Biographical Sketch:
Robert R. Provine, Ph.D.Click here to download as PDF file.
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Robert Provine, a neuroscientist at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, uses interdisciplinary methods to study the development and evolution of the nervous system and behavior, including human social behavior. Provine's research is published in his book Laughter: A Scientific Investigation, and in over 50 peer-reviewed reports, magazine articles and book chapters, and he has been Principal Investigator on three NIH research grants.
He follows the scientific trail wherever it leads, acquiring the necessary research tools along the way, which have included electrophysiology, tissue culture, embryonic microsurgery, neuroanatomy, neurochemistry, optics, photography, psychophysics, and behavioral field methods. His studies are often comparative and have involved over 40 species, including avian embryos, penguins, insects, turtles, snakes, alligators, chimpanzees and humans. A feature of his research, whether of bird flight, yawning, or manual signing, is the pursuit of universal, underlying processes, often using novel methods to study unusual behavior.
His recent studies of yawning and laughter, for example, are an extension of his neuroethological research agenda to humans, with the contagiousness of these acts providing an entree into social neuroscience and associated problems, including empathy and autism. His research tactic is rather like assembling a very large jigsaw puzzle, starting at the edges with some odd-looking pieces, converging toward the center, revealing a pattern that is not anticipated at the outset.
As a graduate student in psychology at Washington University, his interdisciplinary inclinations were facilitated by a fellowship that permitted mentorship in developmental neuroscience with two of its founders, biologists Viktor Hamburger (a National Medal of Science recipient) and Rita Levi-Montalcini (a Nobel Laureate). His eclectic interests are also reflected in his employment and research settings, which have included Departments of Psychology, Biology and Ophthalmology at Washington University, the Research Laboratory of Electronics at MIT, the Central Institute of Brain Research (Amsterdam), and, currently, the Department of Psychology at UMBC. Provine teaches five courses per year, including Sensation and Perception, Neuroanatomy, Physiological Psychology, Developmental Neuroscience, and Laughter and Humor. Lacking graduate programs in his area of specialization, most of his research collaborators and co-authors are undergraduate students.
Provine believes that good science makes a good story, complete with characters, plot, suspense, and resolution. The hunt for compelling stories guides his research, teaching, and work with the media. The popularization of science has been an interest since local newspapers covered his work as an amateur astronomer and telescope builder while a high school student in Tulsa.
The "practice of science in the public arena" is also reflected in his authorship of Laughter (a second book is under contract), writing magazine articles for a general audience, and participation in dozens of television shows, from 20/20 and Good Morning America, to The Discovery Channel, and over 100 radio shows, broadcast in the U.S., South America, Europe and Asia.
Laughter was selected as one of The 25 Books to Remember from 2000 by the New York Public Library, and his recent articles are reprinted in two leading anthologies, The Best American Science Writing 2006 and The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2006.
When not doing science, Provine is a jazz musician, martial artist, amateur astronomer, and road racer of his Corvette at local tracks.
Brief Curriculum Vitae
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ROBERT R. PROVINE
Professor of Psychology
University of Maryland Baltimore County
Baltimore, MD 21250
provine@umbc.edu/410-455-2419
Education
B.S. 1965 Oklahoma State University, Psychology (subspecialty Microbiology)
Ph.D. 1971 Washington University, Psychology (subspecialty Neuroembryology)
Experience in Higher Education
1974-present
Department of Psychology, University of Maryland Baltimore County
1971-1974
Research Assistant Professor of Psychology, Research Associate in Biology and Ophthalmology
Washington University/School of Medicine; Visiting Scientist, MIT
Professional specialties
Behavioral neuroscience, neuroembryology, social biology, science in the media
Courses Taught
Sensation and Perception, Physiological Psychology, Neuroantomy, Developmental Neuroscience, Laughter and Humor, Animal Behavior, Developmental Psychology, Introductory PsychologyBooks
Quirks: Not So Mundane Behavior. R. R. Provine, Harvard University Press, in preparation
Laughter: A Scientific Investigation.R. R. Provine, Viking/Penguin (2000), US, UK, French, Italian eds.
Research articles and book chapters (Selected from over 50 chapters, magazine, peer-reviewed articles)
Emoticons punctuate website text messages. R. R. Provine, R. J. Spencer, and D. L. Mandell. Journal of Language and Social Psychology 26 (2007) 299-307.
Laughter among deaf signers. R. R. Provine and K. Emmorey. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, 11 (2006) 403-409.
Yawning. R. R. Provine. American Scientist, 93 (2005) 532-539.
Laughing, tickling, and the evolution of speech and self. R. R. Provine. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 13 (2004) 215-218.
The science of laughter. R. R. Provine. Psychology Today, Nov/Dec (2000) 58-62.
The laughing species. R. R. Provine. Natural History, 109 (2000) 72-77.
Laughter. R. R. Provine. American Scientist 84 (1996) 38-45.
Wing-flapping during development and evolution. R. R. Provine. American Scientist, 72 (1984) 448-455.
Crossing the midline: Limits of early eye-hand behavior. R. R. Provine and J. Westerman. Child Development, 50 (1980) 437-441.
Neurophysiological aspects of behavior development in the chick embryo. R. R. Provine. In G. Gottlieb, ed., Behavioral embryology, Academic Press, New York, (1972) 77-102.
Electrical activity in the spinal cord of the chick embryo in situ. R. R. Provine, S. C. Sharma, T. T. Sandel, and V. Hamburger. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA 65 (1970) 508-515.
Honors:
The best American science writing 2006. R. R. Provine (Harper Perennial anthology)
The best American nonrequired reading 2006. R. R. Provine (Houghton Mifflin anthology)
25 Books to Remember 2000 (Laughter, R. R. Provine) (New York Public Library)
Media coverage: (Sample from dozens of television and hundreds of radio appearances and articles).
Television: 20/20, Scientific American Frontiers, Good Morning America, ABC Evening News
Radio: All Things Considered, Morning Edition, Talk of the Nation
Print: Newsweek, Time, New York Times, L.A. Times, Discover, Scientific American, New Scientist
Reviews of Laughter (sample): Time, New York Times, Times (London), Scientific American, Discover
Grants (Principal Investigator): NIH (three)