Christopher Lee Niebauer, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Psychology

Psychology Department

Slippery Rock University

Slippery Rock, PA 16057

Education

Ph.D. Cognitive Neuropsychology, University of Toledo, 1996

M.A. Cognitive Neuropsychology, University of Toledo, 1994

B.A. Psychology, Kent State University, 1990

Research Interests

Cognitive Neuropsychology

Laterality and Handedness

How do the human cerebral hemispheres differ?

Does degree of handedness reflect the degree of interhemispheric communication?

Do mixed handed individuals have superior interhemispheric communication compared

to strongly handed individuals?

Experimental Phenomenology, Consciousness and Metacognition

My research focuses on how the left and right sides of the brain are related to consciousness, metacognition and our sense of self. I am interesting in how the brain constructs a system of beliefs and how we monitor and modify these beliefs. The efficiency of these processes is a subject variable, i.e., the extent to which we monitor and modify our sense of self and beliefs is a variable. My contribution has been to suggest that individual differences in handedness are related to the likelihood that one will update their beliefs and sense of self. My work has tested the idea that ambidextrous individuals (i.e., mixed handers) are more likely to update their beliefs and that there are both advantages and disadvantages to this. This is a new way to look at handedness and has generated several research projects ranging in scope from sensory illusions to homophobia. My future plans center around several experimental tests of this idea.

Spatial Cognition

 How does the brain represent the space around us?

 Academic Publications (and current work)

Click here for my most significant work

Niebauer, C. L. Handedness and Updating Beliefs: Mixed handers are Hypochondriacal but not Homophobic. Manuscript submitted for publication. Click here for abstract

Niebauer, C.L. (in press). Handedness and the Fringe of Consciousness: Mixed-Handers Self-Reflect while Strong-handers Ruminate. Consciousness and Cognition. Click here for abstract

Niebauer, C.L., Christman, S.D., Reid, S.A. & Garvey, K., (in press). Hemispheric interaction and beliefs on our origin: Degree of handedness predicts beliefs in creationism versus the theory of evolution. Laterality.  Click here for Abstract

Niebauer, C.L., & Garvey, K., (2004). Godel, Escher and Degree of Handedness: Differences in Interhemispheric Interaction Predict Differences in Understanding Self-Reference. Laterality, 9 (1) 19-34. Click here for abstract

Niebauer, C.L., Aselage, J. & Schutte, C. (2002) Interhemispheric interaction and consciousness: Degree of handedness predicts the intensity of a sensory illusion. Laterality, 7 (1) 85-96.  Click here for Abstract

Niebauer, C.L. (2001). A possible connection between categorical and coordinate spatial relation representations. Brain and Cognition, 47 (3) 434-445.   Click here for Abstract

Niebauer, C.L. & Christman, S.D. (1999). Visual field differences in spatial frequency discrimination. Brain and Cognition, 41 (3) 381-389.

Niebauer, C.L. & Christman, S.D. (1998). Upper and lower visual field differences in categorical and coordinate judgments. Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, 5 (1), 147-151.

Christman, S.D., Kitterle, F.L. and Niebauer, C.L. (1997). Hemispheric asymmetries in the identification of band-pass filtered letters. Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, 4 (2), 277-284.

Christman, S.D., Kitterle, F.L. and Niebauer, C.L. (1997). Questions of criteria: Reply to Peterzell. Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, 4, 288-289.

Christman, S.D. & Niebauer, C.L. (1997). The relation between upper-lower and left-right visual field asymmetries. In S. Christman (Ed.), Cerebral Asymmetries In Sensory and Perceptual Processing. New York: North-Holland.

Personality Differences and Handedness

I have several projects I'm currently working on. Many of these revolve around a central theme. What are the consequences of variations in interhemispheric interaction for belief systems, personality and consciousness? Below is a table of epistemological differences in handedness. I believe that many of the differences below are the outcome of variations in consciousness. Specifically, I believe that individuals vary in what William James called "the fringe of consciousnes" such that mixed handed individuals experience the fringe to a greater degree than strong handers. It is this variation in consciousness that may be responsible for the findings summarized below.

Strong-Handed

(Assumed to reflect less interhemispheric interaction)

Relatively higher threshold for updating beliefs

Creationist

Less self-reflective, more likely to ruminate

Less sensitive to sensory illusions

Less likely to understand self-reference

Less likely to appreciate M.C. Escher

Greater need for consistency but less tolerance for ambiguity

Lower on Magical Ideation Scale

More Homophobic but less Hypochondriacal

Mixed-Handed

(Assumed to reflect greater interhemispheric interaction)

Relatively lower threshold for updating beliefs

Evolutionist

More self-reflective, less likely to ruminate

More sensitive to sensory illusions

More likely to understand self-reference

More likely to appreciate M.C. Escher

Less need for consistency but greater tolerance for ambiguity

Higher on Magical Ideation Scale

Less Homophobic but more Hypochondriacal

Posters and Presentations

Niebauer, C.L. Interhemispheric interaction and metacognition: Mixed-handers self-reflect

While strong-handers ruminate. Talk given at the Toward a Science of Consciousness Conference, Tucson, AZ (April, 2004).

Christman, S, Altiere, M., Geers, A. & Niebauer, C.  Individual differences in persuasion: Handedness and interhemispheric interaction. Presented at the 2004 Annual Meeting of the Midwestern Psychological Association.

Garvey, K. & Niebauer, C.L.  (2003). Cerebral Laterality and Ontological Sophistication: Strength of Handedness Predicts Cognitive Complexity. Presented at the conference for the American Psychological Society. May 29-June 1.

Niebauer, C.L., & Garvey, K. (2003) Degree of Handedness Predicts the Appreciation of Escher. Poster presented at the Eastern Psychology Association Conference. Baltimore, MD, March 13-16

Niebauer, C.L., Christman, S.D., & Reid, S.A. (2002). Degree of handedness predicts beliefs in creationism versus evolution. Presented at Toward a Science of Consciousness, Tucson.

Niebauer, C., Aselage, J. & Schutte, C. (2001). Handedness predicts the degree of a sensory illusion. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the International Neuropsychological Society, Chicago.

Scott A. Reid and Chris L. Niebauer (2001). Life-World Archetypes and Epiphanic Experiences: Towards An Interpretive Ethnograhy. To be presented at the Annual Meeting of the Pacific Sociological Association, San Francisco, California. March.

Niebauer, C.L., & Christman, S.D. (1996). Upper and lower visual field differences in categorical and coordinate judgments. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the International Neuropsychological Society, Chicago.

Christman, S.D., & Niebauer, C.L. (1996). Disruption of categorical relations impairs encoding of coordinate relations in faces. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Psychonomic Society, Chicago.

Teaching History

Assistant Professor, Slippery Rock University
Slippery Rock, PA. 2000-present

 Visiting Assistant Professor, The University of Toledo
Toledo, OH. 1999-2000

Assistant Professor, Concordia College
Ann Arbor, MI. 1998-1999

Assistant Professor, Saginaw Valley State University
University Center, MI. 1997-1998

Courses Taught

Experimental Psychology

Cognitive Psychology

Neuropsychology

Research Methods in Social Psychology

Sensation and Perception

Zen and the Brain

Memberships

Association for the scientific study of consciousness (ASSC)

American Psychological Society (APS) 

Book summaries and other stuff

Jaynes (1976) The origin of consciousness in the breakdown of the bicameral mind 

Poem on the brain and Self

The inhabitants of a most populace land,

Found the task of decision making desperately at hand

Simple coordination seemed implausible

With so many parts, a single thing was impossible

Then, by trial and error

A fictitious King appeared from out of nowhere

A ruler with the hearts of the court

Moved forth with ease to both walk and purport

And in the joy of harmonic rule

The stories of the King grew and grew

Till the myth itself began to question and worry

What will happen in the end?

Forgetting all along, the King was nothing but a useful story