Faculty Profile
Dr. Michael Atkinson
Contact Information:
atkinson@uwo.ca
519-661-2111 x84644
SSC 6316
Profile
I’m from the East Coast, born in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia and received my B.Sc. from Dalhousie University in 1975. I was extremely interested in social psychology (particularly aggression and nonverbal behaviour), and pursued this interested at the University of Wisconsin, Madison where I received my M.Sc. (1978) and Ph.D. (1982). My dissertation work involved nonverbal cues in the detection of deception. It appears that we first make judgements about whether a behaviour is deliberate or spontaneous, and then proceed to a consideration of deception (or other forms of deliberate behaviour).Over the years, I have become increasingly interested in the process of education and have moved to the educational psychology area. How can we teach large classes most effectively? Are there any benefits to using multimedia in the classroom? Do students really learn from instructors who use a variety of engaging techniques? Important factors include student involvement, structure and organization of the material, and the ability to “engage”.
