Dr. Laird Edman Research Professor and Professor Emeritus of Psychology
Education:
Ph.D., University of Minnesota
M.A., (Psychology), University of Notre Dame
M.A., (English), University of Notre Dame
B.A., Luther College
712-707-7075
ledman@nwciowa.edu
VPH 211C
Laird Edman specializes in the cognitive science of religion, critical thinking, emotional intelligence, and teaching and assessing critical thinking. He holds a doctorate in educational psychology that focused on cognition and learning from the University of Minnesota, as well as master’s degrees in counseling psychology and English literature from the University of Notre Dame.
Dr. Edman’s research has been published in The Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, Religion, Brain, and Behavior, Mental Health, Religion, and Culture, The Journal of Psychology and Christianity, Psychological Reports, The Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council, Teaching and Learning in Honors, and The National Honors Report. He has chapters in several books, including The Oxford Handbook of the Cognitive Science of Religion. He has also presented papers, workshops and seminars at the annual conferences of the American Psychological Association, Association for Psychological Science, International Association for the Cognitive Science of Religion, the International Association for the Psychology of Religion, and the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion.
Prior to joining Northwestern’s faculty, Dr. Edman taught at the University of Minnesota, Iowa State University, Waldorf University, and Luther College. He received the Teaching Excellence award from Northwestern in 2008 and 2017, and he also holds Teacher of the Year awards from Waldorf University and the Honors Program at Iowa State University. At NWC he advised senior research students and taught Research Methods, History and Systems of Psychology, General Psychology, Learning and Cognition, Statistics, Psychology of Religion, and Psychology, Faith and Values: Senior Capstone.
Edman was a visiting scholar in Science and Religion: Scholarship & Christianity at Oxford University in 2015-16, doing research on cognitive and psychological issues related to worship and discipleship. He held the Northwestern College Endowed Professorship from 2011-16. His latest project involves translating research and theory in the cognitive science of religion for use in the Christian church. The primary output will be a book written for church leaders, but the project also includes other writing (journal and popular press articles). The project is funded by a $234,313 grant from the Templeton Religion Trust. Edman has previously been the Principle Investigator on a project in the Cognitive Science of Religion, conducted with Dr. Myron Penner from Trinity Western University, funded by a $228,500 grant from the Templeton Religion Trust.
In 2022, Edman was appointed to the American Psychological Association’s Council of Representatives, which serves as the governing body of the world’s largest association of psychologists. He also serves on the executive committee for his division, which focuses upon the psychology of religion and spirituality.
Edman, L., & Penner, M. (2022). Lived faith and cognitive intuitions: Some theological implications of the cognitive science of religion.” In Barrett, J. L., Ed. The Oxford Handbook to Cognitive Science of Religion. Oxford University Press.
Yoon, D. P., Bruininks, P., Smith, E. I., Witvliet, C. V. O., Cohen, D., Edman, L. R. O., Bankard, J., Little, K., & Johnstone, B. (2022). The relationships between positive character traits, virtues, and health. Social Work & Christianity, 49(2), 135-163. DOI https://doi.org/10.34043/swc.v49i2.188
Johnstone, B., Bruininks, P., Smith, E. I., Yoon, D. P., Cohen, D., Edman, L., Bankard, J., & Witvliet, C. (2021). Conceptualizing spirituality and religion as psychological processes: Validation of the factor structure of the BMMRS. Mental Health, Religion, & Culture. https://doi.org/10.1080/13674676.2020.1793311
Yoon, D. P., Bruinicks, P., Smith, E. I., Witvliet, C., Cohen, D., Edman, L., Bankard, J., & Johnstone, B. (2020). The relationship between positive character traits, virtues, and health. Social Work and Christianity.
Kundert, C., & Edman, L. R. O. (2017). Promiscuous teleology: From childhood through adulthood and from West to East. In Hornbeck, R. G., Barrett, J. L., & Kang, M., eds., Homo Religiosus and the Dragon: Religious cognition in China. Springer.
Yonker, J., Edman, L., Cresswell, J., & Barrett, J. (2016). Primed analytic thought and religiosity: The importance of individual characteristics. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 8(4), 298-308
Edman, L. R. O., Feenstra, J. S., & Jackson, A. L. (2016). Integration in undergraduate psychology: Goals and assessment. Journal of Psychology and Christianity, 35(2), 137-147.
Edman, L. (2015). Applying the science of faith: The cognitive science of religion and Christian practice. Journal of Psychology and Christianity, 34, 238-249.
Primary author of the Minnesota Test of Critical Thinking.
Chapter in Teaching Critical Thinking in Psychology: A Handbook of Best Practices, Wiley-Blackwell, 2008.
Chapter, “Are They Ready Yet? Epistemological Development and Critical Thinking,” in e-book Essays from E-xcellence in Teaching, published by the Society for the Teaching of Psychology, 2007.
Edman, L. (2020; Invited keynote: delivered electronically). Rummaging around in the basement: Current issues in the cognitive science of religion. Keynote Presentation, The Society for the Psychology of Religion and Spirituality Annual Meeting, Denver, CO.
Edman, L., and Penner, M. (2019). The Cognitive Science of Religion, Ritual, and Christian Liturgy. Invited presentation to the faculty and students of Western Theological Seminary, Holland, MI,
Edman, L., and Penner, M. (2019). The Cognitive Science of Religion, Theory of Mind, and Christian Prayer. Invited presentation to the faculty and students of Hope College, Holland, MI.
Edman, L., Boote, P., Husbands, E., Lamansky, L., Muilenburg, R., Paauw, H., & Swain, B. (2019). Intuitions about God and Satan: The relationship of mentalizing and imagination with the experience of supernatural good and evil. The 31st Annual Convention of the Association for Psychological Science, Washington, D. C.
Edman, L., Boote, P., Husbands, E., Lamansky, T., Muilenburg, R., Paauw, H., Swain, B. (2019). Is the devil more intuitive than god? Intuitive thinking, mentalizing, and the experience of supernatural agents. The Society for the Psychology of Religion and Spirituality Annual Meeting, Bowling Green, OH.
Harris, K., Hood, R., Park, C., Milstein, G., Exline, J., & Edman, L. (2019). Teaching the Psychology of Religion and Spirituality: Recommendations from experience. The Society for the Psychology of Religion and Spirituality Annual Meeting, Bowling Green, OH.
Edman, L., Dykstra, E., Boote, P., Husbands, E., Lamansky, T., Muilenburg, R., Paauw, H., Swain, B. (2019). Theory of mind, absorption, and analytic thinking: Predicting religiosity and religious experience. The International Convention of Psychological Science, Paris, France.
Associate Director of Honors Programs, Iowa State University
Teaching and Research Assistant, University of Minnesota
Instructor of Psychology and English, Honors Advisor, Luther College, Decorah, Iowa
Honors Program Director, Associate Professor of Psychology and English, Waldorf College, Forest City, Iowa
Adjunct Instructor of English, University of Notre Dame
American Psychological Association (Council of Representatives, 2022-)
American Scientific Affiliation
Association for Psychological Science
International Association for the Cognitive Science of Religion
Association for the Psychology of Religion and Spirituality (Executive Board, 2017-2020; 2022-)
International Association for the Psychology of Religion
Christian Association for Psychological Science
National Collegiate Honors Council
Upper Midwest Honors Council (president, 2003–04)
Guthrie Theater Educational Advisory Board (1994-1999)
Iowa Humanities Board Speakers Bureau (1990-1999)
Northwestern Faculty Excellence in Faith and Learning Award
Visiting Scholar in Science and Religion: Scholarship & Christianity in Oxford. 2015-2016.
Northwestern College Endowed Chair, 2011-2016
Teaching Excellence Award, Northwestern College, 2008-09, 2017-18
Honors Faculty of the Year Award, Iowa State University, 2002-03
Professor of the Year, Waldorf College, 1995
