Dr. Rachel H. Messer, Ph.D.
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My interest in psychology began at a young age with a fascination with the brain and differences in dialects and accents among groups of individuals. I graduated from Morehead State University in 2009 with a double major in Psychology and French, and at MSU was heavily involved in both French and Psychology research. After applying to graduate programs, I decided to attend a developmental psychology doctoral program where I could do psycholinguistic research. I graduated in 2014 with my Ph.D. in Lifespan Developmental Psychology from Oklahoma State University.
My research interests generally involve pragmatic language (social use of language) and social cognition (the way we think about others), and their relation to physical and psychological health. My dissertation examined pragmatic language use and health-related quality of life in older adults, while other studies I have conducted utilize undergraduate student samples and have considered such variables as cursing/swearing, humor, and gender role identity. I also have continued research interests in gender stereotyping of language and processing of gendered information during text comprehension.
After three years at Bethel College of Kansas as Assistant Professor of Psychology (including one year as Psychology Chair) and DIrector of the Center for Teaching & Learning, I accepted a position in 2020 as Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Pikeville in my home state of Kentucky.
Primary Interests:
- Communication, Language
- Gender Psychology
- Health Psychology
- Life Satisfaction, Well-Being
- Nonverbal Behavior
- Personality, Individual Differences
- Prejudice and Stereotyping
- Self and Identity
- Social Cognition
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Image Gallery
Video Gallery
It Is Not a Choice: LGBTQ+ Realities in Medicine, Psychology, and Biology
Psychology and Photography... Why Not Both?
Journal Articles:
- Kennison, S. M., & Messer, R. H. (2018). Humor as social risk-taking: The relationship among humor styles, sensation-seeking, and use of curse words. International Journal of Humor Research, 32(1). doi:10.1515/humor-2017-0032
- Kennison, S. M., & Messer, R. H. (2017). Cursing as a form of risk-taking. Current Psychology, 36(1), 119-126.
- Kotireddy, V., *** & Messer, R. H. (2021). Analyzing the relationship between digit ratio and personality: 4D:5D digit ratio and sex correlation to the trait of conscientiousness. Journal of Emerging Investigators, 4.
- Messer, R. H. (2015). Pragmatic language changes during normal aging: Implications for health care. Healthy Aging & Clinical Care in the Elderly, 7, 1-7.
- Messer, R. H., & Kennison, S. M. (in press). Individual differences in the processing of novel, gender-stereotyped metaphors. North American Journal of Psychology, 20(10), 37-54.
- Messer, R. H., & Kennison, S. M. (2020). The contributions of singular and plural nouns to sentence processing complexity: Evidence from reading time. East European Journal of Psycholinguistics, 7(1). doi:10.29038/eejpl.2020.7.1.mes
- Messer, R. H., & Kennison, S. M. (2018). Individual differences in the processing of novel, gender-stereotyped metaphors. North American Journal of Psychology, 20(1), 37-54.
- S. M., Messer, R. H., & Hornyik, C. D. (2013). Tips for the first-time graduate student instructor. Association for Psychological Science Observer, 26(3).
Other Publications:
- Messer, R. H. (in press). Locus of control. In J. S Damico and M. J. Ball (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Human Communication Sciences and Disorders. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
- Messer, R. H. (2017). Brain Lateralization. In K. Nadal (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Psychology and Gender. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
- Messer, R. H. (2017). Hearing. In T. Shackelford and V. A. Weekes-Shackelford (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. New York: Springer.
- Messer, R. H., & Eldridge, E. D. (2017). Depression and women. In K. Nadal (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Psychology and Gender. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
- Messer, R. H., & Eldridge, E. D. (2017). Hysterectomy. In K. Nadal (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Psychology and Gender. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
- Messer, R. H., & LeValley, K. (in press). Feedback in therapy. In J. S Damico and M. J. Ball (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Human Communication Sciences and Disorders. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Courses Taught:
- General Psychology
- Lifespan Development
- Social Cognition
- Social Psychology
Dr. Rachel H. Messer, Ph.D.
147 Sycamore Ave.
University of Pikeville
Pikeville, Kentucky 41501
United States of America
- Phone: (316) 284-5292, extension 292
