MTSU Psychology Department

06/18/2026

Dr. Michelle Boyer-Pennington and Dr. Teresa Davis, are among the 62 retiring employees at the end of the 2025-2026 academic year. We are grateful for their decades-long service and contributions to our department and the entire MTSU community. We will miss them and wish them all the best.

MTSU gives ‘True Blue’ salute to 62 retiring employees with combined 1,620 years of service by Nancy DeGennaro 10 June 2026 Top Stories MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee State University is giving a “True Blue” salute to 62 retiring employees for their 1,620 combined years of service...

06/17/2026

Interested in joining Psi Chi, the international honor society in Psychology? Our MTSU chapter inducts new members in the fall and spring semester. Membership is for life and there are a lot of benefits in joining.

For more information, please visit: https://www.psichi.org

06/11/2026

Admitted to MTSU? New to Blue Orientation is your first step, and summer sessions are going fast.

In one session you'll confirm your fall schedule, meet your academic advisor, and get answers on tuition, housing, and financial aid. Sessions are grouped by major with limited seats, so register before your date fills.

Log in to your Pipeline account and find the New to Blue Orientation section to pick your date.

https://www.mtsu.edu/orientation/

06/08/2026

A few photos from the Association for Psychological Science 2026 Annual Convention. MTSU faculty and students in attendance that did presentations: Dr. Michael Hein, Dr. Maddison North, I/O Master's alumni (they graduated this past spring): Claire Samuels, Meagan Phimmasone, Emmy Biagini.

MTSU faculty and students that did not attend but were co-authors on the work: Dr. Alex Jackson, Dr. Mark Frame, Brenna Smith, Rachel Gillhouse, Leah Fetzer, Elizabeth Flora, Kaitlyn Kilburn, Haley Hultz, Bridget Dalton, Jordan Casea

This annual convention was held in Barcelona, Spain from May 28-30, 2026. Congratulations to our faculty and students who participated in this event!

Citations:
1. North, M. N.*, Day, E. A., Rice, J. D., & Lue, J. C. (2026, May 28 – 30). Mapping dynamic emotion trajectories in complex skill learning: A person-centered approach to adaptive performance [Submitted Talk]. Association for Psychological Science Annual Convention, Barcelona, Spain.
2. Smith, B. E.*, Jackson, A. T.*, & North, M. N.* (2026, May 28 – 30). Organizational support and perceived control: Preventing change fatigue in dynamic work environments [Poster]. Association for Psychological Science Annual Convention, Barcelona, Spain.
3. Phimmasone, M. V.*, Gillhouse, R.*, Fetzer, L.*, Flora, E.*, North, M. N.*, & Hein, M. B.* (2026, May 28 – 30). Testing the stability of the MAP factor structure across two archival datasets [Poster]. Association for Psychological Science Annual Convention, Barcelona, Spain.
4. Hein, M. B.*, Kilburn, K.*, Hultz, H.*, Dalton, B.*, & Casesa, J.* (2026, May 28 – 30). Structural validation of the general mistake response scale: Evidence for a four factor model [Poster]. Association for Psychological Science Annual Convention, Barcelona, Spain.
5. Phimmasone, M. V.*, Jackson, A. T.*, Kilburn, K. D., & Hein, M. B. (2026, May 28 – 30). Seeing wrong as right: The dark tried, distorted perceptions, and ethical misconduct [Poster]. Association for Psychological Science Annual Convention, Barcelona, Spain.
6. Biagini, E.*, Samuels, C.*, Casesa, J.*, Hein, M. B., & Frame, M. (2026, May 28 – 30). Improving law enforcement selection: Examining the factor structure of a structured interview [Poster]. Association for Psychological Science Annual Convention, Barcelona, Spain

MTSU College of Behavioral and Health Sciences

06/02/2026

We are thrilled to announce that our department chair, Dr. Nancy Stone, is the 2026 recipient of the Franklin V. Taylor Award for Outstanding Contributions in the Field of Applied Experimental / Engineering Psychology. This award from Division 21 of the American Psychological Association recognizes outstanding achievements made by a psychologist in the field of Applied Experimental and Engineering Psychology. This award is based on evidence of outstanding contributions to the field by virtue of (1) research and publication, (2) special new contributions (e.g., equipment or techniques) or (3) general leadership in the field (e.g., teacher, director of laboratory, officer in societies). (from apa.org)

Congratulations Dr. Stone on this well-deserved honor!

MTSU College of Behavioral and Health Sciences

06/01/2026

Get to know Psychology Club! At MTSU, Psychology Club and Psi Chi have shared events. Students can participate in events whether they are only in Psychology Club or only in Psi Chi or a member of both.

To learn more about our orgs, including how to join and links to MyMT and Psi Chi, visit https://psychology.mtsu.edu/student-organizations/

05/28/2026

A belated congratulations to our students who were honored in this year's MTSU Bolt Awards, held last April 14th. The following psychology majors were recognized for academics and service:

1. Hannah Ferreira (double major in political science and psychology-MTSU President's Award
2. Elizabeth Lawrence- MTSU Provost's Award
3. Monia Mohammed- MTSU Community Service Award
4. Emily Callison- Academic Excellence Award

Middle Tennessee State University Student Government Association and Division of Student Affairs honored its top student leaders and organizations during the 2026 MTSU Bolt Awards, recognizing “Tru…

05/19/2026

Calling all admitted students 📢 Dates for our New to Blue freshman orientation sessions are now available! ⚡️ Sign up today: https://bit.ly/frnewtoblue 🥳

05/13/2026

Student spotlight interview with Isabel Jacober! Isabel is a recently graduated student of MTSU who has recently been accepted into the University of Michigan’s neuroscience program to continue her studies in the field!
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05/12/2026

Our department held a retirement party for Dr. Michelle Boyer-Pennington and Dr. Teresa Davis last Friday, May 8th. We want to wish them all the best and words cannot truly express our deepest gratitude for their dedication, kindness and many years of service to our department and the university. Thank you, Drs. Boyer-Pennington and Davis!

MTSU College of Behavioral and Health Sciences