headshot photo of Dr. Connie Shears

Dr. Connie Shears

Professor Emeriita of Psychology
Crean College of Health and Behavioral Sciences; Psychology
Expertise: Language Comprehension; Semantic Memory; Attentional Limits; Cognitive Resource Demands; Brain Injury
Office Location: Crean Hall Crean Hall 107
Phone: (714) 744-7914
Scholarly Works:
Digital Commons
Education:
California State University, Fullerton, Bachelor of Arts
California State University, Fullerton, Master of Arts
University of California, Riverside, Ph.D.

Biography

My research investigates comprehension of language, semantic memory processes, and attentional limits related to cognitive resource demands.  I have a research liaison with an adult rehabilitation program for survivors of acquired brain injury where I examine how brain injury disrupts these comprehension processes.  I direct an active research program in my Cognitive Science lab at Chapman University, which provides many students with first-hand experience in psychological research activities and has supported several student-based research projects.  I also teach undergraduate courses in Statistics, Research Methods, Advanced Research Design, Perception and Cognitive Psychology.  Most of these courses are designed to offer students direct experience with the scientific method of psychological research and support student projects that reflect mastery of hypotheses testing and APA research reports.

Manuscripts Submitted
  • Head, James, Shears, Connie, Neumann, Edwald, and Helton, William.  (2012). Novel word

         processing. (in revision to The Journal of General Psychology).

  • Shears, C., Twachtmann, L., Kee, T., Cosme, D., Brown, B., Siegler, R. and Ung, S. (2012).  Emotion as a knowledge domain:  Does emotional language support causal inferences?  (in revision to Discourse Processes).
  • Shears, C., Baker, M., Green, J., Ung, S., Barr, S. (2012).  Hemisphere differences in processing emotional language using causal inferences.  (in submission to Laterality).
  • Shears, C., Twachtmann, L., Kee, T., Cosme, D., Brown, B., Sigler, R. and Ung, S. (2010).  Emotion as a knowledge domain:  Does emotional language support causal inferences?   (submitted to The Journal of Emotion).

Manuscripts in Preparation

  • Shears, C., Flax, S., Brown, C., Liebman, R., Siegler, R., Glenn-Hall, T., Brown, B. (2012).  Knowledge Domains under overload: Are inference processes sustained? 
  • Shears, C., Twachtmann, L., Glenn-Hall, T., Head, J., Cosme, D., Lindsey, L., Brown, B. (2012).  Emotional language in story contexts: Do response tasks impair inference processes?
  • Brown, B. and Shears, C., (2010).  Perceptual differences of emotional images between homosexual and heterosexual men.
  • Sigler, R. and Shears, C., (2010).  Resilience and learning in third grade youth.

Conferences and Presentations

  • Shears, C., Barr, S., Flax, S., and Brown, C.  (2012). If the left-hemisphere is reading and the right-hemisphere is feeling, what happens when you read about feelings?  Poster accepted for presentation at Psychonomics Society Annual Conference, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
  • Shears, C., Baker, M., Green, J.  (2011). Laterality of emotional language and causal inferences.  Poster presented at The Annual Cognitive Neuroscience Society April 2011.
  • Ung, S., Shears, C. (2011).  Defining creative potential with passion, personality and major choice.  Poster presented at the 2011 Annual Meeting of the Western Psychological Association, Los Angles, CA.

Recent Creative, Scholarly Work and Publications

Gann, A. and Shears, C. (2017). The Effects of Temperature on Perceived Social Attitudes. Poster Presentation at UCLA Psychology Undergraduate Research Conference, May 5, Los Angeles, CA.
Gann, A. and Shears, C. (2017). Temperature Effects on Perceived Social Attitudes. Poster Presentation at Western Psychological Association Convention, April 29, Sacramento, CA.
Karrmann, S. and Shears, C. (2017). Optimal Visual Search Elements in Small Scale Map Design. Poster Presentation at Western Psychological Association Convention, April 27, Sacramento, CA.
Shears, C. Amirazizi, S. Leavy, K. Jerome, L. (2017). Hemisphere Differences for Negative Emotions. Poster Presentation at Western Psychological Association Convention, April 27, Sacramento, CA.
*Karrmann, S. and Shears, C. (2017). Optimal visual search elements in small scale map design. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing: Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics: Springer Books, xxx-xxx.
Hamilton, N. Shears, C. (2016). Internalizing behaviors and everyday conduct disorders. Poster presented at The Annual Cognitive Neuroscience Society, New York, New York.
Smith, M. and Shears, C. (2016). More Than Man’s Best Friend: Effects of Dog Presence on Cognition. Poster presented at Rocky Mountain Psychological Association, Denver, CO.
Shears, C., Amirazizi, S., Ariza, A., Cohen, A. and Smith, M. (2016). To Type or to Talk? That is the Question. Poster presented at Chapman University Undergraduate Research, May 11, Chapman University.
Smith, M. and Shears, C. (2016). More Than Man’s Best Friend: Effects of Dog Presence on Cognition. Poster presented at Chapman University Undergraduate Research, May 11, Chapman University.
Hamilton, N. and Shears, C. (2016). The Effects of Virtual Stimuli and Pre-existing Levels of Internalizing Behavior on Heart Rate and Antisocial Behavior. Poster presented at Chapman University Undergraduate Research, May 11, Chapman University.
Whitesides, J., Shears, C., and Dana, E. (2016). Level Up: The effects of Video Games on Cognition. Poster presented at Chapman University Undergraduate Research, May 11, Chapman University.
Amirazizi, S. and Shears, C. (2016). Are bilinguals on the same emotional page as monolinguals? Poster presented at Psychonomics Society Annual Conference, Boston, MA.
Smith, M. and Shears, C., (2016). More than man’s best friend: Effects of dog presence on cognition. Poster presented at Psychonomics Society Annual Conference, Boston, MA.
Shears, C., Amirazizi, S., Lee, H. R., Kim, J. C., Jerome, L, Hamilton, N., and Smith, M. (2016). Demanding domains: Comprehension under dual task differs by knowledge domain. Poster presented at Psychonomics Society Annual Conference, Boston, MA.
Shears, C., Ariza, A., Kim, J., Sam, E. (2015). Emotional Balance: Inferences in the Left and Right Hemispheres Poster presented at The Annual Cognitive Neuroscience Society, San Francisco, CA.
Ariza, A., Shears, C., Bond, M., Lam, M., Sam, E., Cohen, A. (2015). Why doesn’t Negative Behave? Inferences from emotional language. Poster presented at The Annual Cognitive Neuroscience Society, San Francisco, CA.
Cohen, A., Shears, C., Ariza, A., Bond, M., Sam, E., Smith, M. (2015). Individual Differences in Processing Emotional Language: or how you feel influences how you comprehend. Poster presented at The Annual Cognitive Neuroscience Society, San Francisco, CA.
Shears, C., Smith, M., Amirazizi, S., Ariza, A., Bond, M., Cohen, A. To type or to talk? That is the question. (2015). Poster presented at Psychonomics Society Annual Conference, Chicago, IL.
*Shears, C. and Gauvain, M. (2015a). Acquired Brain Injury Results in Specific Impairment of Planning Knowledge. Brain Impairment, 16 (1), 1-18.
*Shears, C. and Gauvain, M. (2015b). Mapping High vs Low Planning Knowledge in Survivors of Brain Injury. Brain Impairment, 16, (1), 1-7.
Shears, C., Ariza, A., Kim, J., Sam, E., Bond, M. Lam, M., Flax, S. (2014). Hemisphere Differences: Inferences and Emotional Language. Poster presented at The Annual Cognitive Neuroscience Society, Boston, MA, April 2014.
Ariza, A. and Shears, C. (2014). Do you quit? Resilience in First Generation College Students. Talk presented at Orange County Graduate Women in Science, University of California, Irvine. Won First Prize ($250) in undergraduate category.
Ariza, A. and Shears, C. (2014). Do you quit? Resilience in First Generation College Students. Talk presented at UCLA’s Psychology Undergraduate Research Conference.
Shears, C., Ariza, A., Sam, E., Kim, J., Bond, M. (2014). Insights into Inferencing: Quantifying Thinking. Poster presented for Psychonomics Society Annual Conference, Long Beach, California.
Shears, C., Ariza, A., Sam, E., Kim, J., Flax, S., and Onorati, F. (2013). Moving beyond the keys: Talk Aloud Protocols to Measure What’s on Your Mind. Poster presented at Psychonomics Society Annual Conference, Toronto, Canada.
Gulino, P. and Shears, C. (2013). Cinema and the Brain. Panelist presenter at The University Film and Video Association Conference, hosted by Chapman University.
Shears, C., Flax, S., Brown, C., Ariza, A., Onorati, F. (2013). Too weird to categorize? Are inferences supported by category-resistant valences? Poster presented at The Annual Cognitive Neuroscience Society April 2013.
Onorati, F., Flax, S., Shears, C. (2013). Emotional language effects on memory. Poster presented at the 2013 Annual Meeting of the Western Psychological Association, Reno, Nevada.
*Head, J., Shears, C., Neumann, E., & Helton, W. S. (2013). Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy and Text-Speak Processing, Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, xx-xxx.
*Head, J., Shears, C., Neumann, E., & Helton, W. S. (2013). Novel word processing. American Journal of Psychology, 126 (3), 323-333.
*Head, J. R., Neumann, E., Russell, P., Helton, W. S., Shears, C. (2013). New Zealand text-speak word norms and masked priming effects. New Zealand Journal of Psychology, 42 (2)31-42.
Shears, C., Barr, S., Flax, S., and Brown, C. (2012). If the left-hemisphere is reading and the right-hemisphere is feeling, what happens when you read about feelings? Poster presented at Psychonomics Society Annual Conference, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Head, J., Helton, D, Neuman, E. Russell, P. and Shears, C. (2011)Text-speak processing. Human Factors and Ergonomics Society's Procedures.
Cabral, J. and Shears, C. (2010). Are you aware? Context effects on emotional ratings. Psi Chi Journal of undergraduate research.
Shears, C., Hawkins, A., Varner, A., Lewis, L., Heatley, J., Twachtmann, L. (2008). Knowledge-based inferences across the hemispheres: Domain makes a difference. Neuropsychologia, 46, 2563-2568.
Shears, C., Miller, V., Ball, M., Hawkins, A., Griggs, J., Varner, A. (2007). Cognitive demand differences in causal inferences: Characters’ plans are more difficult to comprehend than physical causation. Discourse Processes, 43, 1-24.
Chiarello, C., Kacinik, N., Shears, C., Arambel, S., Halderman, L., and Robinson, Cathy (2006). Exploring cerebral asymmetries for the verb generation task. Neuropsychology, 20, 88-104.
Miller, V. and Shears, C. (2005). Emotion vs language processing across the cerebral hemispheres: Apathy as an emotional and semantic construct. Brain and Cognition, 60, 304-32.
Shears, C. and Chiarello, C. (2004). Knowledge-based inferences are NOT general. Discourse Processes, 38, 31- 55.
Shears, C. and Weiss, E. (2004). Inference vs Control sentences: Are readers able to detect our intended differences? Brain and Cognition, 57, 195-197.
Chiarello, C., Shears, C., Liu, S., Kacinik, N. (2004). Influence of Word Class Proportion on Cerebral Asymmetries for High and Low Imagery Words. Brain and Cognition, 57, 35-38.
Shears, C. and Gauvain, M. (2004). Mapping comprehension of planning knowledge. Presentation as a talk at Psychonomic Society Annual Conference, St. Paul, MN.

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