Department of Psychology

Kenneth DeMarree, PhD, is an associate professor of psychology. His research examines attitudes and persuasion, including exploring metacognitive and interpersonal factors related to attitudes and attitude change. A prolific scholar, DeMarree’s work has appeared in top journals in his field and has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, and the Templeton World Charity Foundation. He has served as an associate editor or on the editorial board of four journals. In 2024, DeMarree was named a fellow of the Association for Psychological Science. He is also a fellow of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Midwestern Psychological Association, Psychonomic Society, and Society of Experimental Social Psychology. 

Department of Psychology

Professor of Psychology Micheal Dent, PhD, is an expert in the perception of auditory stimuli in birds and mice. Her studies explore how animals detect and extract information from complex auditory environments, which has important implications for understanding human hearing and hearing disorders including tinnitus and hearing loss. Her research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, Hearing Health Foundation, and Deafness Research Foundation. She currently serves as associate editor of Acoustics Today and coordinating editor of the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. In 2024, Dent was named a fellow of the Association for Psychological Science. She is also a fellow of the Acoustical Society of America and an elected member of the society’s Executive Council. 

Department of Psychology

Peter Pfordresher, PhD, is a professor of psychology and associate dean for academic affairs in the College of Arts and Sciences. A fellow of the Association for Psychological Science and president of the Society for Music Perception and Cognition, Pfordresher is a renowned expert in musical cognition and on the relationship between music and language. His research focuses on the way people retrieve complex event sequences in real time, whether in the course of perceiving or producing these sequences. He has published three books and over 70 journal articles since joining UB in 2006.  His work has been funded by the National Science Foundation, Fulbright Canada, the Grammy Museum Foundation and the European Research Council, among others. 

Department of Psychology

John Roberts, PhD, is an associate professor of psychology and the associate director of clinical training in the Department of Psychology. A researcher in the psychosocial aspects of mood disorders, Roberts’ work explores the etiology, maintenance and recovery from  depressive conditions, as well as how depression can impact people’s lives. His most recent work examines the impact of the physical environment including green space, air pollutants and ambient temperature on mental health. A prolific author, Roberts has published over 80 peer-reviewed articles and delivered more than 140 presentations at scientific meetings. He has served as an associate editor or on the editorial board of five journals. In 2024, Roberts was named a fellow of the Association for Psychological Science.