Jennifer J. Stiegler-Balfour, Ph.D.
Location
Dr. Stiegler-Balfour is a Professor of Psychology and the principal investigator of the Reading Comprehension and Cognition (RCC) Lab. The RCC Lab focuses on investigating the memory processes that underlie reading comprehension and learning. One of Dr. Stiegler-Balfour's current research lines explores the impact of emerging technologies, such as screen-based reading and audiobooks, on reading comprehension and the learning process. In the classroom, Dr. Stiegler-Balfour teaches a variety of courses, including Memory & Cognition, Psychological Statistics, Research Methods, Psychology of Consciousness, and a seminar on Cognition and Learning. Additionally, since 2011, Dr. Stiegler-Balfour has been the faculty advisor for the PSI CHI Honor Society chapter at the university.
Credentials
Education
Research
Current research
Dr. Stiegler-Balfour’s research explores human cognition, with an emphasis on reading comprehension and learning processes. Through her research program, Dr. Stiegler-Balfour investigates how various factors, including text characteristics, individual differences, and new technologies like digital reading and audiobooks, impact comprehension and recall.
Her work explores the following key areas:
- Impact of new technologies on reading comprehension: Investigates how digital reading formats, such as e-readers and audiobooks, affect comprehension when compared to print, with a focus on the challenges encountered by lower-skilled readers.
- Individual differences and other barriers to comprehension: Examines how individual cognitive differences, such as reading comprehension skill, influence comprehension, as well as how in-text features like APA-style citations can hinder comprehension for some readers.
- Cognitive processes involved in reading comprehension: Focuses on the mental mechanisms behind reading, including how readers monitor information like spatial information in text, with implications for improving reading strategies and addressing comprehension difficulties.
With this interdisciplinary approach, Dr. Stiegler-Balfour’s program seeks to optimize reading environments and develop strategies to improve comprehension for diverse learners.
Selected publications
* denotes student author
Stiegler-Balfour, J.J., Martin, N.T.*, & Sahouria, A.* (2024). Does the talking head matter? The mediating effect of social connectedness on cognitive load and remote learning during a global pandemic. Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Psychology. Advance online publication.
Stiegler-Balfour, J. J., Roberts, Z.*, LaChance, A.*, Sahouria, A.*, & Newborough, E.* (2023). Is reading under print and digital conditions really equivalent? Differences in reading and recall of expository text for higher and lower ability comprehenders. International Journal of Human Computer Studies, 176,
Smith, E.R., Stiegler-Balfour, J.J., Williams, C.R., Walsh, E.K., & O'Brien, E.J. (2020). Access to prior spatial information. Memory & Cognition, 48(7), 1234-1248. doi: 10.3758/s13421-019-00996-4.
Stiegler-Balfour, J.J., Jakobsen, K.V., Stroud, M.J., & Daniel, D.B. (2020). APA-style citations can create a roadblock to textbook comprehension for less-skilled readers. Teaching of Psychology, 47(2), 147-155. doi: 10.1177/0098628320901384
Stiegler-Balfour, J. J. & Benassi, V. A. (2015). Guiding questions promote learning of expository text for less-skilled readers. Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Psychology, 1, 312-325. doi:10.1037/stl0000044
Stiegler-Balfour, J. J. (2015). Teaching online courses in psychology. In D. Dunn (Ed.). The Oxford Handbook of Undergraduate Psychology Education (pp. 275-285). Oxford University Press, NY: NY.
Troisi, J.D., Leder-Elder, S., Stiegler-Balfour, J. J., Fleck, B.K.B., Good, J.J. (2015). Effective teaching outcomes associated with the mentorship of early career psychologists. Teaching of Psychology, 42, 242-247. doi: 10.1177/0098628315587623
Troisi, J. D., Leder-Elder, S., Stiegler-Balfour, J. J., Fleck, B. K. B., Good, J. J. (2015). Not all types of mentors are created equal: Comparing the effectiveness of intra-departmental, intra-university, and self-selected mentors. Teaching of Psychology, 29, 17-22.
Stiegler-Balfour, J. J., Benassi, V. A., Tatsak, H.*, Taatjes, A. * (2014). The influence of guiding questions on skilled- and less-skilled readers’ understanding of written discourse. In V. A. Benassi, C. E Overson, & C. M. Hakala (Eds.), Applying the science of learning in education: Infusing psychological science into the curriculum (pp. 293-298). Retrieved from the Society for the Teaching of Psychology website: . ISBN: 978-1-941804-29-2.
Good, J. J., Keeley, J., Leder, S., Afful, S., & Stiegler-Balfour, J. J. (2013). Supporting our junior faculty: Assessing the concerns and needs of early career faculty. Teaching of Psychology, 40, 340-345. doi: 10.1177/0098628313501048
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 (pp. 207-217). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. ISBN: 978-1-4129-9607-5
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, Cognition and Neuroscience, 29 244-257. doi: 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, 387-403. doi: 10.1080/0163853X.2011.552844
Research interests
Dr. Stiegler-Balfour is interested in developing a deeper understanding of the cognitive processes involved in reading comprehension, memory following learning experiences and translation of cognitive science research to educational settings.