Director of Undergraduate Research
Professor of Psychology
Kristen Diliberto-Macaluso, Ph.D. is a Professor of Psychology and Director of the Office of Undergraduate Research. Her research program broadly focuses on factors that influence our attention, perception, and memory of information. Dr. Diliberto-Macaluso is particularly interested in false memory, which is memory a stimulus or an event that was not studied. In her research, Dr. Diliberto-Macaluso has examined how variables such as emotion and language influence the production of false memories. Dr. Diliberto-Macaluso has published papers in perceptual pop out effects, which is when a novel stimulus is localized more effectively than familiar stimulus in a visual array, false memory, priming of religious concepts, painting and mood change, and implicit memory (memory without awareness). She is very passionate about involving and mentoring undergraduate students in research. Dr. Diliberto-Macaluso recently completed a study with a George Scholar research grant recipient examining the relationship between academic burnout and factors such as race, gender, age, resilience, and social support. Her current project focuses on autobiographical memory in Latino immigrants.
As a cognitive psychologist, Dr. Diliberto-Macaluso is also interested in the scholarship of teaching. Her co-authored publication, “The Use of Mobile Apps to Enhance Student Learning in Introduction to Psychology” appeared in the APA journal Teaching of Psychology. In spring 2018, she gave an invited workshop at STP-APS annual meeting in San Francisco based on the this work.
Education
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Ph.D., University at Albany, State University of New York (1996-1999)
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M.A., University at Albany, State University of New York (1994-1996)
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B.A., Binghamton University, State University of New York (1990-1994)
Teaching Interests
- Introduction to Psychology
- Research Methods & Statistics
- Research Seminar in Cognitive Psychology
- Learning
- Cognitive Psychology
- Eyewitness Memory
Research Interests
- Perceptual Pop Out
- False Memory
- Cognition & Emotion
- Implicit Memory
- Perceptual Load and Awareness
Field Experience
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2017-present Professor of Psychology
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2013-present Coordinator, George Scholar Program
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2007-2013 Chair, Department of Psychology
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2005-2017 Associate Professor of Psychology
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1999-2005 Assistant Professor of Psychology
Selected Publications
- Diliberto-Macaluso, K. A. & Hughes, R. A. (2016) Using Smartphone Apps to Engage Student in Introduction to Psychology Courses. Teaching of Psychology, 43(1), 48-52.
- Diliberto-Macaluso, K.A. & Stubblefield, B. L. (2015). The Use of Painting for short-term mood and arousal improvement. Psychology of Arts, Creativity, and Aesthetics. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0039237
- Walker, W. L., Diliberto-Macaluso, K. A., & Altarriba, J. (2011). Priming and assimilation effects in the automatic activation of religious schema. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 3(4), 308-319. doi: 10.1037/a0022960.
- Marmolejo, G., Diliberto-Macaluso, K.A., & Altarriba, J. A. (2009). False memory in bilinguals: Can switching languages increase false memories? American Journal of Psychology, 122, 1-16.
*bold font indicates co-author was a Berry College student
Professional Associations
- Association for Psychological Science (APS)
- Psychonomic Society
- Society for the Teaching of Psychology (SETOP)
- Southeastern Psychological Association (SEPA)
- Southern Society for Philosophy and Psychology (SSPP)
- The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi (PKP)
- Women in Cognitive Science (WICS)