Alan G. Gittis, Ph.D.
Professor
of Psychology
New
Business
Phone: (724) 946-7358
Fax
Number: (724) 946-7146
E-mail:
gittisa@westminster.edu
Home
Address:
Home
Phone: (724) 964-8907
Educational
History:
B.A.
(Psychology)
M.A.
(Experimental Psychology)
Ph.D.
(Major: Physiological; Minor: Developmental)
Professional
Memberships:
Association
for Psychological Science
American
Association for the Advancement of Science
Eastern
Psychological Association
Faculty
for Undergraduate Neuroscience
Society
for Neuroscience
Publications and Presentations:
Gittis, A., and Hothersall, D. (1974). DRL
performance of juvenile rats with septal lesions. Physiological
Psychology, 2, 38-42.
Gittis, A., and Gordon, M. (1977).
Developmental analysis of behavioral dysfunction in rats with
septal lesions. Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology,
91, 94-106.
Gittis, A., (1978). Development of
avoidance responses in the neonatal rat. Presented at
American Psychological Association meeting,
Gittis, A., and Eckles,
C. (1982). The role of the hippocampus in behavioral
maturation. Presented at American Psychological
Association meeting,
Gittis, A.G., Frazier, D., Geter, B., Stark, H., Arnold, C., and Olton, D. (1985)
Shifting and staying in the developing rat. Presented
at Eastern Psychological Association meeting,
Gittis, A.G., and Arnold, C. (1986).
Analysis of transition between proximal and distal cue
utilization in the rat. Presented at International
Society for Developmental Psychobiology meeting,
Gittis, A.G., and Arnold, C. (1986).
Age related changes in cue utilization in the rat pup. Presented
at Midwestern Psychological Association meeting, Chicago.
Gittis, A.G., Geter,
B., and Olton, D. (1987). Effect of scopolamine on
win-shift performance in the rat at 18 days of age. Presented
to the International Society for Developmental Psychobiology,
Gittis, A.G., Stark, H.,
Pifferetti, K.M. and Gittis, A.G. (1989). Differences
between adolescent and college-aged subjects in the "spread of
activation" in propositional networks. Presented
at Midwestern Psychological Association meeting, Chicago.
Webster, S.K., Gittis, A.G., and Stanczak, R.J. (1989). High school
psychology teachers' science skills equipping program. Presented at American Psychological Association meeting,
Gittis, A.G., and Clelland,
C., (1990). The hippocampus and the emergence of alternation
behavior. Presented at Eastern Psychological
Association,
Chudik, J., and Gittis, A.G. (1991). Fetal hippocampal transplant
promotes recovery of win-shift behavior after hippocampal lesions. Society
for Neuroscience Abstracts, 17, part 2, 1139.
Gittis, A.G., and Dawley, M. (1991). Cues controlling Y-maze
alternation in 18-day-old rat pup. Presented at International
Society for Developmental Psychobiology meeting,
Gittis, A.G. and McHaddon,
M. (1992). Contingencies controlling win-shift
alternation in a spatial task. Society for Neuroscience Abstracts, 18,
part 2, 1426.
Gittis, A.G., and Burnhouse, T. (1993). Disentangling
a rat dam's retrieval preference for a pup's weight and sex. Presented at International Society for Developmental Psychobiology
meeting,
Gittis, A.G., and Falleroni, J. (1993). The Geometry
of win-shift and win-stay behavior.Society
for Neuroscience Abstracts, 19.
Gittis,
A.G., Rudy, C., and Esch, M. (1995). A small
dose of apomorphine improves memory on a difficult
spatial task. Society for Neuroscience Abstracts, 21,
1229.
Gittis, A.G., and Cindric, B.B. (1997). Neural networks: A cluster
course approach. Society for Neuroscience Abstracts, 23.
Remmers-Roeber, D., and Gittis, A.G. (1997). Undergraduate participation
at the society for neuroscience conference: The students and their sponsors. Society for Neuroscience Abstracts, 23.
Gittis, A.G. and Campe, L.
(1998) Aniracetam administration reduces
scopolamine-induced working memory deficit in rats. Society
for Neuroscience Abstracts, 24.
Gittis, A.G. and Puzausky, J.
(1999) AIT-082 improves memory performance in a non-match-to-sample
task in rats. Society for Neuroscience Abstracts, 25
Gittis, A.G. (2000) Issues in the behavioral analysis of
AIT-082's anti-amnestic properties. Presented at the Neotherapeutics AIT-082
conference in
Gittis, A.G. and Byrd, T. (2000) The
effects of dosage level and repeated administration on anti-amnestic
properties of AIT-082. Society for Neuroscience Abstracts,
26.
Gittis, A.G. (2000) Integrating
neuroscience into an undergraduate curriculum. Society for
Neuroscience Abstracts, 26.
Gittis, A.G. (2000) Reasons for FUN: Organizational support
for undergraduate neuroscience. Presented at Eastern Psychological Association
meeting, Baltimore
Gittis, A.G. (2001) Behavioral neuroscience as an
all-college lab science and a requirement of psychology majors. Presented at
Eastern Psychological Association meeting,
Gittis, A.G. (2002) Research as a journey: Paths, choice
points and obstacles in undergraduate neuroscience research. Presented
at Eastern Psychological Association meeting,
Gittis, A.G. (2002) The emergence
on non-match-to-sample behavior in the developing rat pup. Journal of
Undergraduate Neuroscience Education, 1, 1-3.
Gittis, A.G., Tomnay,
J.M., and Peterson, E.A. (2002). Induction of compulsive features in
maternal behavior via chronic quinpirole administration in the rat.
Program No. 896.13. 2002 Abstract
Viewer/Itinerary Planner.
Gittis, A.G. (2003) SFN’s
Educational Initiative: Undergraduate Neuroscience is the K thru 12 –
Gittis, A.G. and Vajdich , R.A. (2003). Interference effects in the spatial DNMTS
working memory task. Program No. 622.9. 2003 Abstract
Viewer/Itinerary Planner.
Gittis, A.G. (2004). Developing
graduate-undergraduate neuroscience connections. Journal of Undergraduate Neuroscience
Education, 3, E1-E2.
Gittis, A.G. and Vajdich,
R.A. (2004).
What the rat is thinking: The process and contents of working in the spatial
non-match-to sample task. Presented at American Psychological
Society meeting, Chicago.
Gittis, A.G. and McKinley, M.M.
(2005). Taking behavioral neuroscience laboratories out of the laboratory:
Use of a college’s equestrian and preschool resources. 2005 Abstract
Viewer/Itinerary Planner.
Gittis, A.G., Weber, L.R., and Gustkey. E.L. (2006). The neuroeconomics of
radial arm maze memory. Presented at Association for
Psychological Science meeting,
Student Awards:
Chudick, John – Harcourt Brace Jovanovich
Undergraduate Psychology Student Research Award, 1991
Falleroni, Julianne – The Faculty for Undergraduate
Neuroscience Student Travel Award, 1993
Peterson,
Ericka – The Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience Student Travel Award, 2002
Grant Activities:
National Science Foundation
Post-doctoral fellow.
National Science Foundation, Division of
National Science Foundation, ILI-IP. Neural, Social and Electronic
Networks: A Cluster Course Approach (Co-author)
National Science Foundation,
1999-2000.
College Service (selected):
Chair
– Psychology Department – 2004-
Academic
Standards Committee - 1988 - 1992
Faculty Personnel Committee- 1992-1996, 2002- (Secretary)
Curriculum
Development Committee - 1996- 2000 - (Chair)
Enrollment
Management Council - 1996-1999
Medical
Professions Advisory Committee - 1988-
Faculty
Development Committee - 2000- 2002 (Secretary)
Student
Publications Board - 2000-2002
Faculty
Advisor – Psychology Club and Psi Chi –
1985- 2003
Coordinator-
Neuroscience Program
Coordinator – Occupational Therapy cooperative program
with Duquesne Univ
Vice Chair of Faculty – 2006-07
Curriculum Operations Committee – 2006
Ad Hoc Committee on Teaching Load (Chair) – 2006-
Steering
Committee, Western Pennsylvania Undergraduate Research Conference - 1985-95
(Organized two conferences)
Councilor,
Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience - 1996-97
President,
Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience - 1998-99
Executive
Committee, Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience – 1999- 2004
National
Science Foundation
NIH – Center for Scientific Review – Panel Member NRSA
awards - 2004 –
Reviewer – NSF-FUN /SOMAS Awards –
2005-
Courses Taught:
Semester Offerings:
Introductory Psychology
Psychology
of Learning (with Laboratory)
Motivation
Behavioral
Neuroscience (with Laboratory) [Physiological Psychology]
Cognition
(with Laboratory)
Systems
and Theories
Inquiry
(Freshman interdisciplinary seminar)
Neural
Networks: The Psychobiological Approach (Cluster course with Computer Science)
Neuropsychology
of Mind (Cluster course with Philosophy)
Other
teaching experiences:
Human
Neuropsychology*
Perspectives
on Consciousness* (with Philosophy Department)
Aggression
(student originated seminar)
Evolution
and Development of Sexual Differentiation* (with developmental psychologist)
Primatology*
Human
Potentials*
Space
and Time in Space and Mind* (with Physics Department)
Animal
Behavior (visiting lecturer, John Hopkins, Fall 1983)
Developmental
Psychobiology* (with Biology Department)
The
Neurobiology of Memory*
Homicide*
*January Term courses