When he was just a boy, James Holzworth found it curious that not everyone thought about things the same way he did. As a college student, he took a psychology course as an elective and was excited to discover that psychology allowed him to explore the brain and how people think. His fascination with the workings of the human brain impelled him to complete a B.S. in biology and psychology at Wayne State University in Michigan, followed by an M.A. and PhD. in psychology at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. For thirty years now, as a member of the Psychology Department at the University of Connecticut, Professor Holzworth has been teaching about how people think.

    As a graduate student, Jim Holzworth carried out research on judgment and decision making in the workplace. This focus continues in his current research into how feedback affects human judgment and decision making in such contexts as selecting job applicants and passenger screening. He plans to extend this research in the future to examine how people use their judgment and learn to make decisions in potentially dangerous and emergency situations. Professor Holzworth’s research has been published in numerous journals, and he has presented his work at conferences throughout the United States and Canada. He is currently developing a course on judgment and decision making to be offered to UConn undergraduates beginning in 2008.

    Since joining the UConn faculty in 1977, Professor Holzworth has taught introductory through graduate level psychology courses to undergraduates, graduate, and doctoral students. He encourages his students—beginning at the undergraduate level—to become involved in the many field research opportunities available at the University of Connecticut. The wide range of psychology courses available at Avery Point enables psychology majors to make significant progress toward completing their degrees while at the regional campus. According to Professor Jim Holzworth, students who share his curiosity about how we think can get a great start at Avery Point, where small class size often means more individual attention.