Jeff Rudski, Ph.D., Associate Professor

(D.E.C., Vanier College, B.Sc., McGill University, Ph.D., University of Minnesota)

Dr. Rudski teaches Biological Psychology, Psychopharmacology, Learning & Behavior, Advanced Lab in Psychology, Introduction to Psychology, and the Psychology of Superstition.

When I was a First Year student, my Intro to Psych teacher began the first lecture talking about the placebo effect. If you can convince a person that an inert substance can block pain, it can effectively function as an analgesic in approximately 30% of people. He then continued the lecture, teaching that this effect of "mind over matter" can be blocked by administration of a drug called naloxone, an agent which inhibits your brain's natural opiate system.

It struck me that psychological effects had neural bases. I was hooked, and have spent my career examining these interactions. I have also become interested in factors that lead people to accept beliefs that are often thought of as being "superstitious". Recently, I have also developed a strong interest in developmental disabilities both from the advocacy side as well as how people come to believe various causes and treatments of various disorders.

What I enjoy about working at Muhlenberg is the enthusiasm many students bring to applying what they learn in their classes to the rest of their college experience. I have found that students want to engage in independent research, and one of Muhlenberg's strengths is our ability to provide such opportunities.

Research Interests

Behavioral Pharmacology, Behavioral Economics, Human Superstition, the Illusion of Control, and Hypnosis.

Selected Publications and Presentations

• Rudski, J.M. (2004) The illusion of control, superstitious belief, and optimism. Current Psychology, 22, 306-315.

• Rudski, J.M., Marra. L.C., & Graham, K.R. (2004). Gender differences in hypnotic susceptibility. International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 52, 39-46.

• Rudski, J.M. (2003). What does a 'superstitious' person believe: Impressions of participants. Journal of General Psychology, 130, 431-445.

• Rudski, J.M. (2001). Competition, superstition and the illusion of control. Current Psychology, 20, 68-84

• Rudski, J.M. (2000). Effect of Delay of reinforcement on superstitious inferences. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 90, 1047-1058.

• Rudski, J.M., Lischner, M., and Albert, L. (1999) Superstitious rule generation is affected by probability and type of outcome. The Psychological Record, 49, 245-260.

• Rudski, J.M., and Gurmankin, C. (1998). Withdrawal of pre-session saccharine suppresses food-maintained responding in rats. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 86, 355-361.

• Rudski, J.M., Billington, C.J., and Levine, A.S. (1997). A sucrose-based maintenance diet increases sensitivity to appetite suppressant effects of naloxone. Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior, 58, 679-682.