News

Congratulations to graduate student Nicole Markofski (left) for being selected to receive one of the competitive NMU Rutherford/Lewis Graduate Scholarships, and undergraduate student Macy Dove (right) for being selected to receive one of the competitive Dr. Jean Rutherford Scholarships🎉. Both of these scholarships are part of NMU's donor-funded scholarships. Both are awarded to outstanding and promising Psychology students in memory of Dr. Jean Rutherford. 


Undergraduate McNair Scholar, Elizabeth Brown traveled to Pittsburgh, PA to represent the lab at the 2025 National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) to present her research from our Experimental Analysis of Behavior (EAB) laboratory. Liz's project, co-led by graduate student Haillie McDonough, is focused on determining environmental variables that will alter the efficacy of the commonly used behavioral intervention called timeout. 

Congratulations to graduate student, Haillie McDonough for being selected as the Department of Psychological Science's 2025 Outstanding Graduating Graduate Student Award🎉. 


Congratulations to Dr. Forrest Toegel for being selected as one of NMU's 2025 Individual Innovation Awards for his research on substance use disorders🎉. 


The Toegel Lab traveled downstate to the 2025 Behavior Analysis Association of Michigan (BAAM) conference on the Eastern Michigan University campus! We presented some of our new research in two talks and three posters. Drs. Toegel also played acting roles in the special event, "Mock Trial of BF Skinner"!

Congratulations to Dr. Forrest Toegel for being selected as the 2025 recipient of the B.F. Skinner Foundation New Researcher Award in the area of basic research 🎉. This award comes from Division 25 of the American Psychological Association to recognize innovative and significant research contributions in behavior analysis conducted within the first 10 years of receiving a doctorate. 

As part of the award, Dr. Toegel will receive $250 from Division 25, $500 from the B.F. Skinner Foundation, and will deliver an address at the American Psychological Association’s 2025 convention in Denver, CO next August.

The Toegel Lab showcased some of our recent work at the 2024 Upper Peninsula Association for Behavior Analysis (UPABA) Annual Conference! Our group presented two talks and four posters.

Undergraduate student Liz Brown gave a great talk on her McNair Research Project at the NMU McNair Research Symposium!  Liz conducted her project in our Experimental Analysis of Behavior (EAB) rat laboratory!

Her project and talk are titled, Effects of the Timeout Production Schedule on Behavior Maintained by Concurrent Schedules of Reinforcement. 

Congratulations to Logan Zupko for proposing his Master's thesis!!

His thesis project is titled, Preferences for and Effectiveness of Role-Play on Acquisition of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Skills. Logan is conducting this project in our Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) laboratory. 


Congratulations to Haillie McDonough for proposing her Master's thesis!!

Her thesis project is titled, Effects of Response-Independent Food During Timeout on the Aversiveness of Timeout from Positive Reinforcement. Haillie is conducting this project in our Experimental Analysis of Behavior (EAB) laboratory with rat subjects. 


Congratulations to Mackenzie Baranski for defending her Master's thesis!!

Her thesis project is titled, Effects of Diazepam, d-Amphetamine, and Morphine on Rats' Choices between Food Alone and Food with Delayed Shock. Mackenzie conducted this project in our Experimental Analysis of Behavior (EAB) laboratory with rat subjects. 

Mackenzie will be moving on the the PhD program in Clinic Psychology (Forensic Psychology emphasis) at the University of North Texas in Fall 2024.

The Toegel Lab flew out to Philadelphia, PA for the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI) Annual Convention! Our group stayed busy presenting posters and talks. 

Pictured Below: 

Congratulations to the NSF A-Team for being selected as the NMU 2024 Innovation Team Award Winner! The A-Team members are Drs. Josh Carlson, Lin Fang, Cory Toegel, Forrest Toegel, and Jon Barch. The award recognizes the team for their success in obtaining grant funding for innovative research.

Our undergraduate students rocked their posters at NMU's 2024 Annual Celebration of Student Scholarship! Our lab had 2 posters this year:

1) Addie Bailey, Heron Dyer: Studying Self-Controlled Choice using Delay Discounting and Conflicting Consequences Tasks

2) Taylor Bartley & Kay Hintze: Why Pause? Effects of Signals on Ratio Schedules of Reinforcement

Congratulations to Mackenzie Baranski for being awarded one of NMU’s Board of Trustees Student Achievement Awards! Mackenzie was chosen as the inaugural recipient of the Outstanding Graduate Student Award based on her exemplary performance at NMU in her classes and her research conducted in our labs! Check out more here.


Congratulations to Kay Hintze for being awarded one of NMU’s competitive Undergraduate Research Fellowships. Kay will complete the fellowship and project in the Toegel Lab over the next year. The fellowship provides a stipend to work on the project and present the results.

Kay’s project is titled, “A therapeutic workplace for homeless adults with alcohol use disorders: Post-intervention outcomes review.” During the fellowship, Kay will analyze and present outcome data from completed clinical trials and work on an ongoing clinical trial in the Northern Center for Learning and Health (NCLH) within the Toegel labs.

Dr. Forrest Toegel and Dr. Cory Toegel visited the campus of Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island to give invited research talks! Dr. Forrest Toegel presented recent research from our lab on substance abuse and HIV medication adherence for the Rhode Island Association of Behavior Analysis (RIABA) annual conference. Dr. Cory Toegel presented recent research from our lab on rich-lean transitions for the pre-conference colloquium.  

Congratulations to Dr. Cory Toegel for receiving one of Northern Michigan University's Reassigned Time Awards! Dr. Toegel has been awarded a one-course reduction for the Fall 2024 semester to complete one of the team's research projects titled, "Evaluating Self-Controlled and Impulsive Choice in Animal Models". 

Dr. Forrest Toegel presented some of our HOP lab research at the Behavior Analysis Association of Michigan (BAAM) Annual Conference in Ypsilanti, Michigan! 

Toegel, F., McDonough, H., Toegel, C. (2024, February 22-23). Effects of response effort on money-loss avoidance and the reinforcing efficacy of timeout. In F. Toegel (chair), Recent Human Operant Research on Relapse and Negative Reinforcement [Symposium]. Annual Convention of the Behavior Analysis Association of Michigan, Ypsilnati, MI.


Darian Grear and Jen Jones, undergraduate students in The Toegel Lab,  presented a poster from their research project at the 11th Annual Michigan Autism Conference in Kalamazoo, Michigan! 

Grear, D., Zupko, L., Jones, J., Toegel, F., & Toegel, C. (2023, October 6-7). Comparing effectiveness and preference of numerical and narrative feedback when learning clinical skills [Poster presentation]. 11th Annual Michigan Autism Conference, Kalamzaoo, MI, United States.

We have been conducted this research at the NMU BEAR Center on campus.

The Toegel Lab roadtripped to Milwaukee, WI for the Wisconsin Association for Behavior Analysis (WisABA) annual conference! Our group presented several posters, listed below (*presenting author).


*McDonough, H., Toegel, C., & Toegel, F. (2023, October 6-7). Effects of response-loss interval and target size on the value of timeout from money-loss avoidance [Poster presentation]. Wisconsin Association of Behavior Analysis Annual Conference, Milwaukee, WI, United States.

*Bailey, A.D., *Dyer, H., Baranski, M., Bault, H., Toegel, C., & Toegel, F. (2023, October 6-7). Animal models of self-control: Preliminary results [Poster presentation]. Wisconsin Association of Behavior Analysis Annual Conference, Milwaukee, WI, United States.

*Zupko, L., *Grear, D., *Jones, J., Toegel, F., & Toegel, C. (2023, October 6-7). Effects of performance feedback and learning and preference [Poster presentation]. Wisconsin Association of Behavior Analysis Annual Conference, Milwaukee, WI, United States.

*Bartley, T., Toegel, F., Baranski, M., & Toegel, C. (2023, October 6-7). Why pause? Effects of signals on ratio schedules of reinforcement [Poster presentation]. Wisconsin Association of Behavior Analysis Annual Conference, Milwaukee, WI, United States.

*Otto, S., Novak, M.D., Silverman, K., Holtyn, A.F., & Toegel, F. (2023, October 6-7). Suitability of wearable biosensors for long-term remote monitoring of treatment for alcohol use disorder [Poster presentation]. Wisconsin Association of Behavior Analysis Annual Conference, Milwaukee, WI, United States.

*Baranski, M., Silverman, K., Arellano, M., Novak, M.D., Holtyn, A.F., & Toegel, F. (2023, October 6-7). Employment outcomes of abstinence-contingent wage supplements for adults experiencing homelessness and alcohol use disorder [Poster presentation]. Wisconsin Association of Behavior Analysis Annual Conference, Milwaukee, WI, United States.

Toegel Lab PIs, Drs. Cory and Forrest Toegel, are part of the team with Drs. Josh Carlson, Lin Fang, and Jon Barch, who were awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) grant totaling $413, 282. 

The grant will fund the purchase of High-Density EEG systems which allow for transcranial electric stimulation to modulate precise regions of the brain. 

The Toegel lab will be using the equipment in their human-operant performance (HOP) laboratory, specifically for their relapse projects. 

Congratulations to Carson Yahrmarkt for defending his Master's thesis!!


His thesis project is titled, Control of Pausing in Rich-Lean Transitions by Spatially Localized and Spatially Diffuse Stimuli. Carson conducted this project in our Experimental Analysis of Behavior (EAB) laboratory with rat subjects. 


Carson will be moving on the the PhD program in Psychology (Behavior Analysis emphasis) at West Virginia University in Fall 2023.

The Toegel Lab flew out to Denver, Colorado for the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI) Annual Convention! Our group stayed busy presenting posters and talks. 

Pictured Below: 

Yahrmarkt, C., Toegel, F., & Toegel, C. (2023, May). Control of Pausing in Rich-Lean Transitions by Spatially Localized and Spatially Diffuse Stimuli. Symposium at the 49th meeting of the Association of Behavior Analysis International Annual Convention, Denver, Colorado.

Baranski, M., Toegel, C., Yahrmarkt, C., & Toegel, F. (2023, May). Effects of simulated alcohol impairment on college students’ driving simulator trials and field sobriety tests. Poster presentation submitted to the 49th meeting of the Association of Behavior Analysis International Annual Convention, Denver, CO.

Toegel, F., Novak, M. D., Baranski, M., Rodewald, A. M., Silverman, K., & Holtyn, A. F. (2023, May 25-29). Evaluating two remote incentive-based interventions to promote buprenorphine adherence and abstinence from illicit opioids [Poster presentation]. 49th meeting of the Association of Behavior Analysis International Annual Convention, Denver, CO, United States.

Congratulations to Taylor Bartley and Addie Bailey for being selected to NMU’s first cohort of the Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program for 2023-2024! Both students will complete their projects in the Experimental Analysis of Behavior Laboratory with rat subjects. The award provides each student with $2000 to help them complete their projects.

Taylor’s project: Evaluating the Role of Signals on Pausing and Preference under Ratio Schedules

Addie’s project: Evaluating Laboratory Arrangements to Study Impulsivity and Self-Control in Choice Models with Rats

Our undergraduate students rocked their posters at NMU's Annual Celebration of Student Scholarship! Our lab had 5 posters this year:

1) Abi Connolly: Evaluating Human Operant Performance Methodology on the Study of Renewal

2) Logan Zupko & Darian Grear: Effects of Performance Feedback on Learning and Preference

3) Hunter Bault & Mackenzie Baranski: Investigating Self-Controlled Choice in Rats

4) JD Payne, Ender Harris, Brandon Godin, Lily Briggs, Nicole Marion (collab with LaCrosse lab): Discrimination Reversal Task Training in C57 and CD1 Mice Strains    ***2nd Place Best Poster in Group Category***

5) Brandon Godin, Ender Harris, JD Payne, & Lily Briggs (collab with LaCrosse lab): Evaluating Cognitive Deficits Associated with Cisplatin Chemotherapy in Mouse Models


Congratulations to Mackenzie Baranski for receiving one of NMU's Excellence in Education Research Awards! The award provides additional funds to support Mackenzie's Master's Thesis project during the summer of 2023. 


Congratulations to Dr. Cory Toegel for receiving one of Northern Michigan University's Faculty Research Grants! The grant will support the Toegel lab’s research titled, “Investigating Laboratory Arrangements to Study Choice: Impulsivity and Self-Control.”


Dr. Toegel received $7000 to purchase equipment and upgrade the rat lab in the Experimental Analysis of Behavior laboratory. This project will facilitate new graduate and undergraduate student projects in the areas of impulsivity, self-control, and behavioral pharmacology.

Dr. Forrest Toegel was featured in NMU's Northern Magazine for the research conducted by his students in PSY202: Psychological Research II: Experimental Design and Methodology.


Check out the article: https://nmu.edu/northernmagazine/academic-highlights-psychology

Undergraduate student, Hunter Bault, presented her research from our lab at the 2022 Tri-State Undergraduate Psychology Research Conference in Dubuque, IA. 

Her poster was titled

Effects of Simulated Alcohol Impairment on College Students' Driving-related Behavior

Graduate students, Mackenzie Baranski (left) and Carson Yahrmarkt (right) presented their research from our lab at the 2022 Mid-American Association for Behavior Analysis (MABA) conference! 

Their poster titles were:

Effects of Alcohol Intoxication Goggles on Performance During Driving Simulator Trials and Field Sobriety Tests by College Students (Mackenzie)

Control of Pausing in Rich-Lean Transitions by Spatially Localized and Spatially Diffuse Stimuli (Carson)

Congratulations to Dr. Cory Toegel for receiving one of Northern Michigan University's Reassigned Time Awards! Dr. Toegel has been awarded a one-course reduction for the Winter 2023 semester to begin one of her ABA research projects titled, "Effects of Performance Feedback on Learning and Performance". 

Congratulations to Carson Yahrmarkt for receiving the Innovative Student Research Award in Basic Research for his Master's Thesis. This award is provided by the Society for the Advancement of Behavior Analysis (SABA) and is given to only a few students each year. His project is titled "Control of Pausing in Rich-Lean Transitions by Spatially Localized and Spatially Diffuse Stimuli." Carson was awarded $2500 to support his project. 

Learn more about Carson's award.

The Toegel Lab presented some of our research at the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI) 2022 Convention in Boston, MA. 

Dr. Forrest Toegel's talk (left) was titled, "Pausing Under Rich and Lean Fixed-Ratio Schedules: Where and When?"

Dr. Cory Toegel's talk (right) was titled, "A Comparison of Narrative and Numerical Feedback for Teaching Clinical Tasks."

Congratulations to Carson Yahrmarkt for receiving one of NMU's Excellence in Education Research Awards! The award provides additional funds to support Carson's Master's Thesis project during the summer of 2022. 

Congratulations to Carson Yahrmarkt for Best Basic Research Poster at the Mid-American Association for Behavior Analysis 2021 Conference!

Carson's poster was titled "Rich-Lean Transitions Produced by Stimuli Associated with Accurate and Inaccurate Responding by Pigeons."

Check out Toegel Lab members in the media!

Dr. Cory Toegel presents her personal pathway to science and some upcoming research projects to the Peter White Public Library Women in Science 2022 presenter series:     Watch Now



Dr. Forrest Toegel discusses some of the research he worked on at the Center for Learning and Health at Johns Hopkins University in 2020. 

Watch Video 1 (About the Center)  

 Watch Video 2 (HIV) 

Listen to the Podcast (Opiate and Cocaine Use)

Use the picture carousel to the left to view some pictures of us building the EAB rat lab!