Janie H. (Wilson) Gordon, Ph.D.

Professor
Director of M.S. Psychology Program
Self-Control and Teaching of Psychology
Brannen Hall 1036
jhwilson@georgiasouthern.edu

 

 

Janie Wilson received her Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from the University of South Carolina in 1994. Since that time, she has been teaching and conducting research at Georgia Southern University. Dr. Wilson currently conducts research in two areas: teaching and ego depletion. Research on teaching and learning focuses on the importance of building rapport with students, including student perceptions of teachers based on early contacts with students, RateMyProfessor.com, and perceived teacher age. She conducts correlational and experimental studies on student evaluations of rapport as related to students’ attitudes, motivation, and even grades. Completed projects include building rapport through touch such as a handshake, electronic communication such as email, and first-day-of-class activities. Recently, she worked with Dr. Ryan and Dr. Pugh to develop and validate the Professor-Student Rapport Scale. In her ego-depletion research, Dr. Wilson examines various potential buffers for ego depletion, the idea that exerting self-control reduces a person’s ability to exhibit self-control on a later task. Recent projects include positive interpretations of a task as buffering and the role of personal perception of risk. An additional project tied to ego-depletion involves responding to an aggressive encounter to examine the role of social interactions in ego-depletion. Dr. Wilson is always interested in working with undergraduate and graduate students to conduct, present, and publish research. Her contribution to the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences was recognized with the 2013 Ruffin Cup. She was 2016 President of Division 2 of the American Psychological Association, The Society for the Teaching of Psychology.

Last updated: 12/19/2023