Morgan Shumaker | Memory | Best Researcher Award

Morgan Shumaker, Texas Christian University, United States

Morgan D. Shumaker 🎓 is a dedicated Ph.D. student in Experimental Psychology at Texas Christian University 📍, under the mentorship of Dr. Sarah K. Tauber. His research passion spans memory 🧠, metacognition 🧩, and self-regulated learning 📘. Morgan’s academic journey includes an M.A. in Experimental Psychology from Radford University and a B.A. in Psychology from Shippensburg University, with a minor in Biology 🔬. Beyond research, he has extensive teaching experience and has mentored students through various labs and scholarly projects 👨‍🏫. He is committed to advancing cognitive psychology, especially in areas involving feedback, learning, and aging 🌟.

Professional profile :

Orcid

Scopus

Suitability for Best Researcher Award :

Morgan D. Shumaker is a promising emerging scholar in the field of Experimental Psychology, particularly within cognitive psychology. While he is still in the early stages of his academic career as a Ph.D. student, his dedicated research focus, strong academic foundation, and active engagement in teaching and mentorship make him a strong candidate for early-career or student-focused research awards—such as a Young Researcher Award or Graduate Research Excellence Award. However, for a “Best Researcher Award”, which typically recognizes sustained, high-impact research contributions over several years or decades, his current profile may not yet fully meet the typical expectations.

Education & Experience :

🎓 Education:

• 📍 Ph.D., Experimental Psychology – Texas Christian University (Expected May 2026)

• 📍 M.A., Experimental Psychology – Radford University (May 2021)

• 📍 B.A., Psychology (Minor: Biology) – Shippensburg University (May 2019)

🧪 Research Experience:

• 🧠 Metacognition, Memory, and Aging Lab, TCU (2022–Present)

• 🔍 Hargis Team Lab, TCU (2021–2022)

• 🧬 Arnold Research in Memory Lab, Radford (2019–2021)

• 🧠 Adams Cognition Lab, Shippensburg (Spring 2019)

• 🐀 Hayes Behavioral Neuroscience Lab, Radford (2020–2021)

• 🧫 Caughron Microbiology Lab, Radford (2019–2021)

📚 Teaching Experience:

• 👨‍🏫 Instructor: Research Methods in Psychology, TCU (Spring 2025)

• 🧪 Teaching Assistant: Experimental Psychology: Cognition Lab, TCU (2022–2024)

• 🧠 Teaching Assistant: Intro to Psychology, TCU (2021–2022)

• 🖥️ Teaching Assistant: Analysis of Psychological Data, Radford (Summer 2019)

Professional Development :

Morgan Shumaker has consistently pursued professional growth through research and academic service 📈. As a Graduate Assistant at Radford University’s Research Compliance Office 🏢, he managed IRB/IACUC operations and ethics training 🌐. His lab roles extended beyond research to mentorship, scheduling, and leading meetings 🧑‍💼. Morgan has delivered guest lectures 🎤, taught lab courses, and helped students master data tools like SPSS, R, and Qualtrics 🧮. Through collaborative publishing 📚 and guiding McNair scholars, Morgan has strengthened his academic network and built skills essential for a career in research and higher education 🌍.

Research Focus Area :

Morgan’s research is deeply embedded in the cognitive and educational psychology domains 🧠. He explores metacognition 🧩, self-regulated learning 📘, memory performance, and how feedback and testing affect cognitive outcomes 🧪. His interests also extend into value-directed remembering 💡, aging and cognition 👴, and digital cognitive tools like offloading 🖥️. Morgan investigates how learners judge their own knowledge and how those judgments impact inductive learning and memory retention 🔍. His work bridges theory and application, particularly within STEM education and aging populations, making meaningful contributions to understanding and enhancing lifelong learning and memory processes 📖.

Awards and Honors :

• 📝 Co-author of peer-reviewed publication in Behavioral Sciences (2025)

• 📝 Co-author of peer-reviewed publication in Journal of Applied Gerontology (2025)

• 👨‍🏫 Selected Instructor of Record for Research Methods in Psychology, TCU

• 🎓 McNair Scholar mentorship experience

• 💻 Led multiple research teams and mentored students applying to graduate programs

Publication Top Notes : 

1. Title: Point Values on Scoring Rubrics Influence Self-Regulated Learning for STEM Material
   Citation:
   Shumaker, M. D., Rivers, M. L., & Tauber, S. (2025). Point Values on Scoring Rubrics Influence Self-Regulated Learning for STEM Material. Behavioral Sciences, 15(4), 532. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15040532

2. Title: Negative Framing of COVID-19 Information Affects Older Adults’ Memory Function
   Citation:
   Pham, J., Shumaker, M. D., & Bowen, H. (2025). Negative Framing of COVID-19 Information Affects Older Adults’ Memory Function. Journal of Applied Gerontology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/07334648251317758

Conclusion :

While Morgan D. Shumaker may not yet meet the traditional profile of a Best Researcher Award recipient, his academic trajectory, research passion, and educational contributions strongly position him for recognition as an emerging talent in experimental and cognitive psychology. Consideration for student-level or early-career research awards would be more fitting at this stage, with clear potential for future candidacy for top-tier honors as his scholarly impact grows.