A&M-Texarkana to Host Hendrix Professor for Lecture on Technology and Social Relationships

Texas A&M University-Texarkana will welcome Hendrix College psychology professor Dr. Lindsay Kennedy to campus Monday, Nov. 20, for a presentation titled “Can You Carry Social Support in Your Back Pocket? The Relationship Between Cell Phones and Pain Experiences” at 12 p.m. in University Center 217 on the A&M-Texarkana campus, 7101 University Ave., Texarkana, Texas.

Sponsored by the A&M-Texarkana Psychology Club, the College of Arts, Sciences and Education, and the Program for Learning and Community Engagement, the free event is open to the public.

In her presentation, Dr. Kennedy will focus on answering the question: “Cell phones are increasingly central to our social relationships, but can they help us with social pain?”

“The simple presence of our cell phones may be a source of social support,” said Dr. Kennedy. “This talk will present recent data showing that the mere presence (vs. absence) of our cell phones can help us with the pain caused by social exclusion.”

Dr. Kennedy is the Nancy and Craig Wood Odyssey Associate Professor of Psychology at Hendrix College. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of North Carolina and her research interests include general and health-related judgment and decision making; behavioral economics; and the interplay between emotions and cognitions, especially in the decision-making process.

PLACE is a faculty-led program designed to create a community of learners comprising A&M-Texarkana students, faculty, staff and the community at large. PLACE chooses an annual theme around which to organize a lecture series and other activities that provide focal points for learning and discussion. This year’s theme is “Science and Technology.”

For more information, contact Dr. Corrine Hinton, PLACE chair, at Corrine.Hinton@tamut.edu and visit the PLACE website at tamut.edu/PLACE.