Danielle Symons Downs, Ph.D.

Professor in Charge, Undergraduate Program in Kinesiology

Associate Professor of Kinesiology and Obstetrics and Gynecology

Director, Exercise Psychology Laboratory

 

 

Contact Information:

Department of Kinesiology

Recreation Building

The Pennsylvania State University

Email: dsd11@psu.edu

Education:

Doctor of Philosophy in Health & Human Performance, Specialization: Exercise/Sport Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL

• Dissertation Title: Examining the Psychosocial Determinants of Exercise During Pregnancy Using the Framework of the Theory of Planned Behavior: A Prospective Investigation
• Advisor: Dr. Heather A. Hausenblas

Master of Arts in Psychology, Specialization: Applied Behavior Change, State University of New York, College at Brockport, Brockport NY

• Thesis Title: Neuropsychological Impairment in Soccer Athletes
• Advisor: Dr. David Abwender

Bachelor of Arts in Psychology & Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, Baldwin-Wallace College, Berea, OH

Research Interests:

Theoretical determinants of exercise motivation and participation; evidence-based behavioral interventions to promote physical activity and health during the preconceptional, prenatal, and postpartum periods; excessive exercise and eating pathology behaviors

Specializations:

• Individually-tailored, theoretically-designed, optimized behavioral interventions
• Motivational determinants and outcomes of physical activity, healthy behaviors, and weight management in women before, during, and after pregnancy
• Exercise psychology

Research and Teaching Purpose:

The purpose of my research is to understand how to motivate people to engage in physical activity and healthy behaviors. My training spans several disciplines and provides the foundation for my interdisciplinary program of research, teaching, and service in the Departments of Kinesiology and Obstetrics and Gynecology at The Pennsylvania State University. My scholarly interests are rooted in my early experiences in applied behavior change psychology, doctoral training in exercise and sport psychology that elucidated theoretical mechanisms underlying physical activity motivation and behavior, and subsequent research training and fellowship experience at Penn State in intervention methodology and clinical and translational research applications. My scientific biography of training and research has logically progressed from a broad interest in identifying key theoretical determinants and outcomes of exercise motivation and behavior along a continuum from sedentary behavior to exercise dependence to a specialized focus on physical activity intervention methodology. My research agenda has two major themes. The primary theme is to increase physical activity and healthy behaviors among women and their offspring during the preconceptional, prenatal, and postpartum periods. My secondary line of research involves understanding the theoretical and clinical implications of exercise pathology.

The purpose of my teaching is to inform and educate students on the psychosocial determinants of physical activity, the psychology of movement behavior, and the sociology of physical activity. It is my personal objective, along with the mission of the Exercise Psychology Laboratory at the Pennsylvania State University, to increase physical activity behavior in a variety of populations by understanding, predicting, and explaining the psychosocial factors that determine people’s exercise behavior and adherence.