Joseph Danks

Directly after receiving his Ph.D., Dr. Danks started as an assistant professor at Kent State University and was promoted through the ranks to professor of psychology. From 1985 to 1992, he served as chair of the Department of Psychology. In 1996, Dr. Danks was appointed dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, a position he held until retiring from Kent State in 2004 as professor and dean emeritus. During his career as an experimental psychologist specializing in psycholinguistics, Dr. Danks has published three books, more than 80 refereed articles and book chapters, and presented numerous professional papers. He has served on the editorial boards of several professional journals and on review panels for the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). He also has been a principal investigator on numerous grants from several different federal agencies including NSF and NIMH. His research in psycholinguistics has focused on how people comprehend sentences and text, especially across languages, and the cognitive processes involved in translation. More recently, he has been part of a research team investigating advanced medical care directives (e.g., living wills) in elderly patients. He currently serves as the director of strategic initiatives at the University of Maryland Center for Advanced Study of Language (CASL). Married for over 40 years, Dr. Danks and his wife Carol have two sons. Mark directs a computer game development studio in San Francisco and David is associate professor of philosophy and psychology at Carnegie Mellon University. Joe and Carol are the proud grandparents of three granddaughters. Dr. Danks is a scuba diver who has ventured on many dive trips throughout the Caribbean and the coral triangle in Southeast Asia.

PUBLICATIONS:

• Zettel-Watson, L., Ditto, P. H., Danks, J. H., & Smucker, W. D. (2008). Actual and perceived gender differences in the accuracy of surrogate decisions about life-sustaining medical treatment among older spouses. Death Studies, 32(3), 273-290. Full Text
• Ditto, P. H., Jacobson, J. A., Smucker, W. D., Danks, J. H., & Fagerlin, A. (2006). Context changes choices: a prospective study of the effects of hospitalization on life-sustaining treatment preferences. Medical Decision Making, 26(4), 313-22. Full Text
• Hawkins, N. A., Ditto, P. H., Danks, J. H., & Smucker, W. D. (2005). Micromanaging death: process preferences, values, and goals in end-of-life medical decision making. Gerontologist, 45(1), 107-17. Full Text