- Assistant Professor
- Department of Psychology; Behavioral Science
- Phone: 401.874.4560
- Email: mollie.ruben@uri.edu
- Office Location: Chafee 418
- Website
- Accepting Students: Not at this time
Biography
My research interests involve social perception and the contribution of nonverbal behaviors to both how we perceive others and how we behave as the ones being perceived. I have two complementary lines of research, one in basic social psychological research examining social perception or the ability to accurately perceive another person’s states (e.g., physical pain, emotions/affect), traits (e.g., personality), and characteristics (hireability, sexual orientation) and a second line of research in health services and health psychology applying social psychological methods to the analysis of doctor-patient communication and health disparities especially among LGBTQ patients and veterans.
Education
- 2014-2016 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Center for Healthcare Organization and Implementation Research (CHOIR), US Department of Veterans Affairs, Jamaica Plain & Bedford, MA
- 2014 Ph.D. Northeastern University, Boston, MA; Psychology
- 2011 M.A. Northeastern University, Boston, MA; Psychology
- 2009 B.A. Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster, PA; Magna Cum Laude, Psychology and American Studies
Selected Publications
Stosic, M. D., Helwig, S. & Ruben, M. A. (2022). More than meets the eyes: Bringing attention to the eyes increases first impressions of warmth and competence. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.
Berke, D. S., Ruben, M. A., Liautaud, M. M., Meterko, M., Kauth, M. R., & Shipherd, J. S. (2022). Discrimination exposure based on race, gender, and sexual orientation of Veterans Affairs Health Administration patients. Journal of Healthcare for the Poor and Underserved, 33, 714-725.
Stosic, M. D., Blanch-Hartigan, D., Aleksanyan, T., Duenas, J., & Ruben, M. A. (2021). Empathy, friend or foe?: Untangling the relationship between empathy and burnout in helping professions. Journal of Social Psychology.
Ruben, M. A., Blanch-Hartigan, D., Laquidara, J. R., Meyer, E. C., Hall, J. A., Waisel, D., & Blum, R. (2021). How responsive are anesthesiologists to patient pain? Residents’ verbal and nonverbal responses to standardized patient pain cues. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 46(2), 137-154.
Ruben, M. A., Kauth, M. R., Meterko, M., Norton, A. M., Matza, A. R., & Shipherd, J. C. (2021). Veterans’ reported comfort in disclosing sexual orientation and gender identity. Medical Care.
Ruben, M. A., Stosic, M. D., Correale, J., & Blanch-Hartigan, D. (2021). Is technology enhancing or hindering nonverbal communication skills?: A framework and preliminary results to examine the relationship between technology use and nonverbal decoding skill. Frontiers in Psychology.