Loel Tronsky

Assistant Professor in Residence

Psychological Sciences

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Education

Ph.D., 2001, University of Massachusetts at Amherst
B.A., 1990, Dartmouth College

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Research Interests

• Mathematical cognition
• Positive psychology

I am a cognitive psychologist by training, and much of my research has focused on the application of cognitive theory to understanding educational topics. More specifically, I have been engaged in research to better our understanding of the involvement of working memory in arithmetic processing and how arithmetic problem/answer associations are organized and stored in long-term memory. Currently I am developing a new research program to examine how positive psychology activities/interventions impact memory and well-being with an emphasis on the impact that awe, gratitude, and prosociality can have.

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Teaching

General Psychology I (PSYC 1100)
Principles of Research in Psychology (PSYC 2100WQ)
Learning (PSYC 2500)
Cognitive Psychology (PSYC 2501)
Positive Psychology (PSYC 3884)

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Representative Publications

Tronsky, L. N. (2016). The obligatory activation of practiced complex multiplication facts and what it tells us about models of arithmetic processing. Journal of Numerical Cognition, 2, 140-165. https://doi.org/10.5964/jnc.v2i2.22

Salzano, A., Lindeman, E., & Tronsky, L. N. (2013). The effectiveness of a collaborative art-making task on reducing stress in hospice caregivers. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 40, 45-52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aip.2012.09.008

Wenk, L., & Tronsky, L. N. (2011). First-year students benefit from reading primary research articles. Journal of College Science Teaching, 40, 70-77. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/256485439_First_year_students_benefit_from_reading_primary_research_articles

Tronsky, L. N., McManus, M., & Anderson, E. C. (2008). Strategy use in mental subtraction determines central executive involvement. American Journal of Psychology, 121, 189-207. https://doi.org/10.2307/20445456

Tronsky, L. N. (2005). Complex multiplication: Strategy use, the development of automaticity with practice, and working memory involvement. Memory & Cognition 33, 927-940. https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03193086