Faculty and Staff
Randy Lowell
Title: | Interim Campus Dean Professor of Psychology |
USC Union | |
Email: | lowell@mailbox.sc.edu |
Phone: | 864-424-8019 |

Dr. Lowell’s Research Webpages:
- ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Randy_Lowell
- PALM Psyc Lab: https://www.facebook.com/USCU.PALM.PsycLab/
Education
Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology, University of South Carolina, 2012
M.A. in Experimental Psychology, University of South Carolina, 2010
B.A. in Experimental Psychology, University of South Carolina, 2004
Courses Taught
Introduction to Psychology (PSYC 101)
Research Methods (PSYC 226)
Psychological Statistics (PSYC 227)
Independent Study in Cognitive Psychology (PSYC 399)
Cognitive Psychology (PSYC 405)
Social Psychology (PSYC 430)
Sensation & Perception (PSYC 450)
Research Interests
Understanding Skilled Reading Behavior and Incidental Vocabulary Acquisition
Second Language/Bilingual Reading
Intersection of Cognitive and Social Psychology (e.g. Implicit Bias, Perception, Memory,
Personality)
Publications
Lowell, R., Pender, K., & Binder, K. (Provisional acceptance pending final revisions).
Impact of informative context’s meaning consistency during incidental vocabulary acquisition.
Reading Research Quarterly.
Aziz, M., Lowell, R., Granger, K., & Self, K. (2018). Measuring Muslim religious identity
formation: Instrument assessment with a sample of Muslim-American students. Journal of Islamic and Muslim Studies, 3(1), 58-85. DOI: 10.2979/jims.3.1.05
Lowell, R., & Morris, R.K. (2017). Impact of contextual constraint on vocabulary acquisition
in reading. Journal of Cognitive Psychology, 29(5), 551-569. DOI: 10.1080/20445911.2017.1299155
Brusnighan, S., Morris, R.K., Folk, J., & Lowell, R. (2014). The role of phonology
in incidental vocabulary acquisition during silent reading. Journal of Cognitive Psychology, 26(8), 871-892. DOI: 10.1080/204459112014.965713
Lowell, R. & Morris, R.K. (2014). Word length effects on novel words: Evidence from
eye movements. Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics, 76(1), 179-189. DOI: 10.3758/s13414-013-0556-4
Professional Affiliations
Association for Psychological Science (APS)
American Psychological Association (APA)
Southeastern Psychological Association (SEPA)
Society for Teaching of Psychology (SToP)
Biographical Information
Dr. Lowell began teaching at USC Union in August 2012, transitioning into an administrative
role as Academic Dean in January 2016. During his tenure at USCU, Dr. Lowell has taught
a number of different Psychology courses in various formats (i.e. traditional, online,
beaming). He has also made it a priority to work with students on independent research
beyond the classroom in his Perception, Attention, Language, & Memory (PALM) Psychology
Lab on campus, through which students have assisted with his research agenda, but
have also initiated new lines inquiry along the way. This work with student research
helped to spawn the USCU Research Club that Dr. Lowell formed with a student research
assistant, which he continues to direct on campus.