Biographical Statement:
Gary Felsten is a psychobiologist and did research for a number of years on sensory coding in the visual system and neural control
of the cardiovascular system. More recently, he has studied relationships between personality, stress, coping, and physical and
psychological well-being. Professor Felsten teaches a variety of psychology courses and was recognized by the Trustees of Indiana
University with the Teaching Excellence Recognition Award in 1997 and 2000 and the Trustees Teaching Award in 2001 and 2008.
Current Professional Activities:
Gary Felsten is a member of the Association for Psychological Science and the Stress and Anxiety Research Society. He has
presented his research at numerous national and international conferences in the areas of neuroscience and stress.
Current Research Activities:
Professor Felsten’s research has focused on relationships between stress, personality factors, coping, and physical and psychological
well-being. In particular, he has studied links between hostility and cardiovascular and affective responses to stress, stress reactivity
as a predictor of depression, and gender differences and similarities in coping. Research in progress includes investigations of coping
and stress reactivity as predictors of affective states and students’ expectations for the future and associations between features of
the natural and built environments and recovery from stress.
Courses Taught:
- PSY-B 105 Psychology as a Biological Science
- PSY-B 311 Introductory Laboratory in Psychology
- PSY-B 320 Behavioral Neuroscience
- PSY-B 334 Perception
- PSY-B 365 Stress and Health
- PSY-B 394 Drugs and Behavior
- PSY-B 497 Capstone Individual Research
Education:
Gary Felsten earned a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Cornell University and a Master of Science and Ph.D. in
Psychology from Purdue University. He completed an NIH postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Illinois Medical
School and a postdoctoral appointment at the University of Wisconsin Medical School.
Administrative and Service Responsibilities:
Dr. Felsten is the Coordinator of the Psychology Program. He also serves on the Promotion and Tenure Taskforce and the Faculty Affairs Committee of the Faculty Senate.
Recent Publications:
Felsten, G. (2004). Stress reactivity and vulnerability to depressed mood in college students.
Personality and Individual Differences, 36, 789-800.
Bolbecker, A. R., Cheng, Z., Felsten, G., Kong, K-L., Lim, C. C. M., Nisly-Nagele, S. J., Wang-Bennett, L. T., & Wasserman, G. S. (2002). Two asymmetries governing neural and mental timing.
Consciousness and Cognition, 11, 265-272.
Felsten. G. (2002). Minor stressors and depressed mood: Reactivity is more strongly correlated than total stress,
Stress and Health, 18, 75-81.
Felsten, G. & Hill, V. (1999). Aggression Questionnaire hostility scale predicts anger in response to mistreatment,
Behaviour Research and Therapy, 37, 87-97.
Felsten, G. (1998). Gender and coping: Use of distinct strategies and associations with stress and depression. Anxiety,
Stress, and Coping, 11, 289-309.
Felsten, G. (1998). Propagation of action potentials: An active participation exercise.
Teaching of Psychology, 25, 109-111.
Felsten, G. & Leitten, C. L. (1996). Gender of opponent and Type A competitiveness predict cardiovascular responses during competition.
Journal of Social Behavior and Personality, 11, 79-96.
Felsten, G. (1996). Five-factor analysis of Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory neurotic hostility and expressive hostility factors: Implications for health psychology.
Journal of Personality Assessment, 67, 179-194.
Felsten, G. (1996). Cardiovascular reactivity during a cognitive task with anger provocation: Partial support for a cynical hostility-anger-reactivity link.
Journal of Psychophysiology, 10, 97-107.
Felsten, G. (1996). Hostility, stress and symptoms of depression. Personality and Individual Differences, 21, 461-467.
Civic Engagement:
Gary Felsten serves on the Board of Directors of the Columbus Regional Hospital Foundation and the Board of Directors of the
Columbus Indiana Architectural Archives (CIAA). He was Co-Chair of the CIAA Symposium Committee that organized a three day
symposium in October 2007 entitled, “Preserving the Past, Educating the Present, Planning the Future” in conjunction with
the annual meetings of the American Institute of Architects’ Indiana and Kentucky chapters. He has presented numerous talks
on stress and changes in the brain with aging in the community and at the annual Columbus Indiana Elderhostel.
