Jennifer J. Stiegler-Balfour, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
jstiegler@une.edu

Biography

Expertise

Cognitive psychology; memory processes underlying reading comprehension; reading interventions; and learning.

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Education

Ph.D., Cognitive Psychology, University of New Hampshire, 2010

M.S.T., College Teaching, University of New Hampshire, 2010

M.A., Cognitive Psychology, University of New Hampshire, 2007

B.A., Psychology, Hood College, 2005

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Research and Scholarship

Research Interests

My research is focused on developing a deeper understanding of the cognitive processes involved in reading comprehension, memory, and learning. While the scenarios in which the knowledge obtained through my research can be applied vary, I’ve chosen to concentrate on how those results enhance learning in educational settings.

Current Research or Scholarship

In my current research, I examine factors differentiating skilled- from less-skilled readers and the actions which can be undertaken to remediate reading deficits. My work assessing the dynamic relation between reading skill, text characteristics and reading strategies was recently recognized by the Society for Text and Discourse in the form of the Jason Albrecht Outstanding Young Scientist Award. Some of my other research projects include investigating the extent to which readers engage in updating information while reading news stories after they have been presented with new, more accurate information, and the types of cues necessary to reactivate spatial information once it is no longer active in memory. Building on – and continuing – with my previous interests, I am broadening my sphere of learning to include pedagogical research. Regardless of where research projects may take me, it is my hope that as an instructor and researcher that I can optimize my students’ learning experience in the classroom.

Selected Publications

Books:  

Keeley,  J. Afful, S., Stiegler-Balfour, J. J., Good, J., & Leder, S. (Eds) (in press). So You Landed a Job - What’s Next? Advice for Early Career Psychologists from Early Career Psychologists. Retrieved from the Society for the Teaching of Psychology web site: http://teachpsych.org/ebooks/ecp2013/index.php

Afful, S. E., Good, J. J., Keeley, J., Leder, S., & Stiegler-Balfour, J. J. (2013). Introductory Psychology teaching primer: A guide for new teachers of Psych 101. Retrieved from the Society for the Teaching of Psychology web site: http://teachpsych.org/ebooks/intro2013/index.php

Book Chapters:

Stiegler-Balfour, J. J. (2013). Maximize student- and peer evaluations: Leveraging feedback to become a more effective teacher and improve student learning. In J. Keely, S.E. Afful, J. J. Stiegler-Balfour, J. Good & S. Leder (Eds.). So you landed a job – What’s next? Advice for early career psychologists from early career psychologists. Retrieved from the Society for the Teaching of Psychology web site: http://teachpsych.org/ebooks/ecp2013/index.php

Afful, S., Stiegler-Balfour, J. J., Good, J. J., Leder, S., and Keely, J. (2013). Realistic Expectations for Your First Few Years. In J. Keely, S.E. Afful, J. J. Stiegler-Balfour, J. Good & S. Leder (Eds.). So you landed a job – What’s next? Advice for early career psychologists from early career psychologists. Retrieved from the Society for the Teaching of Psychology web site:      http://teachpsych.org/ebooks/ecp2013/index.php

Keely, J. , Afful, S., Stiegler-Balfour, J. J., Good, J. J., Leder, S., and (2013). Introduction: A Field Guide to This Book. In J. Keely, S.E. Afful, J. J. Stiegler-Balfour, J. Good & S. Leder (Eds.). So you landed a job – What’s next? Advice for early career psychologists from early career psychologists. Retrieved from the Society for the Teaching of Psychology web site: http://teachpsych.org/ebooks/ecp2013/index.php

Stiegler-Balfour,  J. J. (2013). Memory. In S.E. Afful, J. J. Good, J. Keeley, S. Leder, & J. J. Stiegler-Balfour (Eds.). Introductory Psychology teaching primer: A guide for new teachers of Psych 101. Retrieved from the Society for the Teaching of Psychology web site: http://teachpsych.org/ebooks/intro2013/index.php

Stiegler-Balfour,  J. J. (2013). Consciousness. In S.E. Afful, J. J. Good, J. Keeley, S. Leder, & J. J. Stiegler-Balfour (Eds.). Introductory Psychology teaching primer: A guide for new teachers of Psych 101. Retrieved from the Society for the Teaching of Psychology web site: http://teachpsych.org/ebooks/intro2013/index.php

Stiegler-Balfour, J. J., & Overson, C. E. (2012). Useful resources for preparing the new professoriate. In W. Buskist, & Benassi, V. A (Eds). Effective college and university teaching: Strategies and tactics for the new professoriate. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Publications: 

Cook, A. E., Lassonde, K. A., Splinter, A., Guéraud, S., Stiegler-Balfour, J. J. , & O’Brien, E. J. (2012). The role of relevance in the activation and instantiation of predictive inferences. Language and Cognitive Processes. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01690965.2012.748926

Blanc, N., Stiegler-Balfour, J. J., & O’Brien, E. J. (2011). Does the certainty of information influence the updating process? Evidence from the reading of news articles. Discourse Processes, 48(6), 387-403.

Recently Funded Grants

Stiegler-Balfour, J.J. (PI), & Robnett, R. College of Arts and Sciences Scholarly Research Mini-Grant, University of New England: Reading Comprehension and Alzheimer’s Disease: Understanding the effects of related and unrelated text distracters, 2012-2013.

Stiegler-Balfour, J. J. (PI), & Benassi, V. A. Society for the Teaching of Psychology Partnership Grant (Division 2, American Psychological Association), Applying the science of learning in face-to-face and online psychology courses, 2012.

Stiegler-Balfour, J. J. (PI). Master Teacher Program Award, (Division 2, American Psychological Association), Applying the science of learning in face-to-face and online psychology courses, 2012. 

Stiegler-Balfour, J.J. (PI). College of Arts and Sciences Scholarly Research Mini-Grant, University of New England: Learning from text: Effects of reading skill and text factors, 2011-2012.

Other Selected Scholarly Activities

Chaired Symposia:

Stiegler-Balfour, J. J. (2012). Applying the science of learning to different classroom scenarios. Symposium conducted at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Psychological Association, Orlando, FL.

Stiegler-Balfour, J. J. (Chair). (2010, August). Adrenalizing your teaching: Using and doing pedagogical research. Symposium conducted at the 2010 Annual Meeting of the American Psychological Association, San Diego, CA. Participant: Gurung, R. A. R.

Presentations:

Stiegler-Balfour, J. J. & Smith, E. R. (2013). Why You Should be Making Things Harder for Your Students: Enhancing Classroom Learning Through the Introduction of Desirable Difficulties. Presented at the 2013 University of New Hampshire Center for Teaching Excellence Faculty Development Workshop, Durham, NH.

Stiegler-Balfour, J. J. (2012). What they can’t comprehend may hurt them: The effect of reading comprehension skill on academic success. Presented at the 2012 New England Psychological Association Conference, Worcester, MA.

*Rich, J. R., *Smith, H. L., & Stiegler-Balfour, J. J. (2012).  The effects of text distracters on comprehension in skilled- and less-skilled readers. Presented at the 2012 New England Psychological Association Conference, Worcester, MA.

Stiegler-Balfour, J. J. Benassi, B. A. (2012). The role of reading comprehension skill and academic success. Presented at the 2012 American Psychological Association Convention, Orlando, FL.

Stiegler-Balfour, J. J. (2012). Desirable difficulties in the classroom. Presented at the Conference on Applying the Science of Learning in Face-to-Face and Online Classes. University of New England, Biddeford, ME.

Stiegler-Balfour, J. J. (2012). Deep versus shallow processing techniques. Presented at the Conference on the Science of Learning Goes to College: Applying the Science of Learning in College and University Curricula. University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH.

Stiegler-Balfour, J. J., & Wells, E. T. (2011). Reading comprehension skill and the ability to inhibit irrelevant information. Presented at the 2011 Psychonomic Society Conference. Seattle, WA.

Stiegler-Balfour, J.J. (2011). Learning from text: The effects of reading comprehension skill and the ability to inhibit irrelevant information (2011). Presented at the 2011 Mainly Data (and some Theory) Conference. Lewiston, ME.

Stiegler, J. J. (2010). Comprehending protagonists’ goals and intentions: The dynamic relation between reading skill and text characteristics. Presented at the 2010 Society for Text and Discourse Conference. Chicago, IL.

Student Opportunities: Yes