معرفی
Professor Karen Yu is a faculty member in the Department of Psychology at the University of the South (Sewanee) since 1996. She holds a B.S. in Brain and Cognitive Sciences from MIT and an M.A./Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from Vanderbilt University, supported by a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship. Her teaching focuses on cognitive psychology, including courses on decision-making and cognitive illusions. She also co-teaches an interdisciplinary course on Child, Family, and Community Development in Rural Appalachia with Yale faculty and local partners.
Professor Yu’s research explores decision-making processes, including option generation, framing effects, and their applications to mental health and academic integrity. Her work has examined topics such as diagnosis threat on cognitive performance, metaphor-consistent taste sensations influencing personality judgments, and electronic records of academic dishonesty. She advocates for 'cognitive kindness' and co-authors the Psychology Today blog Choice Matters.
Her global pandemic-related studies include analyzing framing effects in health messaging and testing reappraisal interventions across 84 countries. Collaborations with Yale emphasize community-focused research in Appalachia. She has mentored numerous Sewanee students on projects ranging from concussion screening to social norms and generosity.
- Key Awards: National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship
- Labs/Teams: Interdisciplinary Sewanee-Yale Appalachian Development Initiative
- Future Work: Expanding cognitive kindness frameworks and global behavioral science collaborations
