I received my Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from the University of South Florida. My major domains of expertise are psychometrics, quasi-experimental design and the use of multivariate statistical methods, such as exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis and path analysis. I am also an expert in the development, validation, and application of psychological measures.

My program of research has focused primarily on the nature, dimensionality and assessment of individual differences in different aspects of trait-curiosity — especially epistemic curiosity, which is critical to self-directed learning and intellectual growth (For listing of publications click here and for access to specific scales, click here).

My study of curiosity is quite interdisciplinary in nature, and considers the roles played by personality, memory, brain activity and affective experience in the activation and satiation of curiosity (detailed in Litman, 2005 and in Litman, 2019). Using these approaches, my research has examined relationships between levels of trait-curiosity, the activation of emotional-motivational curiosity states, setting learning-goals, and attaining varying levels of achievement in academic and workplace settings.

Several of my psychometric instruments have been translated and validated in other languages, and the examination of curiosity across cultures is of very great interest of me as well (for more details, click here).

I am pleased to note that my research on curiosity (and related topics) has received considerable attention by my peers, according to citation and impact metrics reported by both  Scopus  (h = 23) and Publons/Web of Science  (h = 21).

Based on normative data reported in the APS Observer, my impact metrics are at (approximately) the 95th percentile for university-affiliated psychological scientists at my career stage, suggesting my research is making a strong impact in the field.

My work has also attracted the attention of popular media outlets such as Psychology Today and Livescience (to see a listing of media publications, click here).

Presently, I hold the rank of Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Maine at Machias, as part-time faculty. I am also a Visiting Research Scientist and active research consultant at the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition, where I am working on developing new methods of investigating the interface between state and trait epistemic curiosity, critical thinking, and reasoning. I am also a Research Fellow of the Center for Curiosity. Very recently, I was appointed as a Guest Professor of Psychology at the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, where I look forward to working with faculty and graduate students on several new curiosity projects over the coming years. Additionally, I regularly teach a variety of psychology courses as an adjunct faculty member of several universities (for a full listing of courses I have taught, see my CV, linked at the right).

For additional information, please feel free to check out my profiles on Google Scholar and Research Gate.

If you are interested in collaborating with me on new projects, please click here.