James Mantell

James Mantell is an Associate Professor of Psychology and Department Chair at St. Mary's College of Maryland. He leads the Perception Action Lab (PAL), focusing on research in data science pedagogy, music cognition, climate change behaviors, and perception. His NSF-funded project with Dr. Aileen Bailey explores modernized data science instruction in psychology curricula. He holds an Aldom-Plansoen Honors College Professorship (2024) and has mentored numerous student researchers.

Education: Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology (2013) and M.A. in General Psychology (2011) from University at Buffalo, SUNY; B.A. in Psychology & Philosophy (2005) from Millersville University. His courses emphasize research methods, statistics, and scientific writing.

Research highlights include studies on music memory, vocal imitation, and climate change actions. Recent work includes a Psychonomic Society conference presentation on ruffled music paradigms (2024) and a published study on climate change behavior interventions. He actively promotes diversity in education and has been recognized for his radical educator values.

Labs/Teams: PAL investigates music perception, data science pedagogy, and climate psychology. Collaborators include students like Elizabeth Poissant (forensic psychology) and Raven Davis (behavioral therapy). Past lab members have presented at national conferences and published in journals like Musicae Scientiae.