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Almaz Mesghina

Assistant Professor of Instruction

Research Interests

My research interests lie at the intersection of cognitive, social, and educational psychology. Broadly, I am interested in understanding the cognitive mechanisms that underlie choking under pressure in the classroom. I explore how phenomena like stress and anxiety disrupt (or promote!) our capacity to engage in deep STEM learning. Accordingly, I also design social, pedagogical, and emotion regulation interventions to offset any detrimental impacts of such negative affective experiences on learning. 

Selected Publications

Mesghina, A., Vollman, E. P., Trezise, K., & Richland, L. E. (2023). Worked examples moderate the effect of math anxiety on children’s math learning and engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Educational Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000795

Wong, J. T., Mesghina, A., Chen, E., Au Yueng, C. Y. N., Lerner, B. S., & Richland, L. E. (2023). Zooming in or zoning out? Examining undergraduate learning experiences with Zoom and the role of mind-wandering.Computers and Education Open, 4, 100118. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeo.2022.100118 

Mesghina, A., Au Yueng, C. Y. N., & Richland, L. E. (2022). Performing up to par? Performance pressure increases undergraduates’ cognitive performance and effort. Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 11(4), 554-568. https://doi.org/10.1037/mac0000023

Lyons, E. M., Mesghina, A., & Richland, L. E. (2022). Complicated gender gaps in mathematics achievement: Elevated stakes during performance as one explanation. Mind, Brain, & Education, 16(1), 36-47. https://doi.org/10.1111/mbe.12312

Mesghina, A., Wong, J. T., Davis, E. L., Lerner, B. S., Jackson-Green, B. T., & Richland, L. E. (2021). Distressed to distracted: Examining undergraduate learning and stress regulation during the COVID-19 pandemic. AERA Open, 7(1), 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1177/23328584211065721

Mesghina, A. & Richland, L. E. (2020). Impacts of expressive writing on children’s anxiety and math learning: Developmental and gender variability. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 63.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2020.101926 

Russo-Johnson, C., Troseth, G., Duncan, C., & Mesghina, A. (2017). All tapped out: Touchscreen interactivity and young children’s word learning. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 578. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00578