CSULB Faculty
Webpage
Dustin B. Thoman, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Psychology
Contact
Information
Office Rm. PSY 227
Phone/Voicemail (562) 985-5012
Education
Social Psychology
Social Psychology
Psychology, Summa Com Laude
Research Interests
I have always been curious about how and why people come to
develop interest and motivation for specific academic domains, careers, and
other lifelong pursuits. Through research I aim to understand how individuals
develop and maintain motivation, including how motivation is influenced by
proximal (e.g., relationships, interpersonal interactions) and distal (e.g.,
culture, stereotypes) factors in one’s social context. I am interested in
understanding the social nature of intrinsic motivation, the development of
interests and integration of interests into identity, and how stereotypes and
discrimination influence interest, motivation, and choices.
My current research focuses on how subtle forms of modern discrimination and
communication of stereotypes affect the development of activity and career
interest for stigmatized individuals. This research is a natural outgrowth of
two lines of work: one of which focuses on the effects of unfair and
gender-biased feedback on students’ interest and motivation, and the other
focuses on the role of social interactions (e.g. conversations) in interest
development. Each of my specific lines of research contribute to understanding,
from different angles, the more general question of how individuals develop and
maintain motivation, particularly for long-term pursuits, and how this
motivation is influenced by the individual’s social context. This program of
research directly encompasses several literatures including: intrinsic
motivation, development of interest, stereotypes and social stigmas,
self-regulation, development of self and identity, attributions, and
evaluation. Although much of my research occurs in the lab, I am passionate
about the applied aspect of this research, as well as how these processes
function across cultures. Thus, my training is grounded in social psychology,
but my research interests also strongly overlap with developmental and
educational psychology.
Published
Journal Articles & Book Chapters
Sansone, C., Thoman, D.B., & Smith, J.L. (in press). Interest and Self-Regulation. In R. Hoyle (Ed.) Handbook of Personality and Self-Regulation. Wiley-Blackwell.
Thoman, D.B., White, P.H., Yamawaki, N.,
& Koishi, H. (2008). Variations of
gender-math stereotype content affect women’s vulnerability to stereotype
threat. Sex Roles, 58, 702-712.
Thoman, D.B., Sansone, C., & Pasupathi, M. (2007). Talking about interest: Exploring the role of social interaction for regulating motivation and the interest experience. Journal of Happiness Studies, 8(3), 335-370.
Sansone,
C., & Thoman, D..B. (2006). Maintaining
activity engagement: Individual differences in the process of self-regulating
motivation. Journal of
Personality, 74(6), 1697-1720.
Sansone, C., & Thoman, D.B. (2005). Does how we feel affect what we learn?: Some answers and new questions. Learning and Instruction, 15, 507-515.
Sansone, C., & Thoman, D.B. (2005). Interest as the missing motivator in self-regulation. European Psychologist, 10(3), 175- 186.
For a more complete list of my
published and ongoing research, presentations, and awards please see my Vita.
Teaching
Fall 2009
· PSY 651 Seminar in Social Psychology
·
PSY 351 Social Psychology
· PSY 499 & PSY 599 Independent Research
Spring 2010
· PSY 412/512 Multivariate Statistics
· PSY 351 Social Psychology
· PSY 499 & PSY 599 Independent Research
For students, information on both courses is available on BeachBoard
If you are not registered for my classes but would like further information, please email me.
University & Department Service
Activities
·
Office of Academic
Technology E-Learning Consultant
·
College of Liberal Arts
Technology Committee
·
Psi Chi Faculty
Advisor
Research
Mentorship
In addition to mentoring students
through the Graduate Program and Independent Research (PSY 499), I have or am
currently mentoring students associated with the following programs (please
click on the link for more information about these programs):
·
Career Opportunities in
Research Program (funded by the National Institute of Mental Health)
·
Sally Casanova
California Pre-Doctoral Scholarship Program
Statistics & Quantitative Research Consulting
I have served as a statistical consultant for a number of quantitative research projects for both academic and non-academic research, and continue to offer my consulting services (fees are based on project details). I am trained and qualified to conduct multivariate analyses including (but not limited to): structural equation modeling, latent variable growth curve modeling, hierarchical linear modeling, regression (multiple & logistic), analysis of variance and covariance (ANOVA, ANCOVA, & MANCOVA), and factor analysis. I specialize in longitudinal data structures, but work with many kinds of statistic and quantitative research projects in various capacities. For further information about my consulting services or potential research collaborations, please contact me via email: dthoman@csulb.edu
Affiliations
CSULB Department of Psychology
CSULB Psychology M.A. Research Program
American Psychological Association
American Psychological Society
Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP)
Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI)
Society for the Study of Motivation
Other
Interests
Basketball
Climbing
Hiking
Reading
Surfing
Travel
Writing