Karla Murdock

Among Murdock’s courses are Introduction to Clinical Psychology and Developmental Psychopathology. Her research program examines associations between technology use and indicators of health, well-being and cognitive performance.

Karla Murdock

Karla Murdock

Jo M. and James M. Ballengee Professor of Cognitive and Behavioral Science

Curriculum VitaeWebsite

Program Affiliations

Education

  • Ph.D. Clinical Psychology, University of Georgia, 1997
  • Clinical Internship, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, 1995-96
  • M.S. Clinical Psychology, University of Georgia, 1995
  • B.A. Psychology, Indiana University (Minors in Sociology & Classical Studies), 1990

Research

Professor Murdock’s research investigates psychological correlates of technology use. With Professor Wythe Whiting, she co-mentors the Technology, Health and Cognition (THaC) Lab, which utilizes behavioral (e.g., sleep self-monitoring, cellphone use tracking), psychophysiological (e.g., EEG, actigraphy), cognitive (e.g., response time, attentional capture), and self-report methodologies. In recent years, the lab has examined associations of social media use with physical activity, sleep, co-rumination, and affect valuation (i.e., the meaning we make of our emotional experiences).

Teaching

  • Introduction to Clinical Psychology (CBSC 2100)
  • Emotion Valuation and Well-Being (CBSC 2300; 4-week Spring Term Abroad course)
  • Applications of Cognitive and Behavioral Science (CBSC 3010)
  • Developmental Psychopathology (CBSC 3250)
  • Positive Psychology (CBSC 3300)
  • Research Capstone in Positive Psychology (CBSC 3700)
  • Community-Based Learning Internship in Cognitive and Behavioral Science (CBSC 4530)

Selected Publications

  • Murdock, K.K. & Whiting, W.L. (2026). Societal pressure to be happy, co-rumination and psychological distress in emerging adults. Current Psychology, 45, 472.

  • Gershkovich, C., & Murdock, K. K. (2025). Identity, community, and comfort: how adults with mental health issues envision ideal social spaces. Academia Mental Health and Well-Being, 2(2).

  • Whiting, W.L. & Murdock, K.K. (2021) Notification alert! Effects of auditory text alerts on attention and heart rate variability across three developmental periods. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 74, 1900-1913.

  • Adams, S.K., Murdock, K.K., Daly-Cano, M., & Rose, M. (2020). Sleep in the social world of college students: Bridging interpersonal stress and fear of missing out with mental health. Behavioral Sciences, 10, 1-10.

  • Murdock, K.K., Carlucci, L., & Balsamo, M. (2019). A cross-cultural investigation of co-rumination via cellphone among emerging adults. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 38, 671-703.

  • Murdock, K.K., Adams, S., Crichlow-Ball, C., Horissian, M., & Roberts, M. (2019). Nighttime notification and compulsivity illuminate the link between emerging adults’ cellphone use and sleep-related problems. Psychology of Popular Media Culture, 8, 12-21.

  • Murdock, K.K., Horissian, M., & Crichlow-Ball, C. (2017). Emerging adults’ text message use and sleep characteristics: A multi-method, naturalistic study. Behavioral Sleep Medicine, 15, 228-241.