CSULB Faculty Webpage

 

 

 

Dustin B. Thoman, Ph.D.

 

Assistant Professor

Department of Psychology

California State University, Long Beach

 

Contact Information

 

Office Rm. PSY 227

Phone/Voicemail (562) 985-5012

dthoman@csulb.edu

 

 

Education

 

  • Ph.D. University of Utah, 2008

Social Psychology

  • M.S. University of Utah, 2005

Social Psychology

  • B.S. Middle Tennessee State University , 2002

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)

·         McNair Scholars Program

·         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

Psi Chi at CSULB

 

American Psychological Association

American Psychological Society

Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP)

Social Psychology Network

Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI)

Society for the Study of Motivation

 

 

 

Other Interests

 

Basketball

Climbing

Hiking

Reading

Surfing

Travel

Writing