Overview
Dr. Bridgette Hard is a Professor of the Practice in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at Duke University as well as the Director of Undergraduate Studies for Psychology. Her first professional passion is teaching. She specializes in curriculum development for introductory psychology, the first (and often only) course that students take within the discipline. She has also devoted herself to helping PhD students and advanced undergraduates to develop their teaching skills and discover creative ways to integrate research and teaching. Dr. Hard also co-organizes two conferences for psychology teachers, the Psychology One Conference and the National Institute on the Teaching of Psychology (NITOP).
Dr. Hard’s second professional passion is exploring the intersection of psychology and pedagogy: She uses data from the classroom to extend psychological theories and uses insights from psychology to inform new classroom practices. Her research is conducted in collaboration with psychologists from diverse institutions around the U.S.
Current Appointments & Affiliations
Recent Publications
Social norms govern what behaviors come to mind-And what do not.
Journal Article Journal of personality and social psychology · June 2023 It is well known that norms influence behavior. Beyond simply shaping what people do, we argue that norms constrain what behaviors even come to mind as options, effectively excluding counternormative behaviors from consideration. We test this hypothesis ac ... Full text CiteUncovering the structure of metaphorical lay theories of teaching II: What do different teaching metaphors imply about students?
Journal Article Metaphor and the Social World · October 20, 2022 Metaphor plays a critical role in how people communicate and conceptualize complex activities like teaching. For example, a professor might be described as molding impressionable students (teacher as a sculptor), or helping students grow (teacher as a gard ... Full text CiteDeveloping Collaborative Thinkers: Rethinking how we Define, Teach, and Assess Class Participation
Journal Article Teaching of Psychology · April 1, 2022 Introduction: Class participation is a common component of many college classes and is typically defined as involving students’ active, oral engagement in class. Statement of the Problem: Class participation is often an under-utilized pedagogical tool for ... Full text CiteRecent Grants
An experimental study of the impact of smartphones on classroom enjoyment, attention, and learning
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Association for Psychological Science · 2020 - 2022Causal impact of smartphones on attention, enjoyment, and learning in the classroom
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Society for Personality and Social Psychology · 2019 - 2021View All Grants