Sara Keefer

Address
McCreary Hall Room 321
300 North Washington St.
Gettysburg, PA 17325-1400

Phone
(717) 337-6177

Campus Box 0407

Contact

Joseph Nathalie Goubet
Chairperson/Professor, Psychology

Emily Benson
Academic Administrative Assistant, Psychology

Sara Keefer

Assistant Professor

Psychology

Contact

Email

skeefer@gettysburg.edu

Phone

(717) 337 - 6184

Box

Campus Box 0407

Address

McCreary Hall
Room 317
300 N. Washington Street
Gettysburg, PA 17325-1400
Sara Keefer

Education

BA Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania, 2012
MA Boston College, 2014
PhD Boston College, 2018

Academic Focus

Behavioral Neuroscience

My research program examines the brain mechanisms that drive reward learning behaviors in rats. These behaviors can be adaptive, such as where to find food, but can also be maladaptive, such as during addiction. I am interested in studying individual differences in this learning and why some individuals transition into addiction-like behaviors but not others. In general, my research examines motivation, behavioral flexibility, risk-taking, and the brain mechanisms that drive these behaviors. 

For more insight into the research interest of the lab, please explore Professor Keefer’s previous publications. 

 

Courses Taught

Our distinguished faculty’s publications

Professor Wilson presented research at the Association for Psychological Science’s conference in Washington, D.C. The research focused on the replication and extension of the effect of reductive explanations in science.


Professor McCall and his students presented research at the Association for Psychological Science’s conference in Washington, D.C. The research focused on the emotional and social significance of odors for college students.


Professor Russell created a new podcast (Humainity) about being human in the age of AI.

Be inquisitive inside and outside the lab with Gettysburg’s Psychology Department

With a Bachelor of Arts in psychology, you gain insight into how the human brain works, allowing you to apply the knowledge gained from your research to situations in your career. The coursework and undergraduate research opportunities within the psychology major encompass a wide range of multidisciplinary perspectives, requiring an empirical approach to the interpretation of data.

Students in the Psychology Department at Gettysburg emerge equipped with the breadth and depth of knowledge and enduring skills to conduct analytical and interpretive analysis on whichever problems come their way within the field they work.