Eckerd College Hires New Psychology Professor Dr. Vivian Zhang

ST. PETERSBURG, FL – Eckerd College welcomed Dr. Vivian Hanwen Zhang to its psychology faculty this fall semester. She teaches courses including Introduction to Psychology and Neurodivergence.

Zhang's research examines conversational turn-taking by analyzing the short pauses between speakers in naturalistic conversations. She studies diverse developmental populations, including multilingual children and neurodivergent groups. Zhang records and annotates conversations, even those between parents and pre-linguistic infants, to identify patterns of rapid, non-overlapping turns.

“The amazing thing about conversational turn taking is that we exchange turns so fast,” Zhang said. “This is exactly how I study!”

Zhang earned her doctorate from Cornell University and holds a bachelor's degree from the University of California San Diego. She also completed a research assistantship at Stanford University. Zhang, originally from Zhengzhou, China, expressed excitement about moving to the Tampa Bay area and enjoying local beaches.

Zhang chose Eckerd, a liberal arts college, for the opportunity to explore her and students' interests with autonomy. She hopes students connect psychological topics discussed in class to their personal experiences. “Psychology can be as personal as you want and it can be as distant as you want,” Zhang stated.

Zhang plans interdisciplinary research, including potential collaborations with Eckerd's marine science program to study turn-taking patterns in dolphin social interactions. She also aims to explore the intersection of economic structures and psychological processes in her teaching.

While neurodivergence is not her primary research area, Zhang plans to explore it further. Her Neurodivergence course will examine conditions like Autism Spectrum Disorder, focusing on both strengths and weaknesses. The course will include discussion of a recent paper by Uta Frith, Ph.D., questioning the evolving meaning of autism as neurodiversity gains social attention.

Outside of her academic pursuits, Zhang enjoys cooking, tending to her plants, and watching