"Live as if you were to die tomorrow; learn as if you were to live forever."
Unknown
Krystal D. Mize
Educator • Mentor • Researcher • Author
I am currently an Assistant Professor with the Department of Psychology at Florida Gulf Coast University. Using evolutionary psychological theory as an overarching theme, I use behavioral and psychophysiological measures to study development across the lifespan. My primary interests are social relationships and emotions although, as an infovore, I often explore other areas of research.
Educator and Mentor
Being a psychology professor has been the best job in the world for me because it allows integration of my greatest passions into one career.
Teaching
I have over 18 years of teaching experience. Before landing at FGCU, I had appointments at Nova Southeastern University and Florida Atlantic University. Being in the classroom has been one of the most meaningful experiences of my life. Watching students have an ‘aha’ moment in class and seeing them develop into critical consumers of information is very fulfilling. It is my hope that the depth of my knowledge sparks a passion for learning in my students that empowers them.
Being a Mentee
My advisor at the University of Southern Colorado (USC) greatly influenced who I am as a mentor. I was given many opportunities to build my CV that also facilitated my personal growth. For example, my mentor spent an entire day desensitizing me to my fear of public speaking allowing me to become comfortable in presenting in the classroom, at research conferences and in the community before graduation. He set me on my own path of mentoring when he recommended me for a peer mentor position. I also found great mentors in my graduate program at Florida Atlantic University (FAU). Much of my success has been due to the wonderful scaffolding offered by my mentors.
Being a Mentor
When I became a peer-mentor for at-risk students at USC, I was introduced to the fulfillment that comes from helping others. As a graduate research assistant I was able to provide my research assistants the same type of mentoring experiences that I had as an undergraduate. Going beyond just research supervision, I offered them academic and career counseling. Knowing first hand the benefit of mentoring relationships during the undergraduate years, I also served as a faculty mentor to students in my role as Undergraduate Coordinator at FAU and programs like The Mentoring Project and the Academic and Career Enhancement for Second Year Students (AcCESS) Program.
Scientist and Author
As an infovore I am intrinsically motivated to ask questions and seek out answers; a trait that is very beneficial in science.
Researcher
My role as a researcher allows me to integrate all of my other roles—educator, mentor, and author. Working with faculty on research can have a profound effect on students. Participating in research enables student to develop critical thinking skills and gain self-confidence as they learn to integrate theory and practice. The laboratory is an active learning environment where students can gain understanding of behavioral science research. Students not only have contributed to my research but also have been encouraged to design projects that allowed them to explore their own interests. Directed independent research facilitates students finding a career path that will bring them joy and meaning.
Research Topics
- Infant jealousy
- Meditation and EEG coherence
- Mindfulness meditation and divergent thinking
- Breastfeeding and EEG coherence
- Mother-infant touch patterns
- Temperament and empathy development
- Empathy development as a function of maternal depression status
- GPA as a function of who pays tuition
- Juvenile recidivism rates as a function of participation in a mentoring intervention
- Faculty-student mentoring relationships
- Homicide methods and brutality
- Swinging behavior in sexual relationships
- Evolutionary feminist theory
Writing
My publications include peer-reviewed articles, encyclopedia entries, book chapters and an edited textbook. I also have contributed pre-publication works to international research conferences. Collaborating with students on research has been a great honor for me and I am proud to have student co-authors on well over 30 of my conference presentations and publications.