Dr. Paul Mattson

Originally from Tulsa Oklahoma, I completed my undergraduate degree in philosophy and psychology at the University of Kansas.  I then studied experimental psychology at Washington State University, where I completed my Masters degree and my Ph.D.  I’ve taught in many different schools across the country, and have lived in Oklahoma, Kansas, Washington, Oregon, and New York state before settling down in Port Angeles.  I’m married to an amazing woman, and we have two adorable but noisy Pembroke Welsh Corgis.

Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mind, and it addresses key questions that I am very interested in.  For example:  What is consciousness?  What is memory, and how does it work?  What is the relationship between the biology of the brain and the way that we create memories, make decisions, or plan actions in the environment?  When most people think about psychology, they think about therapy or listening to someone’s problems.  That is not at all what I do.  I am a scientist who investigates the nature of the brain as an information processing system, and my passion is introducing my students to the surprising diversity and breadth of the field of psychology.

I’ve been teaching since I was in graduate school, and my experience is very broad.  I have prepared and taught courses on the psychology of learning, cognitive psychology, introduction to statistics, research methods, sensation and perception, evolutionary psychology, history of psychology, consciousness, psychological assessment, abnormal psychology, lifespan psychology, and social psychology.  Oh, yes, and I’ve also taught introduction to psychology.  Many, many times.  Even though I do not currently teach all of those courses, I funnel my broad range of teaching experience along with my research experience into my current course offerings to give students a deeper look at major topics in the field of psychology above and beyond what is presented in the textbook.