Barbara Hofer
Professor Emerita of Psychology
![Barbara Hofer](/college/sites/default/files/styles/432x576/public/2023-02/Webpage%20Hofer%20headshot%20Sept%202021%20copy.jpg?fv=JFUrIyAE&itok=0kTqft0x)
- bhofer@middlebury.edu
Barbara Hofer is Professor of Psychology Emerita, and is an educational, developmental, and cultural psychologist. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Michigan from the Combined Program in Education and Psychology, with a certificate in Culture and Cognition; an Ed.M. in Human Development from the Harvard Graduate School of Education; and a B.A. in American Studies from the University of South Florida. Professor Hofer is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, and the recipient of the Review of Research Award from the American Educational Research Association (with Paul Pintrich) and the McKeachie Early Career Teaching Award from the American Psychological Association.
Her research interests focus on learning and psychosocial development, particularly in adolescence and the college years, and on the psychological aspects of the public understanding of science. This work includes: 1) the development of epistemic cognition (beliefs about knowledge and knowing), research funded by the National Science Foundation; 2) the development of self-regulation and autonomy during the college years, and how this is related to contact with parents through emerging technology; and 3) psychological explanations for science denial, doubt, and resistance. She has also worked on cross-national studies of achievement and the interrelationship of mind and culture and spent two sabbaticals as a faculty fellow at Doshisha University in Kyoto and two as a visiting faculty fellow at DIS Abroad in Copenhagen. Her research has been done in collaboration with undergraduates, who have also been involved in presenting results at conferences and co-authoring papers.
Courses Taught
FYSE 1072
Cultural Psych of Happiness
Course Description
The Cultural Psychology of Happiness
Why are Danish citizens among the happiest people in the world? What is happiness, and what are the conditions for human flourishing? How are psychology and culture related? In this first-year seminar we will explore research from both cultural and positive psychology in a Danish context. We will read and discuss psychological perspectives on the topic, conduct interviews, take field trips, connect ideas and research to our own lives, and write and present what we are learning. The goal of this course is to develop a broader understanding of the role of culture in psychological processes and how societies can support or restrain human satisfaction, as well as to address implications for ourselves and for a global, multicultural society. (This seminar is only open to first year students in Copenhagen./)
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 1076
Cult. Psych of Happiness, Pt.2
Course Description
The Cultural Psychology of Happiness: Re-Entry and Application
This course is an extension of the Copenhagen global education program and the first-year seminar on The Cultural Psychology of Happiness. We will examine and apply psychological concepts of cultural re-entry as students return to their home environments, and we will discuss comparative aspects of well-being and happiness within diverse cultural contexts. We will add topics from positive psychology not covered in the fall course that are pertinent to planning for life at Middlebury, and concepts related to enhanced learning, such as growth mindset. Students will work independently and in small groups to design applications and conduct research projects. Assignments will include oral presentations, one short paper, and a longer research paper. The course will be offered on Zoom only. (Open only to those students enrolled in the Middlebury-Copenhagen First-Year Program.)
Terms Taught
Requirements
PSYC 0350
Upcoming
Directed Research
Course Description
Directed Research in Psychology
Directed research provides opportunities for advanced students to become familiar with and participate in ongoing research projects under the direction of a faculty member. The student will first read background literature on the content area to be investigated and experimental methodologies to be used. Procedures involved in conducting psychological research will then be learned through firsthand experience. Potential activities include the design of research and the defining of conceptual variables and the gathering, analyzing, and interpretation of data. Finally, students will learn how to write technical articles in psychology by preparing a paper describing the project, using APA style. (Approval required; not open to first-year students) 3 hrs. lect.
Terms Taught
PSYC 0500
Upcoming
Advanced Research
Course Description
Advanced Research
A program of research arranged to meet the needs of advanced students majoring in psychology. (Approval required)
Terms Taught
PSYC 0700
Upcoming
Senior Research
Course Description
Senior Research
A program of research arranged to meet the needs of advanced senior majors in psychology. (PSYC 0201 and PSYC 0202; Approval required)
Terms Taught
PSYC 0701
Upcoming
Senior Thesis Proposal
Course Description
Senior Thesis Proposal
Students hoping to be considered as candidates for departmental honors must enroll in PSYC 0701 under the sponsorship of a department faculty member. Their semester’s work will culminate in the submission of a formal, written research proposal by the due date as specified by the department. If the proposal is approved, the student will enroll in PSYC 0702 during the winter term and PSYC 0703 during the spring term of their senior year. (Feb graduates should consult with their advisors about the appropriate semester in which to begin a thesis.) (PSYC 0201 and PSYC 0202; Approval required)
Terms Taught
PSYC 0702
Upcoming
Senior Thesis Second Semester
Course Description
Senior Thesis Second Semester
Students whose honors thesis proposal (PSYC 0701) has been approved will collect, analyze, and interpret their data. This is the second semester of the 3-semester senior thesis. (PSYC 0201, PSYC 0202, and PSYC 0701; Approval required)
Terms Taught
PSYC 0703
Upcoming
Senior Thesis
Course Description
Senior Thesis*
This is the third and final semester of the senior thesis. Students will finish analyzing and interpreting their data. This process culminates in a written thesis to be submitted by the due date as specified by the department, a presentation, and an oral defense. The decision about awarding departmental honors will be made after the student submits the thesis. (PSYC 0201, PSYC 0202, and PSYC 0702; Approval required)
Terms Taught
Publications
Books:
Sinatra, G. M. Sinatra, & Hofer, B. K. (2021) Science denial: Why it happens and what to do about it. New York: Oxford University Press.
Hofer, B. K & Moore, A. S. (2010). The iConnected Parent: Staying close to your kids in college (and beyond) while letting them grow up. New York: Free Press.
Hofer, B. & Pintrich, P. (2002). Personal epistemology: The psychology of beliefs about knowledge and knowing. Mahwah, NJ:Erlbaum.
Recent publications:
Hofer, B. K., & Sinatra, G. M. (2022). How to prevent science denial: Tips for biology teachers. American Biology Teacher, 84(9), 523-524.
Hofer, B. K. (2022). Teaching educational psychology: Putting research and theory into practice. In Routledge encyclopedia of education. New York: Routledge.
Hofer, B. K., & Sinatra, G. M. (2021). So your student believes the earth is flat? Ten ways for teachers to address science denial. Harvard Ed
Hofer, B. K. (2020). Epistemic cognition: Why it matters for an educated citizenry and what instructors can do. In K. C. Culver & T. L. Trolian (Eds.). Effective instruction in college classrooms: Research-based approaches to college and university teaching. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 164, 85-94.
Hofer, B. K. (2018). Identifying the role of epistemic cognition and metacognition in conceptual change. In T. G. Amin & O. Levrini (Eds.), Converging perspectives on conceptual change: Mapping an emerging paradigm in the learning sciences (226-236). New York: Routledge.
Hofer, B. K. (2017). Shaping the epistemology of teacher practice through reflection and reflexivity. Educational Psychologist, 52(4), 299-306.
Sinatra, G. M., & Hofer, B. K. (2017). Public understanding of science: Policy and educational implications. Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 3(2), 245-253.
Hofer, B. K., Thebodo, S. W., *Meredith, K., *Kaslow, Z., & *Saunders, A. (2016). The long arm of the digital tether: Communication with home during study abroad. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, Vol. XXVIII, 22-41.
Sinatra, G. M., & Hofer, B. K. (2016). Public understanding of science: Policy and educational implications. Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 3(2), 245-253.
Hofer, B. K. (2016). Epistemic cognition as a psychological construct: Advancements and challenges. In J.A. Greene, W. A. Sandoval, & I. Bråten, Eds., Handbook of epistemic cognition, pp. 19-35. New York: Taylor and Francis.
Sinatra, G. M., Kienhues, D., & Hofer, B. K. (2014). Addressing challenges to public understanding of science: Epistemic cognition, motivated reasoning, and conceptual change. Educational Psychologist, 49(2), 123-138.
Hofer, B. K. (2013). Motivation in the college classroom. In W. J. McKeachie and M. Svinicki (Eds.), McKeachie’s Teaching Tips.
Hofer, B. K. (2013). Emerging adulthood as a psychological passage. In K. Gridley (Ed.), Passing through: Portraits of emerging adults. Exhibit catalog.
Hofer, B. K., & Bendixen, L. D. (2012), Personal epistemology: Theory, research, and future directions. In K. Harris, (Ed.), Handbook of educational psychology, pp. 225-254. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Hofer, B. K. (2011). Student-parent communication in the college years: Can students grow up on an electronic tether? The Bulletin of the Association of College Unions International, 79(2), pp. 36-41.
Hofer, B. K., *Lam, C., & *DeLisi, A. (2011). Understanding evolutionary theory: The role of epistemological development and beliefs. In R. Taylor and M. Ferrari (Eds.), Epistemology and science education: Understanding the evolution vs. intelligent design controversy. New York: Routledge.
Hofer, B. K. (2010). Personal epistemology, learning, and cultural context: Japan and the U.S. In M. Baxter Magolda, E. G. Creamer, and P. S. Meszaros (Eds.) Refining understanding of the development and assessment of self-authorship. Stylus.
Hofer, B. K. (2010). Personal epistemology in Asia: Burgeoning research and future directions. Asia Pacific Education Researcher, 19(1), 175-184.
*Wildenger, L. K., Hofer, B. K., *Burr, J. E. (2010). Epistemological development in very young knowers. In L. Bendixen and F. Haerle (Eds.), Personal epistemology in the classroom: Theory, research, and implications for practice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Hofer, B. K., & Sinatra, G. M. (2010). Epistemology, metacognition, and self-regulation: Musings on an emerging field. Metacognition and Learning. 5(1), p. 113- 120.
Hofer, B. (2010). Motivation in the college classroom. In W J. McKeachie and M. Svinicki, (Eds.) McKeachie’s teaching tips: Strategies, research, and theory for college and university teachers. New York: Houghton Mifflin.
Hofer, B. K., *Souder, C., *Kennedy, E., *Fullman, F. E., & *Hurd, K. (2009). The electronic tether: Communication and parental monitoring during the college years. In M. K. Nelson and A. I. Garey, (Eds.). Who’s watching? Practices of surveillance in contemporary families. Nashville: Vanderbilt University Press.
Hofer, B. K. (2008). Epistemological development. In E. Anderman (Ed.), Psychology of classroom learning: An encyclopedia. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA.
Hofer, B. K. (2008). The electronic tether: Parental regulation, self-regulation, and the role of technology in college transitions. Journal of the First-year Experience & Students In Transition, 20(2), 9-24.
Hofer, B. (2008). Personal epistemology and culture. In M. S. Khine (Ed.), Knowing, knowledge and beliefs: Epistemological studies across diverse cultures. Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer.
Media Coverage (sample)
For media coverage, reviews, and podcasts regarding Science Denial (Sinatra & Hofer, 2021), see https://www.sciencedenialbook.com
Sample coverage for The iConnected Parent (Hofer & Moore, 2010):
CBS Early Show, August 10, 2010:http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6759758n&tag=cbsnewsVideoArea.0
USA Today, August 18, 2010
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2010-08-18-collegebooks18_ST_N.htm
Chicago Tribune, August 5, 2010
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-08-05/news/ct-met-teen-connected…
Inside Higher Ed, Sept. 10, 2010
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/09/10/hofer
NYTimes “Room for Debate”
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2010/10/11/have-college-freshmen-ch…
Vermont Edition:
http://www.vpr.net/news_detail/78361/
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/14/fashion/thursdaystyles/14nest.html?_r=1
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/15/AR2006121501882.html?referrer=emailarticlepg
Boston Globe
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2005/08/20/case_of_the_hovering_parents/
Revista Veja (Brazil’s “Newsweek”)
http://veja.abril.com.br/150409/p_090.shtml <http://veja.abril.com.br/150409/p_090.shtml>