Gale M. Sinatra

Professor Gale M. Sinatra is a leading Educational Psychologist at the University of Southern California's Rossier School of Education and Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. With a distinguished career spanning decades, she serves as Associate Dean for Research and Chair of the APA Climate Change Task Force. Her research focuses on cognitive-motivational-emotional processes in STEM learning and science denial contexts.

• PhD in Psychology from University of Massachusetts, Amherst
• Developed the Motivated Change Research Lab at USC
• Co-authored Science Denial (Oxford, 2021)

Her work examines:

• Conceptual change in science learning
• Epistemic emotions in education
• Climate change communication
• Science denial mechanisms
• Integrated STEM instruction
• Plausibility reappraisal models

Recent publications show expertise in:

• Refutation text effectiveness
• Epistemic cognition
• Post-truth science communication
• Educational interventions for attitude change

Scientific honors include:

• National Academy of Education Membership
• AERA Sylvia Scribner Award
• APA and AERA Fellowships
• USC Mentoring Award

Major grants from NSF, Gates Foundation, and Mattel Children's Foundation have funded:

• Augmented reality paleontology education
<1>STEM engagement programs
• Epistemic belief research
• Climate change communication studies