BA (Brock University)
MA (Wilfrid Laurier)
PhD (University of Waterloo)
Research Interests
I am a social psychologist by training and my research in this area focuses on the dispositional and motivational factors that shape relationship development and well-being. More specifically, I study the personality predictors of trust, emotional expression, and conflict behaviour in close relationships, and how these factors, in turn, predict relationship outcomes and individual well-being. I am especially interested in understanding how personality and motivational variables interact to predict how people think, feel, and behave in relationships. I am also interested in the initiation of relationships, particularly across group boundaries (e.g., race, religion, etc.)
My other passion lies in undergraduate teaching and support, and I study the approaches to university teaching that promote effective learning and well-being in the classroom. My current research in this area examines the importance of belonging for learning, friendship development, and mental health, and the teaching practices that impact perceptions of belonging in the classroom. I am also interested in examining the relationship between classroom- and university-level belonging, the use of active learning strategies, and effective methods of assessment.
Teaching Interests
I am cross appointed to the Psychology Department and Arts First program. In the latter, I teach first year seminars for Arts students that emphasize writing and research skills.
Overall, I have taught a variety of courses in Psychology and related disciplines, including: Introductory Psychology (Psych 101); Social Psychology (Psych 253); Statistics (SDS 250R); Personality Psychology (Psych 356); Motivation and Emotion (Special Topics); Myths of Sex and Love (Arts 140); The Science of Happiness (Arts 140); and Race and Gender Equality (SDS 449R). In Winter of 2023 I will be teaching Interpersonal Relations (Psych 354) in the Psychology department.
Selected Publications
McCarthy, M. H., Wood, J. V., & Holmes, J. G. (2017). Dispositional pathways to trust: Self-esteem and agreeableness interact to predict trust and negative emotional disclosure. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 113, 95-116.
Kammrath, L. K., McCarthy, M. H., Cortes, K., & Friesen, C. (2015). Picking one’s battle: How assertiveness and unassertiveness abilities are associated with extraversion and agreeableness. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 6, 622-629.