​​​​Stephanie Thomas, PhD

Broadly, I conduct research in the area of narratives. Specifically, I focus on how the experience of characters in narratives is related to/can impact the reader's behavior and attitudes. I have several trains of research in this area which are described below.

• Experience-taking and performance change

  • This research examines the relationship between engaging in experience-taking with a character in a narrative and change in performance in a related evaluative domain.

• Long-term experience-taking and storing of mindsets

  • This research examines if readers/media consumers are able to effectively "store" character mindsets in memory via repeatedly engaging in experience-taking with that character. In addition, the research examines if readers/consumers can then call forth that mindset when presented with a task in a related domain and use that mindset to effectively complete the task.

• Experience-taking and perceived realism of character and story world

  • This research examines the relationship between engaging in experience-taking with a character and the perceived realism of both the character and the story world as a whole. More specifically, we examine if the perceived realism of the character and/or the story world impacts the ability of readers to engage in experience-taking with the protagonist.

 

Below is a list of my publications and conference activity. For those entries in yellow, feel free to click to view the poster or presentation that was presented.

 

Publications

 

Ayupova, Z., Jr, Y. K., Kussainov, D., Myssayeva, K. N. & Smith, S. (2018). Influence of Facebook on body image and disordered eating in Kazakhstan and USA. International Journal of Innovative Approaches in Agricultural Research, 2(3), 207-225. DOI: 10.29329/ijiaar.2018.151.7

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Manuscripts under Submission

Thomas, S. M. S., Markman, K. D., and Sosa, N. You are what you read: Experience-taking in story narratives predicts subsequent performance. Targeted for Journal of Theoretical Social Psychology.

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Conference Activity

 

Publications

Ayupova, Z., Jr, Y. K., Kussainov, D., Myssayeva, K. N. & Smith, S. (2018). Influence of Facebook on body image and disordered eating in Kazakhstan and USA. International Journal of Innovative Approaches in Agricultural Research, 2(3), 207-225. DOI: 10.29329/ijiaar.2018.151.7

 

Manuscripts Under Submission

Thomas, S. M. S., Markman, K. D., and Sosa, N. You are what you read: Experience-taking in story narratives predicts subsequent performance. Targeted for Journal of Theoretical Social Psychology.

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Oral Presentations

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Smith, S. M., and Markman K. S. (2017, April). Implicit theories of intelligence as a moderator of the relationship between experience-taking and performance. Oral presentation at the annual meeting of the Midwestern Psychological Association, Chicago, Illinois.
 

Smith, S. M., and Markman K. S. (2016, May). You are what you read: Experience-taking predicts performance. Oral presentation at the annual meeting of the Midwestern Psychological Association, Chicago, Illinois.
 

Papers Presented
 

Myssaveva, K. N., Smith, S. M., and Kalyango, Y. J. (2015, August). The influence of Facebook on body image and disordered eating in Kazakhstan and the USA. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, San Francisco, California.
 

Smith, S. M., Kalyango, Y. J., and Anti-Boasiako, K. (2014, August). Health reporting and public attitudes towards media and government accountability in five West African countries. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Montreal, Canada.
 

Eckler, P., Kalyango, Y. J., and Smith, S. M. (2014, May). Facebook and college women’s bodies: Social media’s influence on body image and disordered eating. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the International Communication Association, Seattle, Washington.
 

Posters Presented

 

Kadel, H., & Thomas, S. M. S. (2020, March). The relationship between experience-taking and performance. Poster submitted for the annual meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, New Orleans, Louisiana.

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Harman, J., Aubrey, K., Cauthen, N., Crutchfield, L., Hu, C., Johnson, L., Newman, M., Otto, B. J., Pomeroy-Black, M., Thomas, S. M. S., Truitt, P., & Yates, M. (2019). An interdisciplinary program of undergraduate research on environmental stewardship on the Chattahoochee River: A framework. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the National Conference of Undergraduate Research, Kennesaw, Georgia.

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Smith, S. M., Pinegar, S., & Beauchamp, A. (2018). Trekkies have it better: The effect of accumulated experience-taking on the performance of logic tasks. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Atlanta, Georgia.

 

Smith, S. M., & Markman, K. D. (2015, October). You are what you read: The relationship between experience-taking and performance. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Society of Southeastern Social Psychologists, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
 

Smith, S. M., & Markman, K. D. (2013, January). Comparing to friends and enemies. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, New Orleans, Louisiana.
 

Smith, S. M., & Markman, K. D. (2012, January). Experiential versus rational regret: Need for intuition determines regret intensity following switching and sticking decisions. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, San Diego, California.
 

Smith, S. M., & McElroy, T. (2010, May). Now you feel it now you don’t: Regret in real-life and hypothetical situations. Poster presented at Appalachian State University’s Annual Psychology Honors Ceremony, Boone, North Carolina.
 

Mentored Presentations

Tookes-Williams, K. & Thomas, S. M. S. (Under Review). Student perceptions of potential child abuse. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the National Conference of Undergraduate Research, Virtual.

 

Mulry, A., Pillutla, A., Marsh, C., Thomas, S. M. S., Thomas, K., Prater, M., & Tyler, L. (2020). Projected COVID-19 impact of reopening universities in fall 2020 based on case studies of 10 widespread US universities’ campus population numbers. Poster presented at the annual State of North Carolina Undergraduate Research and Creativity Symposium, East Carolina University, Virtual.

 

Gnanavel, S., Wu, J., Thomas, K., Thomas, S. M. S., Prater, M., & Tyler, L. (2020). Association between biomass use and COPD in developing countries: Review of existing evidence and possible solutions. Poster presented at the annual State of North Carolina Undergraduate Research and Creativity Symposium, East Carolina University, Virtual.

 

Adetunji, M., Braha, R., Thomas, S. M. S., Prater, M., & Tyler, L. (2020). What social media use can reveal about personality. Oral presentation at the annual State of North Carolina Undergraduate Research and Creativity Symposium, East Carolina University, Virtual.

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Hamm, T. & Thomas, S. M. S. (2020, May). The relationship between education and levels of prejudice concerning race, sexual orientation, and mental health. Poster presented at the annual LaGrange College Honors Day Poster Session, LaGrange College, LaGrange, GA. (Video presentation available here)

Undergraduate Hines Research Award nominee

 

Prater, M., Thomas, S. M. S., & Hu, C. (2020, May). The expectations of sex education curriculums from the adult population. Poster presented at the annual LaGrange College Honors Day Poster Session, LaGrange College, LaGrange, GA. (Video presentation available here)

            Undergraduate Hines Research Award nominee

 

Farr, K. & Thomas, S. M. S. (2020, May). The effects of personality, procrastination, and self-efficacy on academic success. Poster presented at the annual LaGrange College Honors Day Poster Session, LaGrange College, LaGrange, GA. (Video presentation available here)

            Winner of the Undergraduate Hines Research Award in Applied Research

 

Densmore, R., Thomas, S. M. S., & Hu. C. (2020, May). Perceptions of Lake Use. Poster presented at the annual LaGrange College Honors Day Poster Session, LaGrange College, LaGrange, GA. (Video presentation available here)

 

Lee, H., Thomas, S. M. S., & Hu, C. (2020, May). The effects of cell phone usage and guided relaxation on sleep. Poster presented at the annual LaGrange College Honors Day Poster Session, LaGrange College, LaGrange, GA. (Video presentation available here)

 

Weber, J. R., Kraemer, C., & Thomas, S. M. S. (2020, May). First-generation college students: Determining the unique challenges attributing to academic success. Poster presented at the annual LaGrange College Honors Day Poster Session, LaGrange College, LaGrange, GA. (Video presentation available here)

 

Portillo J., Kraemer, C., & Thomas, S. M. S. (2020, May). Perceived offensiveness of moral licensing in scenarios. Poster presented at the annual LaGrange College Honors Day Poster Session, LaGrange College, LaGrange, GA. (Video presentation available here)

 

Carlyle, D., & Thomas, S. M. S. (2020, May). The effects of caffeine consumption on memory retention. Poster presented at the annual LaGrange College Honors Day Poster Session, LaGrange College, LaGrange, GA. (Video presentation available here)

 

Heath, C., & Thomas, S. M. S. (2020, May). The effects of temperature on aggression. Poster presented at the annual LaGrange College Honors Day Poster Session, LaGrange College, LaGrange, GA. (Video presentation available here)

 

Kadel, H., & Thomas, S. M. S. (2019, October). The relationship between experience-taking and performance. Oral presentation at the annual meeting of the Society of Southeastern Social Psychologists, Johnson City, Tennessee.

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Kadel, H., & Thomas, S. M. S. (2019, April). The relationship between experience-taking and performance. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the National Conference on Undergraduate Research, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, Georgia.

Also presented at LaGrange College Honors Day Poster Session and nominated for the Hines Undergraduate Research Award

 

Harrison, M., Kraemer, C., & Thomas, S. M. S. (2019, April). Undergraduate perceptions of child sexual abuse versus adult sexual abuse. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the National Conference of Undergraduate Research, Kennesaw, Georgia.

Also presented at LaGrange College Honors Day Poster Session

 

Harrison, M., Kraemer, C., & Thomas, S. M. S. (2019, April). Freshman perceptions on child sexual abuse. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the National Conference of Undergraduate Research, Kennesaw, Georgia.

Also presented at LaGrange College Honors Day Poster Session and nominated for the Hines Undergraduate Research Award

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Spates, A., Kraemer, C., & Thomas, S. M. S. (2019, April). Exploring the perceptions among undergraduates on the usage of prescription stimulants. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the National Conference of Undergraduate Research, Kennesaw, Georgia.

Also presented at LaGrange College Honors Day Poster Session

 

Loncke, K., Kraemer, C., & Thomas, S. M. S. (2019, April). What predicts infidelity?. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the National Conference of Undergraduate Research, Kennesaw, Georgia.

Also presented at LaGrange College Honors Day Poster Session and nominated for the Hines Undergraduate Research Award

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Fuller, S., Kraemer, C., & Thomas, S. M. S. (2019, April). Changes in religious affiliation between high school and college. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the National Conference of Undergraduate Research, Kennesaw, Georgia.

Also presented at LaGrange College Honors Day Poster Session

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St. Germain, C., & Smith, S. M. (2018, February). Exploring the self through fictional others: The relationship between creating fan content, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Georgia Undergraduate Research in Psychology (GURP) Conference, Kennesaw State University, Georgia.

Also presented at LaGrange College Honors Day Poster Session and nominated for the Hines Undergraduate Research Award

 

Speaks B., & Smith, S. M. (2018, February). Lost in a storybook world: The effects of self-created vs. pre-created characters on experience-taking. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Georgia Undergraduate Research in Psychology (GURP) Conference, Kennesaw State University, Georgia.

Also presented at LaGrange College Honors Day Poster Session

 

Rivers, E. O. & Smith, S. M. (2016, May). Emotional intelligence as a buffer against the negative effects of ostracism. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Midwestern Psychological Association, Chicago, Illinois.
 

Rivers, E. O. & Smith, S. M. (2016, April). Emotional intelligence as a buffer against the negative effects of ostracism. Poster presented at the Ohio University Research and Creativity Expo, Athens, Ohio. (1st place award winner)
 

Plyler, E., Marsh, C., & Smith, S. M. (2015, November). Communication is key: The relationship between verbal ability and the detection of word production. Oral presentation at the annual State of North Carolina Undergraduate Research and Creativity Symposium, High Point, North Carolina.
 

Brown, C., Marsh, C., & Smith, S. M. (2015, November). An optimal strategy for Deal or No Deal. Oral presentation at the annual State of North Carolina Undergraduate Research and Creativity Symposium, High Point, North Carolina.
 

Bala, V., Chemmanam, R., Mash, C., & Smith, S. M. (2014, November). Statistical trends in ecological footprints of adolescents by degree of urbanization. Oral presentation at the annual State of North Carolina Undergraduate Research and Creativity Symposium, Charlotte, North Carolina.

 

Departmental Talks

 

Smith, S. M. (2012, May). Experiential versus rational regret: Need for intuition determines regret intensity following switching and sticking decisions. Oral presentation at Every Area Talks (E.A.T.), Ohio University, Athens, Ohio.