Ph.D., Experimental Psychology, Specialization in Health Psychology, Ohio University
M.S., Experimental Psychology, Specialization in Health Psychology, Ohio University
B. A. Psychology, Baldwin-Wallace College, Berea, Ohio
Areas of Expertise:
Psychology of health and illness, in particular the acute and chronic effects of stress on the mind and body; behavioral medicine including the psychological, social, and behavioral moderators of disease pathogenesis.
Courses I Teach:
Undergraduate:
- Advanced Topics: Human Psychophysiology
- Behavioral Neuroscience
- Psychology of Health and Illness
- Research Methods II
Graduate:
- Physiological Dimensions in Psychology
Areas of Research:
Physiological effects of psychological stress, in particular how stress-induced physiological reactivity (e.g. cardiovascular, neuroendocrine, and immunological) may lead to deleterious health effects and cognitive functioning; acute and chronic effects of stress on the mind and body.
Publications:
Richardson, A. E.,† & VanderKaay Tomasulo, M. M.† (2011). Influence of acute stress on spatial tasks in humans. Physiology & Behavior, 103(5), 459-466. doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2011.03.019 Note. † Denotes both authors contributed equally to the manuscript.
Patterson, S. M., VanderKaay, M. M., Shanholtzer, B. A., & Patterson, C. A. (2008). Influence of acute fluid hydration on stress-induced hemoconcentration and cardiovascular reactivity. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 31(4), 319-330. doi:10.1007/s10865-008-9162-7
VanderKaay, M. M., & Patterson, S. M. (2006). Nicotine and acute stress: Effects of nicotine versus placebo on stress-induced hemoconcentration and cardiovascular reactivity. Biological Psychology, 71(2), 191-201. doi:10.1016/j.biopsycho.2005.04.006
I have been the advising professor for several joint student-faculty projects funded by the NASA-Vermont Space Grant Consortium and Psi Chi – the International Honor Society in Psychology. My students and I have presented our findings at the annual meetings for the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco, Association for Psychological Science, and New England Psychological Association.
In the summer of 2009, my colleague Dr. Anthony Richardson and I collaborated to form the Psychophysiology and Virtual Reality Laboratory at Saint Michael's College where we use impedance cardiography and virtual navigation simulations to address our research interests.
Life Off Campus:
I live with my husband and two feline companions in South Burlington, Vermont. I enjoy traveling, science fiction movies and books, organic gardening, art, hiking, golf, and listening to music, particularly the thought-evoking lyrics and melodies from the band Incubus.