Arthur Graesser is an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Oxford, associated with the Oxford University Centre for Educational Assessment (OUCEA). He is a professor in the Department of Psychology at the Institute of Intelligent Systems at the University of Memphis.

He received his PhD in psychology from the University of California at San Diego. He has served as editor of the journal Discourse Processes (1996–2005) and Journal of Educational Psychology (2009-2014) and as presidents of the Empirical Studies of Literature, Art, and Media (1989-1992), the Society for Text and Discourse (2007-2010), International Society for Artificial Intelligence in Education (2007-2009), and the Federation for the Advancement of Brain and Behavioral Sciences Foundation (2012-13). He received the Distinguished Contributions of Applications of Psychology to Education and Training Award (American Psychological Association, 2011), the Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award (Society for Text and Discourse, 2010), and the title of Distinguished University Professor of Interdisciplinary Research at the University of Memphis (2014).

Panels

Art Graesser has served on recent panels to advance learning, education, and assessment:

  • Organizing Instruction and Study to Improve Student Learning, US Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences (Pashler, Bain, Bottge, Graesser, Koedinger, McDaniel, & Metcalf, 2007)
  • Lifelong Learning at Work and at Home, Association of Psychological Sciences and American Psychological Association (Graesser, Halpern, & Hakel, 2007)
  • Adolescent and Adult Literacy, National Academy of Sciences
  • Technology-based Learning, National Academy of Sciences
  • PIAAC Problem Solving in Technology-Rich Environments (OECD)
  • PISA Problem Solving 2012 (OECD)
  • PISA Collaborative Problem Solving 2015 (OECD)
  • Common Core Standards for Reading and Writing, National Governors Association, Gates Foundation, and Student Achievement Partners
  • How People Learn, edition 2 (National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine)
Research

Art Graesser’s primary research interests are in cognitive science, discourse processing, and the learning sciences. More specific interests include knowledge representation, question asking and answering, tutoring, text comprehension, inference generation, conversation, reading, principles of learning, emotions, artificial intelligence, computational linguistics, and human-computer interaction.

Art Graesser and his colleagues have designed, developed, and tested software that integrates psychological sciences with learning, language, and discourse technologies, including AutoTutor, AutoTutor-lite, MetaTutor, GuruTutor, DeepTutor, ElectronixTutor, HURA Advisor, SEEK Web Tutor, Operation ARIES!, iSTART, Writing-Pal, AutoCommunicator, Point & Query, Question Understanding Aid (QUAID), QUEST, & Coh-Metrix.

Publications
Books
  • D’Mello, S. K., Graesser, A. C., Schuller, B., & Martin, J. (Eds.). (2011). Affective Computing and Intelligent Interaction. Berlin: Springer-Verlag.
  • McNamara, D.S., Graesser, A.C., McCarthy, P.M., Cai, Z. (2014). Automated evaluation of text and discourse with Coh-Metrix.  Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press.
  • Sottilare, R., Graesser, A.C., Hu, X., & Goldberg, B. (Eds.),Design Recommendations for Intelligent Tutoring  Systems: Adaptive Instructional Strategies (Vol.2). Orlando, FL: Army Research Laboratory.
Journal articles
  • Graesser, A.C. (2011). Learning, thinking, and emoting with discourse technologies.  American Psychologist, 66, 743-757.
  • Graesser, A.C., & McNamara, D.S. (2011). Computational analyses of multilevel discourse comprehension. Topics in Cognitive Science, 3, 371-398.
  • Graesser, A.C., McNamara, D.S., & Kulikowich, J. (2011). Coh-Metrix: Providing multilevel analyses of text characteristics.  Educational Researcher, 40, 223-234.
  • D’Mello, S. K. & Graesser, A. C. (2012). AutoTutor and affective AutoTutor: Learning by talking with cognitively and emotionally intelligent computers that talk back. ACM Transactions on Interactive Intelligent Systems, 2(4), 23: 1-38.
  • Goldman, S.R., Braasch, J.L.G., Wiley, J., Graesser, A.C., & Brodowinska, K. (2012). Comprehending and learning from internet sources: Processing patterns of better and poorer learners.  Reading Research Quarterly, 47, 356-381.
  • Halpern, D.F., Millis, K., Graesser, A.C., Butler, H., Forsyth, C., & Cai, Z. (2012). Operation ARA: A computerized learning game that teaches critical thinking and scientific reasoning. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 7, 93-100.
  • Hu, X., Craig, S. D., Bargagliotti A. E., Graesser, A. C., Okwumabua, T., Anderson, C., Cheney, K. R., & Sterbinsky, A. (2012). The effects of a traditional and technology-based after-school program on 6th grade students’ mathematics skills. Journal of Computers in Mathematics and Science Teaching, 31, 17-38.
  • Graesser, A.C. (2013). Evolution of advanced learning technologies in the 21st Theory Into Practice, 52, 93-101.
  • D’Mello, S., Lehman, B., Pekrun, R., & Graesser, A.C. (2014). Confusion can be beneficial for learning.  Learning and Instruction. 29, 153-170.
  • Graesser, A. C., Li, H., & Forsyth, C. (2014). Learning by communicating in natural language with conversational agents. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 23, 374-380.
  • Graesser, A.C., McNamara, D.S., Cai, Z., Conley, M., Li, H., & Pennebaker, J. (2014). Coh-Metrix measures text characteristics at multiple levels of language and discourse.Elementary School Journal. 115, 210-229.
  • Greiff, S., Wüstenberg, S., Csapó, B., Demetriou, A., Hautamäki, J., Graesser, A. C., & Martin, R. (2014). Domain-general problem solving skills and education in the 21st century. Educational Research Review, 13, 74–83.
  • Nye, B.D., Graesser, A.C., & Hu, X. (2014). AutoTutor and family: A review of 17 years of natural language tutoring. International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education,24, 427–469.
  • Graesser, A.C. (2015). Deeper learning with advances in discourse science and technology. Policy Insights from Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 2, 42-50.
  • Graesser, A.C., Forsyth, C., & Lehman, B. (in press). Two heads are better than one: Learning from agents in conversational trialogues.  Teacher College Record.
  • Medimorecc, M.A., Pavlik, P., Olney, A., Graesser, A.C., & Risko, E.F. (in press). The language of instruction: Compensating for challenge in lectures. Journal of Educational Psychology.