Principal Investigator – Rachel Smallman, PhD.
I have broad interests in cognitive and motivational processes impact decision-making. Primarily, my research focuses on the function and dysfunction of counterfactual thinking, in both basic and applied contexts. Outside of the lab, I am the Director of our department’s Undergraduate Teaching Scholars Program and frequently teach our Introduction to Psychology course and graduate-level Principles of Teaching Psychology course.
Email: rsmallman@tamu.edu
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Graduate Student – Kianna Arthur
I graduated from Lewis-Clark State College with a B.S. in Psychology in 2018. I am currently pursuing a PhD in Social and Personality Psychology under the guidance of Dr. Rachel Smallman. Broadly speaking, I am interested in the functionality of counterfactual thoughts (“If only…”) in health-related contexts. This includes both the generation and subsequent consequences of counterfactuals, specifically counterfactuals impact on an individual’s motivation and intentions to change or sustain relevant health behaviors in the future.
Email: kmarthur45@tamu.edu
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Graduate Student - Jessica C. Lowe
I graduated from Jacksonville State University with a Bachelors degree in psychology before earning my Master’s from Stephen F. Austin State University in 2020. Currently, I am pursuing a Ph.D. in Social and Personality Psychology under the supervision of Dr. Rachel Smallman. Broadly, I am interested in counterfactual thinking relating to functionality and individual differences. Specifically, my current research is focused on understanding how counterfactual thoughts (i.e., “If only…) relate to one’s motivation and self-efficacy.
Email: lowejc@tamu.edu
Graduate Student – Percy Gresham
I graduated from the University of Alabama at Birmingham with a B.S. in Psychology in 2022. I am currently pursuing a PhD in Social and Personality Psychology under the guidance of Dr. Rachel Smallman. As an undergraduate, my research focused on social influences such as peer opinions and prosocial behavior on academic outcomes. As a graduate student, I plan to examine how counterfactual thinking (i.e., “If only…”) influences decisions related to health and medical care.
Email: percygresham@tamu.edu
Current Undergraduate Research Assistants
- Emily Besse
- Mackenzie DeMello (2023-2024 LAUNCH Research Thesis Scholar)
- Claire Easley
- Emily Fillip (2023-2024 LAUNCH Research Thesis Scholar)
- Lilly Grimes
- Caitlyn Hart
- Allen James
- Kirti Karamchandani
- Rochelle Olivares
- Amaya Shenoy
- Tatiana Shojaei
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