Ethan McMahan
PhD Candidate in Psychology
Graduate Fellow
scienceposse@uwyo.edu

 Topics for the Classroom:

• Knowledge Structures and Beliefs
• The Influence of Beliefs on Perception and Behavior
• The Influence of Beliefs on Psychological Well-being
• Sensation and Perception
• History of Scientific Psychology

Science Background:

• Ph.D. in Psychology, University of Wyoming (expected May, 2010).
  • Dissertation Title: Age-Related Differences in Lay Conceptions of Well-being and "the Good Life".
• M.S. in Psychology, University of Wyoming, 2007.
  • Thesis Title: Values and Mortality Salience: The Moderating Effects of Value Orientation on Cultural Worldview Defense.
• B.A. in Psychology, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, 2005.
  • Thesis Title: The Inhibitory Deficit Hypothesis and the Age-Related Effects of Interference on Proper Name and Occupational Learning.

Current Research:

                  My research focuses on examining individual and age-related differences in fundamental belief systems and how these belief systems influence psychological well-being. I am currently validating a scale I developed to measure lay conceptions of well-being and examining whether beliefs about the nature of well-being are associated with experienced well-being. Additionally, I am currently investigating whether these beliefs differ among younger and older adults and if this differentially impacts experienced well-being within these two age groups. I am further interested in examining individual differences in beliefs about the relationship between humans and the natural world, beliefs about human nature, and mystical versus scientific thinking and how these different beliefs influence behavior.