Xan Smith
PhD Candidate and Research Assistant
Contact Information
Research and Creative Interests
- video games
- cognitive psychology
- social psychology
- Gender Studies
- games user research
Biography
Biography
Xan Smith is a Ph.D. candidate in The Media School. Their research investigates gender identity and avatar creation for nonbinary, transgender, and gender diverse video game players. Their research explores how gender diverse players create their avatar, express themselves and their gender, and the impact of avatar identification on mental health and avatar embodiment.
Currently they are a research assistant for the Institute for Communication Research. If you need any assistance regarding conducting your research in the ICR please feel free to email me or find me at my desk in the ICR on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays (Room 012).
Xan received their M.A. degree in Psychological and Brain Sciences from Indiana University Bloomington in 2016 and their B.A. in Psychology from Earlham College in 2013.
Publications
Panoz-Brown, D., Carey, L.M., Smith, A.E., Gentry, M., Sluka, C.M., Corbin, H.E., Wu, J., Hohmann, A.G., & Crystal, J.D. (2017) The chemotherapeutic agent paclitaxel selectively impairs reversal learning while sparing prior learning, new learning and episodic memory. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, 144, 259-270. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nlm.2017.08.001
Smith, A.E., Slivicki, R.A., Hohmann, A.G., & Crystal, J.D. (2017) The chemotherapeutic agent paclitaxel selectively impairs learning while sparing source memory and spatial memory. Behavioural Brain Research, 320, 48-57. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2016.11.042
Smith, A.E., Dalecki, S.J., & Crystal, J.D. (2016) A test of the reward-value hypothesis. Animal Cognition, 20, 215-220. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-016-1040-z
Smith, A.E., Xu, Z., Lai, Y.Y., Kulkarni, P.M., Thakur, G.A., Hohmann, A.G., & Crystal, J.D. (2016) Source memory in rats is impaired by an NMDA receptor antagonist but not by PSD95-nNOS protein-protein interaction inhibitors. Behavioural Brain Research, 205, 23-29. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2016.02.021
Bratch, A., Kann, S., Cain, J.A., Wu, J., Rivera-Reyes, N., Dalecki, S., Arman, D., Dunn, A., Cooper, S., Corbin, H.E., Doyle, A.R., Pizzo, M.J., Smith, A.E., & Crystal, J.D. (2016). Working memory systems in the rat. Current Biology, 26, 1-5. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2015.11.068
Crystal, J.D., & Smith, A.E. (2014). Binding of episodic memories in the rat. Current Biology, 24(24), 2957-2961. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2014.10.074
Selected Conference Papers and Posters
Smith, X. (October 2022). I want to be me: Avatar creation and avatar choice for nonbinary video game players. Meaningful Play Conference, East Lansing, Michigan.
Yuqian Ni, Y., Smith, X., Booth, M., Corwin, M., Keene, K., Elko, S., Potter, R., & Velez, J. (May 2022). Health Information Processing for Patients with Aphasia: Engagement and Encoding During Visual Interactive Narrative Interventions. Communication Science and Biology Division, International Communication Association, 72nd Annual Conference, Paris, France.
Anderson, A. & Smith, X. (March 2022) Is it in the game? Reflections of race-based stereotypes in EA SPORTS FIFA 22. International Association for Communication and Sport, 2022 Summit, New Jersey, USA.
Smith, X. Choose your gender: Exploring character creation and avatar choice for non-binary video game players (CommonGround, The Media School, Indiana University Bloomington, April 2021) *Received Best Paper, 3rd Place