Faculty

Jennifer Mardoyan Apperson, Ph.D.

Professor of Psychology
434.395.2323
appersonjm@longwood.edu
http://www.longwood.edu/staff/appersonjm/homepage.htm

Dr. Apperson joined Longwood in 1985.  She earned a bachelor's degree in Psychology from Stephens College in Missouri; a master's degree in Counseling and a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology both from the University of Akron in Ohio. She teaches introduction to psychology, personality, interviewing, psychology and the law and graduate courses in counseling. She serves as the Program Coordinator and academic advisor for the Community and College Counseling Program in the College of Education and Human Services. Dr. Apperson is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in Virginia and has maintained a small clinical practice in the community since moving to the area. Prior to teaching at Longwood, she gained clinical experience working in outpatient mental health centers (CSBs) and at an in-patient psychiatric hospital in Ohio. Her research interests include factors that affect university students' assessments of instruction and the use of presentation graphics in university instruction.

Chris Bjornsen, Ph.D.

Professor of Psychology
434.395.2736
bjornsenca@longwood.edu
http://www.longwood.edu/staff/bjornsenca/CB.htm

Dr. Bjornsen joined Longwood in 1995. He received his Ph.D. from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1992, and teaches courses in infant and child development, adolescent development, sex and gender, cross-cultural psychology, developmental research methods, and introduction to psychology. His research focuses on emotional and personality development in adolescence, and student engagement in learning. Dr. Bjornsen's hobbies include traveling, gardening, cooking, hiking, and woodworking.

Norm Bregman, Ph.D.

Professor of Psychology
434.395.2822
bregmannj@longwood.edu

Dr. Bregman joined Longwood in 1997. He received his Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from the University of Southern California in 1972 with specialties in learning and memory. He teaches courses in general psychology, research methods, statistics, psychobiology, and learning and memory. His research areas include learning and memory, biofeedback, eyewitness testimony, and psychology and the law.

Stephanie Buchert, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Psychology
434.395.2348
bucherts@longwood.edu
http://www.longwood.edu/staff/bucherts/

Dr. Buchert joined Longwood in 2004. She received her Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from Kent State University in 2004. She earned an M.A. in Psychology at Kent State as well, and earned B.A.s in Psychology and Anthropology from Bloomsburg University. The courses she teaches with the most frequency are Research Methods, Quantitative Methods, and Cognitive Psychology. Her research interests include cognitive development; specifically language issues such as language development and bilingualism.

David M. Carkenord, Ph.D.

Professor of Psychology
434.395.2385
carkenorddm@longwood.edu
http://www.longwood.edu/staff/carkenorddm/DC.htm

Dr. Carkenord joined Longwood in 1992. He received his Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Bowling Green State University in 1990. He teaches the majority of courses in the Industrial/Organizational concentration, as well as introductory psychology and quantitative methods. His primary research interests currently center around employee ethics and developing innovative teaching techniques. Outside of academia, he has worked as an analyst in personnel research and marketing research.

Kurt Crandall, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Psychology
434.395.4933
crandallkr@longwood.edu

Dr. Crandall is a clinical psychologist and joined Longwood in 2008. He received his M.A. in General Psychology from James Madison University and his PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Kansas with a specialty in Health Psychology. He interned at the VA Medical Center in Washington, D.C. and spent three years as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Wesleyan College in Macon, GA. Following his teaching stint at Wesleyan he returned to clinical work to complete a Postdoctoral Fellowship with an emphasis on couples and family therapy at a community mental health center in Chicago. Last year he worked as a staff psychologist at the VA Hospital in Seattle, WA treating veterans in a Primary Care Clinic. His areas of interest and experience are in clinical health psychology, positive psychology, and cognitive/behavioral therapy.

Eric Laws, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Psychology, Department Chair
434.395.2841
lawsel@longwood.edu
http://www.longwood.edu/staff/lawsel/home.html

Dr. Laws joined Longwood in 2000. He received his M.S. in Applied Experimental Psychology and Ph.D. in Psychological Science from Virginia Tech. He has taught and/or teaches courses in Physiological Psychology, Research Methods, Introduction to Biopsychology, Sensation & Perception, Animal Behavior, Learning, Psychopharmacology, Cognitive Psychology, History & Systems, Senior Seminar, Longwood Seminar, and Environmental Psychology. His research interests include the neurophysiological and psychophysical bases underlying memory for color and color preferences, environmental aesthetic preferences and the physiological correlates of pleasant vs. unpleasant visual scenes. His non-academic hobbies include, but are not limited to, music (he plays the electric bass guitar) and yardwork. He lives with 7 cats (Fluffy, Bean, Storm, Tootie, Toogie-Boy, Tic-Tic, & Harry), 2 dogs (Random & Bones) and 2 birds (Amos & Andy).