2008 Woodie Awards
Developmental psych professor hired after three-year search
Mark Hensch
Issue date: 9/13/07 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
After a three-year search for a developmental psychology professor, the Hillsdale College psychology department hired Assistant Professor of Psychology Desiree Tobin.
Psychology Department Chairman Fritz Tsao was active in the search.
"For many years we had a real vacuum in our program," Tsao said. "We didn't have a fully qualified person to teach developmental psychology, and it is a very
important subject and discipline."
Developmental psychology is the study of how human aging and experience influences thinking patterns and behavior traits.
A New York native, Tobin is the oldest of three children and the first of her immediate family to earn a PhD.
She earned her undergraduate degree at Loyola College in Baltimore and completed her master's at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth.
However, it is Tobin's later work at Florida Atlantic University that solidified her strength in her field.
Tobin studied clinical psychology at UM-Dartmouth, then transitioned into developmental psychology for her PhD from FAU.
Tsao said Tobin's education has given her "an expertise that is deep, current, and pivotal."
Tobin was a research assistant at FAU, focusing on normal gender identities in children.
"We were interested in seeing if children have the same ideas about gender stereotypes that adults do," Tobin said.
These studies shaped Tobin's understanding of developmental psychology. She said she took the common feelings of personal change throughout the aging process and honed them into an intricate study.
"We wanted to see how a child's security with their gender would interact with their gender stereotypes," Tobin said.
Students say Tobin's emphasis on perceptions has rooted her Introductory Psychology and Developmental Psychology classes in opinion and respectful discourse.
"She is very fair in encouraging class discussions," said senior Dane Van Horn, a student in Tobin's development class. "Each side is definitely given equality in her course."
Tobin considers balanced discussion as a vital part of learning in her class.
"I want to start discussions about what child development is, and what human development is," she said.
Psychology Department Chairman Fritz Tsao was active in the search.
"For many years we had a real vacuum in our program," Tsao said. "We didn't have a fully qualified person to teach developmental psychology, and it is a very
important subject and discipline."
Developmental psychology is the study of how human aging and experience influences thinking patterns and behavior traits.
A New York native, Tobin is the oldest of three children and the first of her immediate family to earn a PhD.
She earned her undergraduate degree at Loyola College in Baltimore and completed her master's at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth.
However, it is Tobin's later work at Florida Atlantic University that solidified her strength in her field.
Tobin studied clinical psychology at UM-Dartmouth, then transitioned into developmental psychology for her PhD from FAU.
Tsao said Tobin's education has given her "an expertise that is deep, current, and pivotal."
Tobin was a research assistant at FAU, focusing on normal gender identities in children.
"We were interested in seeing if children have the same ideas about gender stereotypes that adults do," Tobin said.
These studies shaped Tobin's understanding of developmental psychology. She said she took the common feelings of personal change throughout the aging process and honed them into an intricate study.
"We wanted to see how a child's security with their gender would interact with their gender stereotypes," Tobin said.
Students say Tobin's emphasis on perceptions has rooted her Introductory Psychology and Developmental Psychology classes in opinion and respectful discourse.
"She is very fair in encouraging class discussions," said senior Dane Van Horn, a student in Tobin's development class. "Each side is definitely given equality in her course."
Tobin considers balanced discussion as a vital part of learning in her class.
"I want to start discussions about what child development is, and what human development is," she said.
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