psychology, data analysis, human-subjects research, knowledge acquisition
Please note: This stream will be ending at the end of 2023.
WHAT WE DO
How can we make learning more effective and engaging? How can we support memory for important information? Do people have misunderstandings about how to learn and remember?
Questions like these are investigated in the Human Learning, Memory, and Cognition stream. We work with human participants to identify effective learning techniques, improve those techniques, and explore how to translate them into the real world. To accomplish this work, we use a mix of quantitative research methods drawn from the psychological sciences. Our research questions and findings are
relevant and applicable in many different fields – because human learning, memory, and cognitive
processes are fundamental to most human endeavors.
WHY IT MATTERS
Humans learn throughout their lives – not only in formal schooling, but also in the workplace or when talking with friends or reading a newspaper or watching TV. At various times in life, people may decide to start learning a new skill – such as how to play a musical instrument, speak a foreign language, or write computer code. In all these cases, humans rely on their memory and other cognitive processes to build their knowledge and accomplish their goals.
Because learning, memory, and cognition affect so many parts of our lives, research in this field can have far-reaching effects – for individuals, organizations, and society as a whole – potentially shaping improvements in schooling, workplace training, marketing, public health initiatives, and any other area that involves communicating information to be learned and remembered.
WHAT YOU LEARN
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Experimental and survey research design
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Proficiency with Qualtrics for programming and data collection
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Participant recruitment and research protocols
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Human research procedures consistent with IRB (Institutional Review Board) guidelines
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Data management
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Quantitative analysis and proficiency with SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences)
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Interpretation and communication of results
