Karl J. Maier, Ph.D.

Office: 304 Holloway Hall
Telephone: 410-543-6374
Fax: 410-548-2056
Email: kjmaier at salisbury.edu

Education & Training

• Ph.D., University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Clinical Psychology & Behavioral Medicine

  (Predoctoral Internship: VA Connecticut Healthcare System/Yale University School of Medicine, West Haven, CT)

• M.A., University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Clinical Psychology & Behavioral Medicine

• B.A., Syracuse University, Psychology

Areas of Interest

• Teaching:
  • Abnormal Psychology
  • General Psychology
  • Health Psychology/Behavioral Medicine
  • Psychosomatics (new)
  • Independent Research (PSYC 490/497) (Behavioral Medicine Laboratory Student Researcher Application.doc)

• Research:

  My research program through the Behavioral Medicine Laboratory spans both basic and applied areas of investigation within the fields of health psychology (a sub-discipline of psychology) and the broader, interdisciplinary field of behavioral medicine (that includes diverse fields such as medicine, nursing, psychology, and public health, just to name a few). The core of my research is centered on stress, its cognitive and emotional components, and associated personality factors. I study how these constructs are inter-related, and how they relate to physiology and various psychological and physical health outcomes (e.g., depression, quality of life, obesity, blood pressure, etc.). I have recently expanded my study of perceived stress to encompass phenomena experienced broadly in the population, including pandemic disease (e.g., H1N1 2009) and climate change. In addition to better understanding stress related to these problems, I am interested in the emotional and health effects of such phenomena, and related attitudes and behaviors.

   

  Undergraduate students are an important part of this research program. Students may engage in the research process by helping with ongoing lab projects, or they may undertake independent projects with me. My students regularly present their work at the Salisbury University Student Research Conference (SUSRC) and at conferences outside of the University. Interested students may apply by completing this application (Behavioral Medicine Laboratory Student Researcher Application.doc) and submitting it to me via email or in hardcopy. Students should have completed at least one statistics and/or research methods course before applying.

Select Professional Publications

Maier, K. J., Berkman, J. R. & Chatkoff, D. K.  (2012). Novel virus, atypical risk group: understanding young adults in college as an under-protected population in H1N1 2009. PLOS Currents Influenza. 2012 Dec 20. Edition 1. doi: 10.1371/currents.flu.ce9ad5d14c88ccf5877b9cf289a41eaf.

 

Neumann, S. A., Maier, K. J., Brown, J. R. P., Giggey, P., Cooper, D. C., Synowski, S., Goble, L., Suarez, E. C. & Waldstein, S. R. (2011). Cardiovascular and psychological reactivity and recovery from harassment in a biracial sample of high and low hostile men and women. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 18(1), 52-64. doi:10.1007/s12529-010-9110-0

 

Chatkoff, D. K., Maier, K. J. & Klein, C. (2010).  Nonlinear associations between chronic stress and cardiovascular reactivity and recovery. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 77(2), 150-156.

 

Maier, K. J., Goble, L., Neumann, S. A., Giggey, P., Suarez, E. C. & Waldstein, S. R. (2009). Dimensions across measures of dispositional hostility, expressive style, and depression show some variation by race/ethnicity and gender in young adults. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 28(10), 1199-1225.

 

Chatkoff, D. K., Maier, K. J., Javaid, J., Hammoud, M. K., & Munkrishna, P. (2009).  Dispositional hostility and gender differentially relate to cognitive appraisal, engagement, and cardiovascular reactivity across cognitive and emotional laboratory tasks.  Personality and Individual Differences, 47(2), 122-126. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2009.02.008

 

Brown, J. R. P., Katzel, L. I., Neumann, S. A., Maier, K. J., & Waldstein, S. R. (2007). Silent myocardial ischemia and cardiovascular responses to anger provocation in older adults.  International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 14(3), 134-140. doi:10.1007/BF03000184

 

Maier, K., Chatkoff, D., & Burg, M. M. (2006). Depression and CHD: Prevalence, prognosis, pathophysiology and treatment. In E. Molinari, A. Compare, & G. Parati (Eds.), Clinical psychology and heart disease (pp. 85-98). New York: Springer.

 

Waldstein, S. R., Brown, J. R. P., Maier, K. J., & Katzel, L. I. (2005). Diagnosis of hypertension and high blood pressure levels negatively affect cognitive function in older adults. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 29, 174-180. doi:10.1207/s15324796abm2903_3

 

Waldstein, S. R., Siegel, E. L., Lefkowitz, D., Maier, K. J., Brown, J. R. P., & Katzel, L. I. (2004).  Stress-induced blood pressure reactivity and silent cerebrovascular disease. Stroke, 35, 1294-1298.

 

Maier, K. J., Waldstein, S. R., & Synowski, S. (2003). Relation of cognitive appraisal to cardiovascular reactivity, affect, and task engagement. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 26, 32-41. doi:10.1207/S15324796ABM2601_05

 

Waldstein, S. R., Tankard, C. F., Maier, K. J., Pelletier, J. R., Snow, J., Gardner, A. W., et al. (2003). Peripheral arterial disease and cognitive function. Psychosomatic Medicine, 65, 757-763. doi:10.1097/01.PSY.0000088581.09495.5E

Select Publications & Presentations with Student Collaborators

Maier, K. J. & James, A. E. (2012). Hostility and Social Support Explain Physical Activity beyond Negative Affect among Young Men in College. Manuscript submitted for publication.

 

Maier, K.J., Sheets, S., & Eckstein, Z. (2012). Type D Personality Independently Relates to Physical Activity and Sleep among Healthy Young Adults in a U.S. Sample. Manuscript in preparation.

 

Gastelle, B. T. & Maier, K. J. (2011). The relations of cynical hostility and depression to sleep. Psi Chi Journal of Undergraduate Research, 16(4).

 

Maier, K. J. & James, A. E. (2011, August). Interaction of cynical hostility and social support relates to physical activity in young men, independent of negative affect. Poster presented at the annual Meeting of the American Psychological Association, Washington, DC.

 

James, A. E. & Maier, K. J.  (2011, March). Relations of cynical hostility and social support to body mass index and physical activity. Paper presented at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research, Ithaca, NY.

 

Fuller, L. (2010, April). The effects of social desirability and trait anxiety on exercise behavior and BMI. Paper Presented at the annual Salisbury University Student Research Conference.

 

Gastelle, B. (2010, April). The role of rumination in the relationship between cynical hostility and sleep factors. Paper Presented at the annual Salisbury University Student Research Conference.

 

Gastelle, B. (2009, April). Does cynical hostility impact sleep and quality of sleep? Poster presented at the annual Salisbury University Student Research Conference.

 

Hornseth, L. N. (2006, March). Does defensive hostility impact cardiovascular reactivity to cognitive stressors? Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Eastern Psychological Association.

 

Eberly, J. (2006, May). Relationship between physical activity and psychological stress: A literature review. Poster presented at the Maryland Psychological Association’s Ocean City Institute.

 

Professional Societies of Interest