Psychology > Graduate Programs > Cognition
Cognition
Description of Research
Faculty members in this concentration have a diverse range of interests in human cognitive abilities. Dr Couvillon's research interest is the comparative analysis of learning, and her work includes study of both vertebrate and invertebrate species. Work with honeybees is focused on: 1) the rules that govern the interaction of stimuli in compound conditioning experiments, including summation, overshadowing, and blocking; 2) studies of inhibition in classical conditioning experiments; 3) the role of short-term memory; 4) the effects of variation in quality, quantity, and probability of reward on choice behavior in "risk-sensitivity" experiments; and 5) the development of a quantitative theory of honeybee choice behavior. Dr Lieberman's research explores the nature of the information-processing mechanisms that adaptively regulate: (i) the development of sexual aversions toward individuals categorized as close kin and (ii) kin-directed altruism. Currently she has been investigating the kinds of cues our mind uses to detect siblings. Data from her studies suggest that co-residence duration and exposure to one's mother caring for a newborn are two cues the mind uses to detect potential siblings in the social environment. Dr Minke has been particularly interested in the area of classroom learning in higher education. Along with John Carlson, he developed the unit mastery system for teaching introductory psychology and has been involved in various projects designed to evaluate features of the classroom method of instruction. His current interests center on educational assessment. Dr Sophian is particularly well known for her research on young children's understanding of numbers and quantitative relationships. Her other research interests include early logical reasoning, cultural aspects of cognitive development, and visual information processing. Dr. Vitousek's principal areas of interest are the eating disorders and cognitive-behavioral theory and therapy (CBT). Her recent work includes the assessment and enhancement of motivation for change in anorexia nervosa, development of modified CBT approaches for the eating disorders, therapist training in CBT, and caloric restriction for longevity.
The cognitive concentration has facilities for computerized experiments, response time recording and video analysis. Other facilities for animal learning research are available to students in this concentration elsewhere in the university.
Cognition Faculty:
- Dr Patricia Couvillon
- Dr Debra Lieberman
- Dr Karl Minke
- Dr Catherine Sophian
- Dr Kelly Vitousek
