Psychology professor embodies interdisciplinary approach

Drew Abney, associate professor in the department of psychology, has blended his interests in statistics and engineering to forge a multifaceted psychology research career. Our colleagues in UGA Research Communications share the story of how Abney's journey informs his scholarship:

While working on his master’s in education, Abney took a statistics class that, surprisingly, made his passing interest in psychology seem like a possible career option. It was the first time in his life he felt he excelled at math. He saw how statistics correlated with the research he was reading about, such as quantifying the probability of behavior changes, and began to consider a different path.

“My mom was sort of right, although she thought I was going to be a clinical psychologist. Still, she likes to remind me she always knew I’d do this,” Abney said.

Abney earned a master’s in experimental psychology and a Ph.D. in cognitive and information sciences, studying at the intersection of experimental psychology and computer science. His current psychology research is the culmination of these past skills.

Beginning with his dissertation, Abney has focused on modeling and quantifying human interaction. The interactions between infants and their caregivers led him to developmental psychology, for which he received a James S. McDonnell Foundationgrant to study sensory-motor development during infant sleep.

“Every parent worries about sleep and how their child sleeps, and the developmental trajectories of sleep have always been a fascinating area of research that I wanted to get into,” he said.

As luck would have it, a perfect pilot subject came into Abney’s life around that time: his own daughter.

“Before she was born, I was an expert in developmental psychology, but I wasn’t an expert in parenting,” he said. “It was exciting to watch the different developmental milestones play out before my eyes, not just as a psychologist but as a father.”

Read the entire story on one of the most innovative thinkers on the UGA faculty.

Image: Photo of Franklin College of Arts & Sciences Department of Psychology Associate Professor Drew Abney by Dorothy Kozlowski.