Assistant Professor of Psychology
About
Additional Research Interests: Neuroimaging, Attention
B.S. in Symbolic Systems from Stanford University
Ph.D. from the Department of Psychology at UC Berkeley
Postdoctoral fellow at UC Santa Barbara
Research interests:
Fundamentally, I am interested in the interaction between 'higher-level' cognition and 'lower-level' visual and motor processing. How do processes like attention and cognitive control (and related activity in the prefrontal cortex) interface with sensory and motor brain regions to help (or hurt) successful behavior? To investigate these issues, I use a combination of functional MRI, non-invasive brain stimulation via TMS, and behavioral experiments.
Some of my recent research has focused on the phenomenon of choking under pressure. In situations in which people are the most motivated, they often fail. What are factors that lead to failures in performance? What brain systems are involved in supporting superior performance and how are they affected in a variety of motivational contexts? Does changing the focus of attention protect against choking?
Affiliation(s)
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