chiappe, D. (2005). Memory for cheaters and cooperators in social contract situations. Poster presented at the meeting of the Human Behavior and Evolution Society, University of Texas, Austin, June 2, 2005

Chiappe, D., Koontz, J. and McCulloch, K. (2005). Working memory functions and metaphor comprehension. Poster presented at the 85th annual meeting of the Western Psychological Association, April 14, 2005.

Chiappe, D., Chanes, J., Ochoa, E., McCulloch, K., and Koontz, J. (2004). The Role Of The Executive Functions Of Working Memory In Metaphor Comprehension. Poster presentation at the 2004 meeting of the American Psychonomic Society.

Chiappe, D. and Koontz, J. (2004). Cheaters are looked at longer and remembered better than cooperators in social exchange situations. Poster presented at the 84th annual meeting of the Western Psychological Association, April 23rd, 2004.

Chiappe, D., Dow, B., Rodriguez, M. and Koontz, J. (2003). Cheaters and cooperators are equally salient in social exchange situations. Poster presented at the meeting of the Human Behavior and Evolution Society, University of Nebraska, June 4, 2003.

Chiappe, D., Rodriguez, M., and Dow, B. (2003). Memory for cheaters and cooperators in social exchange situations. Poster presentation at the 83rd annual meeting of the Western Psychological Association, May 2, 2003

Kennedy, J. Chiappe, D., and Cowley, M. (2003). Metaphors are more apt than similes! Conventionality plays a minor role? Poster presentation at the 2003 meeting of the American Psychonomic Society.

MacDonald, K. and Chiappe, D. (2003). The evolution of domain general mechanisms in intelligence and learning. Paper presented at the Fourth annual meeting of the International Society for Intelligence Research, December 6, 2003.

Chiappe, D., Brown, A., and Rodriguez, M. (2002). Remembering the faces of potential cheaters and cooperators in social contract situations. Poster presented at the meeting of the Human Behavior and Evolution Society, Rutgers University, June 21, 2002.

MacDonald, K. and Chiappe, D. (2002). The Evolution of General Intelligence: The Roles of Working Memory and Analogical Reasoning in Solving Novel Problems. Paper presented at the meeting of the Human Behavior and Evolution Society, Rutgers University, June 20, 2002.

Chiappe, D. L. and Kennedy, J. M. (2001).  Metaphor or simile? Apt or conventional? And what changes?  Poster presentation at the 2001 meeting of the American Psychonomic Society.

Chiappe, D. L. (2000). The role of comparison and categorization in the comprehension of figurative statements.  Invited address to the Center for Cognitive Science at SUNY Buffalo, November 29, 2000.

Chiappe, D. L. and Kennedy, J. M. (2000).  Literal bases for metaphor and simile: Category and similarity claims.  Paper presented at the 2000 meeting of the American Psychonomic Society.

Chiappe, P., Chiappe, D., and Siegel, L.  (2000).  The role of the lexicon in the speech perception of reading disabled and normally achieving children.  Paper presentation at the 2000 meeting of the Society for the Scientific Study of Reading.

Chiappe, D. L. and Kennedy, J. M.  (1998).  Are metaphors elliptical similes?  Paper presented at the 1998 meeting of the American Psychonomic Society.

MacLeod, C.M., and Chiappe, D.L.  (1998). Patterns of negative priming for identical and related words when the cueing context changes between prime and probe.  Paper presented at the 8th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Society for Brain, Behaviour and Cognitive Science.  Carleton University, June 18-20.

Kennedy, J. M.  and Chiappe, D. L. (1997).  What makes a metaphor stronger than a simile?  Paper presented at the Conference on Researching and Applying Metaphor II, a Seminar of the Danish Network for Metaphor, Culture and Cognition, May 29-31, 1997, Copenhagen.

Kennedy, J. M. and Chiappe, D. L. (1996).  Metaphors involve more features than similes.  Paper presented at the 1996 meeting of the American Psychonomic Society.

5. In-house and invited presentations

MacDonald, K. and Chiappe, D. (2005). Evolutionary Psychology and General Intelligence. Prague Summer School, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic, May 21, 2005.

Chiappe, D. L. (2003). The role of comparison and categorization in the comprehension of metaphors and similes. Invited presentation at the Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, December 3rd.

Chiappe, D. L. (2003). Evolution of general intelligence: The role of working memory and analogical reasoning in solving novel problems. Invited presentation at the UCLA Center for Behavior, Evolution, and Culture, April 7, 2003.

Chiappe, D. L. and Macdonald, K. (2001). Is the mind massively modular? A critique of evolutionary psychology. Invited presentation for the ”Half-baked ideas” seminar at CSULB, September 7th.

Chiappe, D. L. (2000). The role of comparison and categorization in the comprehension of figurative statements. Invited address to the Center for Cognitive Science at SUNY Buffalo, November 29, 2000.