Tom Ludwig is interested in research on hemisphere differences in the
brain, advocacy for older adults, and integrating technology into teaching.
In the 1980s and 1990s, Tom Ludwig studied how the two hemispheres
process and share information about letters, words, and simple spatial
patterns.
This past year Tom and his students conducted four experiments on hemisphere
differences in recognizing and producing facial expressions of emotion.
Tom also continues to make presentations to churches and community
groups on various
aspects of aging, including age discrimination, memory and aging, and
searching for meaning in the aging process.
In 1984, Tom began work on PsychSim, a set of instructional activities
for introductory psychology. In 2005 PsychSim 5 was released,
boosting the number of activities from 19 to 42, and making much heavier
use of
animations and video clips. Tom has also produced PsychQuest (a set
of in-depth activities related to the psychology of college life), PsychOnline (a complete set of materials for distance education), PsychInquiry (a
set of activities focused on critical thinking and research methodology),
and has collaborated with four other professors to produce Exploring
Human Development (a set of video-based observational activities for developmental
psychology) and with a dozen professors to produce ActivePsych (a set of interactive demonstrations for classroom use). Tom's most recent project is Concepts in Action, a set of 109 instructional activities embedded within a comprehensive psychology resource called PsychPortal. The range of computer-based activities that Tom has developed over the past two decades was a key factory in the decision by the Americal Psychological Foundation to name him as the 2005 recipient of the Charles L. Brewer Distinguished Teaching of Psychology Award.
Dr. Thomas Ludwig