L. Mark Carrier

Dr. L. Mark Carrier is Professor of Psychology at California State University, Dominguez Hills. He earned his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. in psychology from the University of California, San Diego. His areas of research interest are computers and human behavior, educational psychology, and the psychology of technology. Dr. Carrier’s area of research expertise is the effect of personal technology use upon our brains and behavior. His work helps to document and to find the reasons that children, students, and regular people engage in odd, destructive, or maladaptive behaviors when using computer technology. It also helps to generate ways that people can assess, monitor, and change their behaviors at home, in the workplace, or at school. The research laboratories—the George Marsh Applied Cognition Laboratory and the CSUDH Brain Imaging Laboratory—are made up of several doctoral-level researchers, Masters students, undergraduate students, and other volunteers. The research techniques and tools that are used include laboratory-based psychology experiments, online anonymous questionnaires, and brain imaging. Dr. Carrier also consults and gives talks about the effects of personal technology usage. He aims to translate the scientific research into everyday language and practical advice. He educates non-scientific and non-research audiences—such as clinicians, parents, adolescents, and educators—about the science behind their interactions with computer technology and everyday devices. In this capacity, Dr. Carrier helps people gain insight into problems caused by technology use and gives them options for solving or lessening those problems.