Michael Wolfe

Michael Wolfe is a Professor of Cognitive Psychology in the Psychology Department at Grand Valley State University (GVSU), actively teaching courses including PSY 101 (Introductory Psychology), PSY 325 (Educational Psychology), PSY 365 (Cognition), and PSY 492 (Advanced General Capstone). He co-directs the Social Cognition Lab with Todd Williams and maintains an office in Au Sable Hall.

Education:

• B.A., University of California, Santa Barbara
• Ph.D., University of Colorado, Boulder

Dr. Wolfe's research investigates cognitive processes during learning and text comprehension, with emphasis on how knowledge is represented in the mind, how it changes during learning, and the influence of pre-existing beliefs. His work explores metacognitive awareness of belief change and the application of computational models (e.g., Latent Semantic Analysis, Construction-Integration model) to simulate cognitive processes. Recent studies examine belief verification mechanisms and health-related metacognition.

Analysis of his 2023-2024 publications reveals a cohesive research trajectory centered on belief change dynamics across domains including health psychology and argumentative writing. His computational approach consistently bridges theoretical cognitive models with practical applications in educational contexts.

Dr. Wolfe actively disseminates findings through conference presentations including TEDx Kalamazoo and Psychonomics, collaborating with researchers such as Todd Williams and Liam Hart. His Social Cognition Lab pursues two primary research lines: (1) belief change awareness and (2) Machiavellianism's relationship to memory and deception.