Patrick Ewell graduated from University of Alabama in 2015 with a Ph.D. in experimental psychology and a minor in quantitative methodology. During his time at University of Alabama he was a psychology instructor, graduate researcher with the Online Social Influence Lab and statistics consultant with the Capstone College of Nursing.
Patrick is interested in the psychological intersection between people and new and emerging media. More specifically, he focuses on how new media alters the level of abstraction (the extent to which a perceiver extrapolates additional information direction from a source) and the effect that alteration has on psychological constructs. Patrick conducts research on aggression and morality in videogames, the impact of social media on social behavior and self-regulation, and anything else that sounds fun.
Patrick is an avid videogamer and runner of no particular distance. He is a diehard Baltimore Orioles fan and enjoys playing fantasy sports and various card games.
Areas of Expertise
Social psychology, new and emerging media, research design.
Courses Recently Taught
Psychology is the study of behavior and mental processes. In this foundation course, we explore a variety of areas in which psychologists conduct research: the biological foundations of behavior, sensory and perceptual processes, cognition, learning and memory, developmental psychology, personality and social psychology, psychological disorders and variability in behavior related to culture. Students who have completed PSYC 100 cannot take this course. This counts toward the foundations requirement for the major. No prerequisite. Generally offered every spring.
In this course, students learn the basics of research in psychology. Students participate in research projects conducted across different areas of psychology, which might involve observation and interviewing, psychological tests and measures, physiological measures and computerized tasks. Students learn about issues of reliability and validity in psychological research, as well as ethical issues associated with psychological research. Students further develop techniques for descriptive statistical analysis of their data, and they communicate their research findings both orally and in writing, using the writing style of the American Psychological Association. This course is designed for sophomore and junior students planning to major in psychology. This counts toward the foundations requirement for the major. Prerequisite: PSYC 100 or 110 or AP score of 5 and PSYC 200. Generally offered every semester.
An increasing and significant portion of human behavior and interaction either takes place through a mediated channel (a channel other than face-to-face) or involves an interaction with a mediated technology. Despite this, psychology has been slow to investigate the effects of mediated environments on previously established psychological constructs. This course attempts to provide a general understanding of the effects of media in two ways. First, we investigate what it means for an interaction to be mediated, the type of interactions that can be mediated and the nuance of various types of channels. Second, we attempt to understand the effect of the technology that mediates our interactions on various aspects of human behavior. Topically, we cover numerous channels (movies, television, video games, virtual reality, the internet, social network sites, smartphones) and psychological concepts (self-presentation, aggression, addiction, belonging, impression formation, child development, social influence, self-disclosure). This counts toward the person and society requirement for the major. Prerequisite: PSYC 250. Generally offered every year.
Social psychology attempts to understand the ways in which our thoughts and behavior are affected by others. This course will examine the principles, methods and problems of research in social psychology. Using a variety of formats ranging from lectures to discussion of research to class and field demonstrations, students will explore how research ideas are generated, critical evaluation of relevant research literatures, research design and methodology, data collection procedures using both laboratory and naturalistic settings, statistical analyses and ways of presenting research consistent with journal publication. This counts toward the advanced research requirement for the major. Prerequisite: PSYC 250 and completion of or current enrollment in PSYC 325. Offered occasionally.
This is the first semester of the two-part sequence required for senior psychology majors. Each section has a different topic, but in every seminar, students read and discuss psychological literature, write and discuss critiques of research articles, review the literature and develop a research proposal on a topic related to the seminar's topic, and make a formal oral presentation to the class. This theoretical framework lays the groundwork for the execution of a project in the second half of the practicum. This counts toward the Senior Capstone requirement for the major. Senior standing and psychology major. Offered every fall.
This is the second semester of the two-part sequence required for senior psychology majors. This class features hands-on experience in creating and conducting research to allow students to learn by doing. We investigate the procedure of generating research from start to finish through the lens of theory learned in the first semester. This course strongly and equally emphasizes strengthening scientific writing skills, generating research designs and quantitative reasoning and application. Along the way we practice evaluating research designs and perfecting APA style. This course is designed to prepare students for a career in research in psychology. This counts toward the Senior Capstone requirement for the major. Prerequisite: PSYC 475. Senior standing, psychology major. Offered every spring