Your safety is our top priority. Please visit dccc.edu/coronavirus to access resources and information to help support student success during the pandemic.
Hayley Nelson, PhD

Associate Professor
Business, Computing & Social Science
Contact Information
Marple901 South Media Line Road
Media, PA 19063-1094
610.359.5000
Room Number: 3317
Contact Faculty
Degrees
- Ph.D. - Psychological and Brain Sciences, The Johns Hopkins University, 2010
- M.A. - Psychological and Brain Sciences, The Johns Hopkins University, 2007
- B.A. - Psychology, The State University of New York, College at Geneseo, 2003
Papers
- Species differences in the relative densities of D1- and D2-like dopamine receptor subtypes in the Japanese quail and rats: an i
- A single high dose of methamphetamine increases cocaine self-administration by depletion of striatal dopamine in rats
- Is sexual motivational state linked to dopamine release in the medial preoptic area?
- Differential effects of central injections of D1 and D2 receptor agonists and antagonists on male sexual behavior in Japanese qu
- Dopamine release in the medial preoptic area is related to hormonal action and sexual motivation
- A comparative approach to the study of dopamine and male sexual behavior: What can Japanese quail teach us? A reply to Pfaus (20
- HVC lesions modify immediate early gene expression in auditory forebrain regions of female songbirds
- Clinical subtypes of depression are associated with specific metabolic parameters and circadian endocrine profiles in women: The
Academic Biography
Dr. Hayley Nelson is a full-time Assistant Professor of Psychology at Delaware County Community College (DCCC) where she teaches PSY 140 - General Psychology, PSY 204 - Foundations of Addiction, and PSY 255 - Introduction to Biological Psychology. She is actively involved in the campus community as a co-chair for the Student Affairs Committee, Faculty Advisor for the Psychology Club, member of the BCSS symposium planning committee (America in Crisis), member of a Middle States Commission on Higher Education self-study working group at DCCC, and is an academic advisor for Psychology majors. Prior to joining DCCC, Dr. Nelson was a full-time lecturer and Research Director for the Biological Basis of Behavior Program at the University of Pennsylvania, and was a Human Factors scientific consultant at Exponent Failure Analysis Associates where she addressed the role of human perception, performance, and behavior in accident scenarios taking into account various behavioral components including drug and alcohol use. Dr. Nelson earned her PhD in 2010 at The Johns Hopkins University Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences where she received behavioral neuroscience training in the classroom and laboratory, leading to several peer-reviewed research publications on the role of dopamine in motivated behaviors. Dr. Nelson also has work published from her time as a researcher with the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA).
Scholarly Interests
- biological psychology
- behavioral neuroscience
- biological basis of behavior
- motivated behaviors
- addiction
- psychopharmacology
- dopamine
- neuroanatomy
- neuroethology
- psychology