Professor - Tenure
Psychology
Academic Credentials
B.S., Kutztown University
Ph.D., University of Connecticut
Biography
Dr. Lopresti-Goodman joined the Marymount community in the fall of 2009.
In addition to teaching undergraduate psychology classes and working with Honors students on campus, she has led four study abroad programs to primate sanctuaries in Kenya and Spain, where students learned how to conduct naturalistic observations of chimpanzees.
Dr. Lopresti-Goodman also actively engages in research. Currently, her work is aimed at understanding the enduring negative impact that confinement, social isolation, and physical abuse have on the psychological well-being of nonhuman animals rescued from laboratories, including chimpanzees, monkeys, and dogs. She also conducts research on alternatives to the use of animals in psychology education. She has presented her research at academic conferences nationally and internationally, including meetings of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, World Congress on Alternatives and Animal Use in the Life Sciences, the International Primatological Society and American Society of Primatologists, and the National Institute on the Teaching of Psychology. She has published in peer-reviewed journals such as Neuroscience Letters, Behavioral Sciences, Journal of Trauma & Dissociation, Psychology and Education, and the Journal of Animal Ethics, and has been featured in media outlets such as the Washington Post, Nature, NPR, and Science.
Other Information
Teaching Area
- General Psychology
- Biological Bases of Behavior
- Abnormal Primate Psychology
- Honors Seminars
Research Interests
- Trans-species Psychology
- Psychology Education
Publications
Publications in Peer-Reviewed Journals
* Denotes collaboration with undergraduate student
Gorski, P., Lopresti-Goodman, S. M. Rising, D. (2019). ‘Nobody’s paying me to cry’: The causes of activist burnout in animal rights activists. Social Movement Studies, 18(3), 364-380. doi: 10.1080/14742837.2018.1561260.
Lopresti-Goodman, S. M., & Goodman, J. R. (2018). Discussions of animal research ethics in introductory psychology textbooks. Journal of Animal Ethics, 8(1), 49-59. doi: 10.5406/janimalethics.8.1.0039
Chandna, A., Niebo, M., Lopresti-Goodman, S. M., & Goodman, J. R. (2015). Single housing of primates in U.S. laboratories: A growing problem with shrinking transparency. Alternatives to Laboratory Animals, 43(3), 30-33.
Lopresti-Goodman, S. M. (2016, February). Animal extremists’ threats to neurologic research continue: Neuroreality II:Opponents to animal research help advance science. Neurology, 86(6), 584-585. doi: https://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000001764
Lopresti-Goodman, S. M., Bezner, J., & Ritter, C.* (2015). Psychological distress in chimpanzees rescued from laboratories. Journal of Trauma and Dissociation, 16(4), 349-366.
doi: 10.1080/15299732.2014.1003673
Lopresti-Goodman, S. M., & Caperton, A.* (2014). Use of a plastinated human brain for psychology education. Psychology and Education: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 51(1-2), 52-57.
Lopresti-Goodman, S. M., Kameka, M.,* & Dube, A.* (2013). Stereotypical behaviors in chimpanzees rescued from the African bushmeat and pet trade. Behavioral Sciences, 3(1), 1-20; doi:10.3390/bs3010001
Lopresti-Goodman, S. M. (2013). Towards plasticity in brain science pedagogy. Psychology and Education: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 49(3-4), 25 – 28.
Lopresti-Goodman, S. M., Rivera, A.* & Dressel, C.* (2012). Practicing safe text: The impact of texting on walking behavior. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 26(4), 644 –648. https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.2846
Publications in Mainstream Press Relating to Research
Lopresti-Goodman, S. M. (2019, May 16). It’s time to retire primate experiments. The Hill.https://thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/444079-its-time-to-retire-primate-experiments
Lopresti-Goodman, S. M. (2017, May 20). Using dogs in VA medical experiments must end. The Morning Call.https://www.mcall.com/opinion/yourview/mc-va-animal-research-labs-lopresti-goodman-yv-0521-20170520-story.html
Lopresti-Goodman, S. M. & Shriver, A. (2017, January 20). Missing from NIH primate research ethics review: The ethics. Hastings Bioethics Forum. https://www.thehastingscenter.org/missing-nih-primate-research-ethics-review-ethics/
Lopresti-Goodman, S. M. (December 10, 2015). Personal growth, chimpanzee welfare, and studying abroad. Blog post written for Marymount University at request of Admissions. https://learn.marymount.edu/blog/personal-growth-chimpanzee-welfare-and-studying-abroad
Lopresti-Goodman, S. M. (2015, April 5). Dubious benefits of animal research. The Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com/articles/dubious-benefits-of-animal-testing-letters-to-the-editor-1430840909
Lopresti-Goodman, S. M. (2015, January 2). “Psychological research ethics,” Top Online Essay in NextGen VOICES:Science, 347(6217), 22-25. DOI: 10.1126/science.347.6217.22 https://www.sciencemag.org/content/347/6217/22/suppl/DC1.
Lopresti-Goodman, S. M., Goodman, J. R., Boudreaux, K.,* Caperton, A.,* Cuevas, R.,* Dube, A.,* Gonzalez, A.,* Lozano, V.,* Olaya, B.,* & Phillips, J.* (2012, September 3). Educational Experience highlights need to protect chimpanzees. Sun Gazette. https://www.sungazette.net/arlington/commentary/educational-experience-highlights-need-to-protect-chimpanzees/article_151cef4e-f44f-11e1-8bbc-001a4bcf887a.html.
Lopresti-Goodman, S. M. (2012, May 29). Stop the experiments on chimpanzees now. The Hill’s Congress Blog,https://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/healthcare/229845-stop-the-experiments-on-chimpanzees-now.
Lopresti-Goodman, S. M. (2011, November 21). Chimps in research. The New York Times, pp. D4. https://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/22/science/chimps-in-research-2-letters.html.
Lopresti-Goodman, S. M. (2009, May 6). Students shouldn’t have to dissect animals. The Hartford Courant. https://articles.courant.com/2009-05-06/news/lopresti-goodman-animal-diss.artwednesday_1_dissect-animals-non-animal-educators.
Peer-Reviewed Presentations at Professional Meetings
* Denotes collaboration with undergraduate student
Lopresti-Goodman, S. M. & Walas, B.* (2021, March). Online alternatives to animal dissection in psychology courses. Poster presented at the Annual Eastern Psychological Association Conference.
Lopresti-Goodman, S. M. & Rising, D. (2020, November 8). Causes of burnout in US animal rights activists. Oral presentation given at the Institute for Critical Animal Studies Conference.
Lopresti-Goodman, S. M. (2020, September). An overview of Marymount University’s Oxford summer study abroad program. Invited presentation at the Virginia Collegiate Honors Council Conference.
Lopresti-Goodman, S. M. (2019, March). Psychological and behavioral characteristics of beagles released from laboratories. Poster for the Annual Meeting of the Eastern Psychological Association, New York, NY.
Jolles, M. & Lopresti-Goodman, S. M. (2018, November). Directing Honors: Lessons from the first year. Roundtable discussion at the Annual National Collegiate Honors Council Conference in Boston, MA.
Lopresti-Goodman, S. M. (2017, August). Is refinement enough to promote psychological well-being? Invited paper given as part of session, “Beyond refinement: Can we provide animals used in research with a good life experience?” Tenth World Congress: Alternatives and Animal Use in the Life Sciences, Seattle, WA.
Lopresti-Goodman, S. M. (2017, August). A comparison of former laboratory dogs’ with non-laboratory dogs’ psychological and behavioral characteristics. Poster presented at the Tenth World Congress: Alternatives and Animal Use in the Life Sciences, Seattle, WA.
Lopresti-Goodman, S. M. (2016, August). A review of psychological distress in laboratory living primates. Paper given as part of symposium, Use and care of captive non-human primates: Evaluating and improving ethical requirements. Joint Meeting of the Biannual International Primatological Society Congress and Annual American Society of Primatologist Meeting, Chicago, IL.
Margeson, L.,* & Lopresti-Goodman, S. M. (2015, March). Abnormal behaviors in captive chimpanzees. Poster presented at the Annual Eastern Psychological Association Conference, Philadelphia, PA.
Lopresti-Goodman, S. M., & Roe, K. (2015, March). Discussion of animal research ethics in introductory psychology textbooks. Poster presented at the Annual Eastern Psychological Association Conference, Philadelphia, PA
Roe, K., & Lopresti-Goodman, S. M. (2015, March). Alternatives to the use of animals in psychology education. Poster presented by second author at the Annual Eastern Psychological Association Conference, Philadelphia, PA.
Lopresti-Goodman, S. M., & Roe, K. (2015, January). Discussion of animal research ethics in introductory psychology textbooks. Poster presented at the Annual National Institute on the Teaching of Psychology Conference, St. Pete Beach, FL.
Lopresti-Goodman, S. M., & Roe, K. (2015, January). Alternatives to the use of animals in psychology education. Poster presented at the Annual National Institute on the Teaching of Psychology Conference, St. Pete Beach, FL.
Ritter, C.,* & Lopresti-Goodman, S. M. (2014, April). PTSD and self-injurious behaviors in a chimpanzee rescued from biomedical research. Poster presented at the Bi-Annual Virginia Psychological Association Conference, Norfolk, VA.
Lopresti-Goodman, S. M. (2014, February). An analysis of psychological distress in chimpanzees rescued from laboratories. Poster presented to the American Association for the Advancement of Science Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL.
Lopresti-Goodman, S. M., Caperton, A.*, & Dube, A.* (2013, March). Psychological trauma in chimpanzees rescued from the pet trade. Poster presented to the Annual Eastern Psychological Association Conference, New York, NY.
Lopresti-Goodman, S. M., & Kameka, M.* (2012, July). Symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder in sanctuary-living chimpanzees. Poster presented at the Biennial Minding Animals Conference, Utrecht, NL.
Kameka, M.,* & Lopresti-Goodman, S. M. (2012, April). Post-traumatic stress disorder in chimpanzees. Poster presented at the Bi-Annual Virginia Psychological Association Conference, Norfolk, VA.
Lopresti-Goodman, S. M., & Dube, A.* (2012, March). The psychological consequences of exploitation on chimpanzees. Paper presented at the 11th Annual Conference for Critical Animal Studies, Canisius College Buffalo, NY.
Lopresti-Goodman, S. M., Kameka, M.,* & Dube, A.* (2012, March). Symptoms of complex post-traumatic stress disorder in chimpanzees. Poster presented at the Annual Eastern Psychological Association Conference, Pittsburgh, PA.
Caperton, A.,* & Lopresti-Goodman, S. M. (2012, March). Use of a plastinated human brain for psychology education. Poster presented at the Annual Eastern Psychological Association Conference, Pittsburgh, PA.
Lopresti-Goodman, S. M., Rivera, A.,* & Dressel, C.* (2011, March). The Effects of Texting on Walking Behavior. Poster presented at the Annual Eastern Psychological Association Conference, Cambridge, MA.
