Contact Information

Address: Psychology Department
Barnard College, Columbia University
 3009 Broadway
New York, New York 10027

Office:          415L Milbank                 

Office Hours:  Wednesday 3-4

Phone:    212-854-2764

Email:      pstokes@barnard.edu

Career

Education                    

        B.A., Social Science, Michigan State University
        M.F.A., Painting, Pratt Institute
        Ph.D., Psychology, Columbia University

Advertising

         Copywriter
             J.Walter Thompson, N.Y. and Tokyo
             Avon Products, N.Y.
             Grey Advertising, N.Y.

         V.P., Senior Creative Supervisor
               Ted Bates Advertising, N.Y.

         V.P., Associate Creative Director
               Shaller Rubin Associates, N.Y.

         V.P, Creative Services
               Jordan, Case, McGrath, N.Y.

Academia  

         Adjunct Professor, Barnard College 

Favorite Honors

         Fellow American Psychological Association
         Emily Gregory Teaching Award

Courses

Introduction to Psychology

Format and Requirements:  

This is a lecture class.  There are three exams (with extra-credit essays). To do well you will have to meet the following goals.

1. To master basic brain anatomy and chemistry.
2. To apply this knowledge to understanding how drugs work.
3. To apply this knowledge to understanding how learning changes the brain.
4. To apply this knowledge to understanding how neural plasticity affects development.
5. To apply this knowledge to understanding the brain basis of major disorders.     

The Psychology of Creativity 

Format and Requirements:

This senior level seminar investigates the creative process by briefly reviewing classic models of creativity before applying contemporary models to several domains. Our discussions will be organized around the question “Are people (painters, architects, mathematicians) more creative working with or without constraints?”  Current models suggest that the (counter-intuitive) answer is the second, that constraints make creativity possible.  To see if this is so, readings and museum visits will acquaint us with the habits and output of major creative figures. Each seminar member will pursue an area for individual investigation (and class presentation).   Our ongoing investigations will be recorded in a “handbook” that will be written (in parts) throughout the semester.   The completed handbook is the required research paper. Finally, since psychology shows that we learn best by doing, we will “try on” a series of compositional constraints to see which make our own writings more precise, convincing and, perhaps, creative.