CORINNE ZIMMERMAN

November 2007

 

Illinois State University

Department of Psychology Campus Box 4620

Normal, IL 61790-4620 (309) 438-5215

czimmer@ilstu.edu   |   http://www.ilstu.edu/~czimmer/

______________________________________________________________________________

 

Education

 

Ph.D. (1999) in Psychology, University of Alberta.

   Dissertation: A Network Interpretation Approach to the Balance Scale Task.

   MasterÕs Thesis equivalent (1996): Judging the Credibility of Scientific News Briefs: Effects of Information About Social Context and Methodology.

 

B.A. (Honours) (1992) with High Honours in Psychology, University of Regina.

   Honours Thesis: Semantic versus Episodic Memory Revisited.

 

Academic Positions

 

2002 – present          Assistant Professor

                                         Department of Psychology, Illinois State University

1999 – 2002               Research Associate

                                         Learning Research and Development Center, University of Pittsburgh

 

Publications

 

Zimmerman, C. (2007). The development of scientific thinking skills in elementary and middle school. Developmental Review, 27, 172-223.

Wagman, J., Zimmerman, C., & Sorric, C. (2007). Which feels heavier - a pound of lead or a pound of feathers? A potential perceptual basis of a cognitive riddle. Perception, 36, 1709-1711.

Zimmerman, C., & Cuddington, K.  (2007). Ambiguous, circular and polysemous: StudentsÕ definitions of the Òbalance of natureÓ metaphor. Public Understanding of Science, 16, 393-406.

Zimmerman, C., Gerson, S., Monroe, A., & Kearney, A. M. (2007). Physics is harder than psychology (or is it?): Developmental differences in calibration of domain-specific texts. In D. S. McNamara & J. G. Trafton (Eds.), Proceedings of the Twenty-ninth Annual Cognitive Science Society (pp. 1683 – 1688). Austin, TX: Cognitive Science Society. http://www.cogsci.rpi.edu/csjarchive/proceedings/2007/docs/p1683.pdf

Sprecher, S., Fehr, B., & Zimmerman, C. (2007). Expectations for mood enhancement as a result of helping: The effects of gender and compassionate love. Sex Roles, 56, 543-549.

Zimmerman, C. (2005). The development of scientific reasoning: What psychologists contribute to an understanding of elementary science learning. Paper commissioned by the National Academies of Science (National Research CouncilÕs Board of Science Education, Consensus Study on Learning Science, Kindergarten through Eighth Grade). http://www7.nationalacademies.org/bose/Corinne_Zimmerman_Final_Paper.pdf

Zimmerman, C., Raghavan, K., & Sartoris, M. L. (2003). The impact of the MARS curriculum on studentsÕ ability to coordinate theory and evidence. International Journal of Science Education, 25, 1247-1271.

Dawson, M. R. W., & Zimmerman, C. (2003). Interpreting the internal structure of a connectionist model of the balance scale task. Brain and Mind, 4, 129-149.

Zimmerman, C., & Glaser, R. (2003). A follow-up investigation of the role of cover story in the assessment of experimental design skills (Tech Rep. No. 594). Los Angeles, CA: UCLA National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST). http://www.cse.ucla.edu/products/Reports/TR594.pdf

Zimmerman, C., & Glaser, R. (2001). Testing positive versus negative claims: A preliminary investigation of the role of cover story in the assessment of experimental design skills (Tech.  Rep. No. 554). Los Angeles, CA: UCLA National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST). http://www.cse.ucla.edu/products/Reports/TR554.pdf

Zimmerman, C., Bisanz, G. L., Bisanz, J., Klein, J. S., & Klein, P. (2001). Science at the supermarket: A comparison of what appears in the popular press, expertsÕ advice to readers, and what students want to know. Public Understanding of Science, 10, 37-58.

Zimmerman, C. (2000). The development of scientific reasoning skills. Developmental Review, 20, 99-149.

Zimmerman, C., Bisanz, G. L., & Bisanz, J. (1998). Everyday scientific literacy: Do students use information about the social context and methods of research to evaluate news briefs about science? Alberta Journal of Educational Research, 44, 188-207.

Bisanz, G. L., Bisanz, J., Korpan, C. A., & Zimmerman, C. (1997). Assessing scientific literacy: Questions students ask when evaluating news briefs about scientific research. Proceedings of the International Organization of Science and Technology Education, 1, 7-12.

Dixon, P., Zimmerman, C., & Neary, S. (1997). Prior experience and complex procedures. Memory & Cognition, 25, 381-394.

LeDrew, J. E., & Zimmerman, C. (1994). Moving towards an acceptance of females in coaching. The Physical Educator, 51, 6‑14.

 

Book Reviews

 

Zimmerman, C. (2002). Book Review: ÒScience and the citizen: For educators and the public.Ó Public Understanding of Science, 11, 79-80.

Zimmerman, C. (1996). DamasioÕs proposition: A review of DescartesÕ Error: Emotion, Reason and the Human Brain. Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology, 50, 330-332.

 

Published Commentaries and Research Reports

 

Zimmerman, C., & Glaser, R. (2000). Creating media savvy. FORUM for Applied Research and Public Policy, 15(4), 107-108.

LeDrew, J. E., & Zimmerman, C. (1992). AthletesÕ attitudes toward coaching and gender: A research report. Regina, Saskatchewan: SaskSport & SaskLotteries, Inc. 

LeDrew, J. E., & Zimmerman, C. (1992). AthletesÕ attitudes toward coaching and gender: Executive summary. Regina, Saskatchewan: SaskSport & SaskLotteries, Inc. 

 

Manuscripts Under Review

Zimmerman, C., Sprecher, S., & Abrahams, E. Choosing compassionate strategies to end a relationship:  Effects of love for partner and the reason for the breakup.

Pretz, J., & Zimmerman, C. When it helps to think less: The interaction of implicit vs. explicit processing with problem complexity.

 

Manuscripts in Preparation

Masnick, A. M., & Zimmerman, C. And now for something completely obvious: Bias in evaluating research that confirms or disconfirms prior belief.

 

Presentations and Posters

Invited Presentation

Zimmerman, C. (2005, March). The development of scientific reasoning: A review of the literature. Paper presented at the National Academies of Science, Learning Science K-8. Washington, DC.

 

Submitted Conference Presentations

Masnick, A. M., & Zimmerman, C. (submitted). Confirmation bias revisited: Prior belief influences the evaluation of research findings and explanations (whether explanations are present or not). Submitted to the XXIX International Congress of Psychology, Berlin, Germany.

Zimmerman, C., Sprecher, S., & Hesson-McInnis, M. (submitted) Ending romantic relationships: The role of relationship characteristics, personality and compassionate love. Submitted to the XXIX International Congress of Psychology, Berlin, Germany.

 

National and International Conference Presentations

Masnick, A. M., & Zimmerman, C. (2007, August). Bias in evaluating research that confirms or disconfirms prior belief.  Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Cognitive Science Society Conference. Nashville, TN.

Pretz, J., & Zimmerman, C. (2007, August). Rule discovery in the balance task depends on strategy and problem complexity. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Cognitive Science Society Conference. Nashville, TN.

Wagman, J., Zimmerman, C., & Sorric, C. (2007, August). A pound of lead feels heavier than a pound of feathers: A potential perceptual basis of a cognitive riddle. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Cognitive Science Society Conference. Nashville, TN.

Zimmerman, C., Gerson, S., Monroe, A., & Kearney, A. M., (2007, August). Physics is harder than psychology (or is it?): Developmental differences in calibration of domain-specific texts. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Cognitive Science Society Conference. Nashville, TN.

Monroe, A. E., & Zimmerman, C. (2007, May). Cost-benefit reasoning about biological control. Poster presented at the annual conference of the Midwestern Psychological Association (MPA).

Zimmerman, C., & Masnick, A. M. (2007, April). The effects of prior belief and explanation on studentsÕ evaluation of educational research. Paper presented to the American Educational Research Association (AERA) annual meeting, Chicago, IL.

Zimmerman, C., & Masnick, A. M. (2006, May). The effects of making predictions on studentsÕ evaluation of scientific research. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Psychological Science (APS), New York, NY.

Monroe, A. E., & Zimmerman, C. (2006, May). Incongruities in judgments versus opinions when reasoning about biological control. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Psychological Science (APS), New York, NY.

Abrahams, E. M., Zimmerman, C., & Sprecher, S. (2006, May). Compassionate breakups: situational and dispositional predictors. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Psychological Science (APS), New York, NY.

Zimmerman, C., & Boemler, E., & Cuddington, K. (2005, April). StudentsÕ reasoning about the consequences of ecosystem disturbances. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), MontrŽal, Quebec.

Kearney, A. M., & Zimmerman, C. (2005, April). Developmental differences in calibration of domain-specific texts. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), MontrŽal, Quebec. 

Zimmerman, C., Tobin, R. M., & Cossey, A. L. (2004, August). Reasoning about ecological systems. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, Chicago, IL.

Zimmerman, C., & Cuddington, K. (2003, April) StudentsÕ understanding of the Òbalance of nature.Ó  Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), Chicago, IL.

Zimmerman, C., & Cuddington, K. (2002, August). Ecology studentsÕ conceptions of the Òbalance of nature.Ó  Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Ecological Society of America (ESA), Tuscon, AZ.

Zimmerman, C., & Raghavan, K. (2002, April). Coordinating theory and evidence: The benefits of a model-based science curriculum. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), New Orleans, LA.

Raghavan, K., Sartoris, M. L., & Zimmerman, C. (2002, April).  Impact of model-centered instruction on student learning. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST), New Orleans, LA.

Zimmerman, C., Glaser, R., & Raghavan, K. V. (2001, April). The role of cover story in the assessment of experimental design skills. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), Seattle, WA.

Zimmerman, C., & Dawson, M. R. W. (1999, June). How a PDP network revealed a new theory of the balance-scale task. Paper presented at the annual conference of the Canadian Society for Brain, Behaviour, and Cognitive Science (BBCS), Edmonton, Alberta.

Zimmerman, C., Bisanz, G. L., & Bisanz, J. (1999, March). Science at the Supermarket: WhatÕs in print, expertsÕ advice, and studentsÕ need to know. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST), Boston, MA.

Zimmerman, C., McCaughan, D. B., & Dawson, M. R. W. (1999, February). Qualitative vs. quantitative approaches to artificial neural networks. Paper presented at the First International Interdisciplinary Conference on Advances in Qualitative Methods, Edmonton, Alberta.

Bisanz, G. L., Bisanz, J., Korpan, C. A., & Zimmerman, C. (1996, August). Assessing scientific literacy: Questions students ask when evaluating news reports about scientific research. Paper presented at the International Organization of Science and Technology Education (IOSTE), Edmonton, Alberta.

Zimmerman, C., Bisanz, G. L., & Bisanz, J. (1996, April). Using knowledge about scientific culture and practice to evaluate news briefs about research. Poster presented at the annual conference of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), New York, NY.

LeDrew, J. E., Lorenzen, F., & Zimmerman, C. (1994, August). CIAU AthletesÕ perceptions of coaching and female coaches. Paper presented at the 10th Commonwealth & International Scientific Congress, Victoria, British Columbia.

Zimmerman, C., & Dixon, P. (1994, June). The effects of prior knowledge on the acquisition of syntax and semantics  of device operating procedures. Poster presented at the annual conference of the Canadian Society for Brain, Behaviour, and Cognitive Science (BBCS), Vancouver, British Columbia

LeDrew, J. E., & Zimmerman, C. (1993, August). The perceptions of women and girls toward the coaching role. Paper presented at the International Association for the Advancement of Women and Girls in Sport, Melbourne, Australia.

LeDrew, J. E., & Zimmerman, C. (1992, October). High school athletesÕ attitudes toward females in the coaching role. Paper presented at the annual conference of the Canadian Association of Sport Sciences (CASS), Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Zimmerman, C., & LeDrew, J. E. (1992, June). Adolescent females and the coaching role. Paper presented at the annual conference of the Canadian Association of Health, Physical Education and Recreation (CAHPER),Winnipeg, Manitoba.

 

Non-Refereed Conference Presentations

Zimmerman, C., & Pretz, J. (2007, June). Manipulating and measuring strategy use in rule discovery on the balance task. Paper presented at the 1st annual Illinoisy Data Conference. Normal, IL.

Wagman, J., Zimmerman, C., & Sorric, C. (2007, August). A pound of lead feels heavier than a pound of feathers. Paper presented at the 1st annual Illinoisy Data Conference. Normal, IL.

McBride, D. M., Farmer-Dougan, V., Wagman, J., Zimmerman, C., & Graybill, D. (2006, January). Reflections on and Outcomes of an Integrated Experience in Introductory Psychology. Paper presented at the 6th Annual University-wide Symposium on Teaching and Learning, Illinois State University. Normal, IL.

Bisanz, G., Bisanz, J., & Zimmerman, C. (2000, May). Critical evaluation of scientific news briefs: Comparing what is in the popular press, expertsÕ advice to readers, and what introductory psychology students want to know. Paper presented at the 4th annual meeting of the Alberta Teachers of Psychology. College Heights, Alberta.

Zimmerman, C. (1997, October). Scientific and media literacy: Factors affecting the critical evaluation of scientific research in the print media. Paper presented at the Literacy in the 21st Century Research Conference, Faculty of Education, Edmonton, Alberta.

Zimmerman, C., Bisanz, G. L., Klein, J. S., Klein, P., & Bisanz, J. (1997, February). Science at the 7-Eleven: An analysis of news briefs about science in the popular print media. Paper presented at the 11th annual Joseph R. Royce Research Conference, Department of Psychology, Edmonton, Alberta.

Zimmerman, C., Bisanz, G. L., & Bisanz, J. (1996, February). Reading scientific news briefs: Factors influencing studentsÕ judgments of credibility. Paper presented at the 10th annual Joseph R. Royce Research Conference, Department of Psychology, Edmonton, Alberta.

Zimmerman, C., & Dixon, P. (1994, January). Conceptual and operational effects in the operation of complex devices. Paper presented at the 8th annual Joseph R. Royce Research Conference, Edmonton, Alberta.

Grants and Awards

 

2007                   Illinois State Board of Education. Institutes for Elementary School Mathematics and Science Teachers:  A Partnership for Developing Teacher Leaders.

Principal Investigators: Karen Lind, Anthony Lorsbach, Chris Merrill, Corinne Zimmerman. Funding: $1,000,000 over 5 years.

2007                   The Cross Chair in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Grant, Office of the Provost; Illinois State University (with D. McBride). Developing and Assessing Student Autonomy in the First-Year Experience of Psychology Majors. Funding: $4000.

2005                   Research Enhancement Award, College of Arts and Sciences, Illinois State University. Individual Differences in Scientific Reasoning. Funding: $3000.

2005                   Pre-Tenure Faculty Initiative Grant, Illinois State University. Reasoning about Ecological Systems: Under What Conditions is the ÒBalance of NatureÓ Metaphor Invoked? Funding: $2500.

2004                   Travel Fellowship to attend the 33rd Carnegie Mellon Symposium on Cognition Funding: $1000.

2003                   Illinois State University, New Faculty Initiative Grant. StudentsÕ Understanding of the ÒBalance of Nature.Ó Funding: $2500.

1999                   Travel Fellowship to attend the 30th Carnegie Mellon Symposium on Cognition. Funding: $1000.

        1999                   American Library Association Award (Continuing Education Committee), Everyday Scientific Literacy selected as one of the Library Instruction Round TableÕs Top 20 Articles for 1998 (see Publications for complete reference).

1998-1999       Graduate Studies and Research Scholarship, University of Alberta; Funding: $2732.

1997-1998       Dr. Jane Silvius Graduate Scholarship in Child Development; Funding: $8500.

1996-1997       Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Doctoral Fellowship; Funding: $14,436.

1996-1997       Walter H. Johns Graduate Fellowship; Funding: $3000.

         1996                   W. R. Runquist Award for Best Student Presentation, 10th Annual Joseph R. Royce Research Conference, Department of Psychology, University of Alberta.

1992-1994       Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Postgraduate Scholarship; Funding: $33,000.

1992-1994       Walter H. Johns Graduate Fellowship; Funding: $6000.

1990                   Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Undergraduate Summer Research Award, University of Regina; Funding: $4000.

 

 

 

Teaching Experience

Courses Taught

 

Illinois State University

      Introduction to Psychology (Psychology 111), Fall 2006, 2007

      Educational Psychology (Psychology 215), Fall 2002; Fall & Spring 2003-2007

      History and Systems of Psychology (Psychology 320), Spring 2004

      Experimental Design (Psychology 441 - Graduate), Spring 2003, 2005-2007

      Foundations of Inquiry (Interdisciplinary Studies 100), Fall 2003, 2004

University of Alberta

      Perceptual and Cognitive Development (Psychology 323), Winter 1999

      Statistical Methods for Psychological Research (Psychology 211), Spring 1997

      Individual and Social Behaviour (Psychology 105), Summer 1995

 

Professional Work and Service

Committee Work

      Member, Department of Psychology Curriculum Assessment Committee, Sept 2006 – present.

      Member, Department of Psychology Web Committee, September 2004 – present.

      Webmaster, Developmental Psychology Sequence, September 2004 – present.

      Member, Department of Psychology Research Committee, Sept 2002 – Sept 2006.

      Member, Department of Psychology Technology Committee, January 2004 – present.

      Member, Ad Hoc Committee to examine Capstone Options, Sept. 2005 – April 2006.

 

Professional Organizations

      International Society for the Psychology of Science & Technology (2006 - present).

      Sigma Xi (2006 - present).

      American Educational Research Association (2001 - present).

      Association for Psychological Science [formerly American Psychological Society] (2004 - present)

      Cognitive Science Society (2004 - present)

      National Association for Research in Science Teaching (1998 - 2000).

      Canadian Society for Brain, Behaviour and Cognitive Science (1992 - 2002).

      American Psychological Association, Student Affiliate (1992 - 1997).