Dr. Janell Blunt (she/her) is an Associate Professor at Anderson University, near Indianapolis, Indiana. She specializes in research on concept mapping and retrieval practice, including guided retrieval practice for elementary school students. She earned her Ph.D. from Purdue University.

Dr. Blunt’s research focuses on answering questions such as: How do students learn? What study strategies promote lasting, meaningful learning? How can evidence-based strategies, like retrieval practice, be incorporated into classroom activities? She has received funding from the National Science Foundation. Her work is published in several top academic journals, including the prestigious journal Science, and her research was featured in The New York Times and the ScienceDaily News.

Dr. Blunt teaches courses on cognitive psychology, research methods, and statistics and leads learning workshops for students and faculty. She is also a LinkedIn Learning instructor, where she shares evidence-based strategies and tips on how to learn at school, work, or play, in her course, Strategies to Learn and Upskill More Effectively. Dr. Blunt is passionate about bridging the gap between research and practice, and helping learners of all ages achieve their goals.

Additional language spoken: Spanish (intermediate)

Recommended research publication: Karpicke, J. D., & Blunt, J. R. (2011). Retrieval practice produces more learning than elaborative studying with concept mapping. Science, 331, 772-775.