Professor of Psychology

Year Joined RCNJ: 2009

Contact Information

• Phone: (201) 684-7418
• Email: sishak@ramapo.edu
• Office: G274
• Office Hours: Mon, Thurs 9-10a.m,Wed 11:00-12:00 p.m. in person or via Webex

• Child Development Lab

Education:

• Ph.D., Experimental Psychology, New York University
• M.A., Psychology, New York University
• B.A., Psychology, New York University

Teaching Interest:

• I am interested in teaching both undergraduate and graduate students in general topics (e.g., Introduction to Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Cognition), special topics (e.g., Cognitive Development, Perception and Action, Learning in Infancy), and laboratory courses (e.g., Research Methods in Infancy). I believe students should think critically about the ideas they learn and should be exposed to new concepts. I also want students to understand that psychology is an ever-changing science. We have not yet unlocked the secrets of the mind and there is plenty for interested students to discover.

Courses Taught:

• Introduction to Psychology
• First Year Seminar: Problem Solving
• Child Psychology
• Cognitive Psychology
• Neuropsychology
• Research Methods
• Data Analysis
• Capstone Seminar: Cognitive Development

Research Interest:

• My research is inspired by James & Eleanor Gibson’s Ecological Approach to Perception & Action. I am interested in understanding how children learn about possibilities for action. Using psychophysical methods I examine prospective guidance of actions using both perceptual and social information. My research taps into perceptual-motor, social cognition, and parenting domains. I have worked with infants, children, mothers, fathers, college students, and even monkeys.

Recent Publications:

• Ishak, S.  Assoian, A.B., & Rincon, S. (2019). Experience influences affordance perception for low crawling under barriers with altered body dimensions. Ecological Psychology, 31 332-352.
• Ishak, S. & Haymaker, J. (2018). Examining functional spatial perception
in 10-year-olds
and adults. Perceptual and Motor Skills. 125, 879-893.
• Ishak, S., Bubka, A., & Bonato, F. (2018). Visual occlusion decreases motion sickness in a flight simulator. Perception, 47, 521-530.
• Ishak, S. & Salter, N.P. (2017). Undergraduate psychological writing: A best practices guide and national survey. Teaching of Psychology, 44, 5-17.
• Ishak, S. Franchak, J., & Adolph, K.E. (2014). Perception-action development from infants to adults: perceiving affordances for reaching through openings. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 117, 92-105.
• Bonato, F., Bubka, A., Ishak, S., & **Graveline, V. (2011). The sickening rug: A repeating static pattern that leads to motion sickness-like symptoms. Perception 40, 493-496.
• Adolph, K. E., Joh, A. S., Franchak, J. M., Ishak, S., Gill, S. V. (2008). Flexibility in the development of action. In J. Bargh, P. Gollwitzer, & E. Morsella (Eds.), The Psychology of Action (Vol 2., 399-426). New York: Oxford University Press.
• Adolph, K.E., Tamis-LeMonda, C.S., Ishak, S., Karasik, L.B., & Lobo, S. A. (2008). Locomotor experience and use of social information are posture specific. Developmental Psychology, 44, 1705-1714.
• Ishak, S., Adolph, K. E., & Lin, G. C. (2008). Perceiving affordances for fitting through apertures. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 34, 1501-1514.
• Ishak, S., Tamis-LeMonda, C.S., & Adolph, K.E. (2007). Ensuring safety and providing challenges: Mothers’ and fathers’ expectations and choices. Parenting: Science and Practice, 7, 57-68.
• Tamis-LeMonda, C. S., Adolph, K. E., Lobo, S. A., Karasik, L.B., & Ishak, S. Dimitroupoulou, K.A. (2008). When infants take mothers’ advice: 18-month-olds integrate perceptual and social information to guide motor action. Developmental Psychology, 44 734-746.