Daniel Graham
Associate Professor
Applied Social and Health Psychology
Office: 217 BHSCI
Phone: (970) 491-6561
Email: dan.graham@colostate.edu
Education: Ph.D., University of California, Irvine 2009
Area of Specialization: Health Psychology; Nutrition Labeling; Physical Activity Promotion; Eye Tracking; Social Ecological Influences on Physical Activity and Healthy Eating
Teaching Courses: Courses Taught: Advanced Social Psychology (PSY600G); Social Psychology (PSY315) Social Ecological Influences on Physical Activity and Healthy Eating (graduate seminar - PSY792); Advanced Health Psychology (PSY600J)
Office Hours:
Monday- | Tuesday- | Wednesday- | Thursday- | Friday- 2:00pm-3:00pm | By Appointment- X
Publications
Scherr, R.E., Laugero, K.D., Graham, D.J., Cunningham, B.T., Jahns, L., Lora, K.R., Reicks, M., & Mobley, A.R. (2017). Innovative techniques for evaluating behavioral nutrition interventions Advances in Nutrition, 8 113-125. http://dx.doi.org/10.3945/an.116.013862
Ogle, A., Graham, D.J., Lucas-Thompson, R.G. & Roberto, C.A. (2017). Influence of cartoon media characters on childrenÂ’s attention to and preference for food and beverage products Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 117(2), 265-270. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2016.08.012
Wolfson, J.A., Graham, D.J., & Bleich, S. (2017). Attention to physical activity-equivalent calorie information on Nutrition Facts Labels: An eye-tracking investigation. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 49(1), 35-42. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2016.10.001
Graham, D.J., Lucas-Thompson, R., Mueller, M.P., Jaeb, M.A., & Harnack, L. (2016). The impact of explained v. unexplained front-of-package nutrition labels on parent and child food choices: a randomized trial. Public Health Nutrition, 1-10. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S1368980016002676
Graham, D.J., & Roberto, C.A. (2016). Evaluating the impact of U.S. Food and Drug Administration-proposed Nutrition Facts Label changes on young adultsÂ’ visual attention and purchase intentions Health Education and Behavior, 1-10. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1090198116651082
Lab
Graham Behavioral Medicine Lab: This laboratory operates on the premise that what we eat and how much we move relates directly to our short-term and long-term well-being. We are interested in promoting physical activity and healthy eating, and in understanding how to make these behaviors the defaults in situations where they are currently impeded by various environmental and psychological obstacles. We use experimental and observational methods to identify barriers to healthy behaviors and we design interventions to reduce/remove/circumvent these impediments. Some of our current projects are described below.
Location:
Research Projects
In-Class Physical Activity: In collaboration with partners in multiple departments at CSU (Health & Exercise Science, Human Development & Family studies, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Marketing), we are undertaking research, funded in part by CSU Ventures, exploring innovative ways to support physical activity in classrooms to promote physical and mental health and enhanced content learning and retention.
Objective Assessment of Nutrition Information Use: In a series of ongoing studies, my students and I are using eye-tracking cameras to see whether and how consumers use nutrition information when making product selections.
Embodiment and Learning: Together with CSU colleagues in Psychology (Drs. Jessi Witt and Anne Cleary) and Math (Dr. Mary Pilgrim), with funding from The Institute for Learning and Teaching at CSU, we are incorporating the enactment of abstract concepts into undergraduate STEM instruction to help students learn through movement.
Parent-Child Food Selection: Together with Dr. Rachel Lucas-Thompson (CSU Department of Human Development and Family Studies), and Dr. Gina Mohr (CSU College of Business) this work, funded by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture and the Colorado School of Public Health at CSU, is examining how parents and children together select products from a laboratory set up as a grocery aisle. Both parent and child wear eye-tracking glasses during this task, and participant pairs are randomly assigned to one of four conditions based on two types of front-of-package nutrition labels and the presence or absence of an explanatory public service announcement describing the nutrition labels.
Food Packaging Studies: We are working with Dr. Christina Roberto (University of Pennsylvania), on examining how elements appearing on food packages, including front-of-package nutrition labels and licensed cartoon characters, relate to visual attention and product selections
Message Framing and Nutrition Label Use: Together with Dr. Gina Mohr in CSU's Department of Marketing, my students and I are working to understand how different presentations of nutrition information and different descriptions of the manner in which nutrition information should be interpreted relates to the use of this information by consumers and the products they select.
Community-Based Physical Activity: We are examining how different point-of-decision prompts influence perceptions of self and environment, and how these perceptions relate to subsequent physical activity behavior (e.g., choosing to take the stairs rather an elevator / escalator).