Visual Cognition Laboratory Director: Prof. James R. Brockmole
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People and Contacts


Laboratory Director

Prof. James R. Brockmole Department of Psychology University of Notre Dame 127 Haggar Hall Notre Dame, IN 46556 Email: James [dot] Brockmole [at] nd [dot] edu Phone: (574) 631-7257 Brief bio and CV

Post-Doctoral Research Associates

Dr. Christopher C. Davoli Ph.D., Washington University, 2010. Chris’ research investigates the factors that shape our experience of the visual world. Thus far, he has studied how what is done with the body (e.g., posture, action), what is done in the mind (e.g., imagined postures, visualized actions), and what is experienced by the self (e.g., emotional arousal, recalled or imagined scenarios) affect behavior on a variety of visually guided tasks.  His work also considers exogenous factors (e.g., perceptual stimuli, the effects of psychotropic agents), neuropsychological syndromes and states (e.g., synesthesia, trait anxiety), and individual differences. Contact: 203 Haggar Hall, 574-631-8073, chris.davoli@gmail.com CV

Graduate Students

Gregory Davis Greg is a graduate student conducting work in the lab as part of a collaboration with Prof. Bradley Gibson. Greg's research interests are in the areas of visual attention and cognition, risk perception, and decision making. He is also interested in the computational modeling of these processes using neural networks. Click here for more information on Greg.

Senior Honors Thesis Students

Deborah Cronin (Aurora, IL) Since 2009, Deborah has been an active research assitant in the lab, primarily focusing her efforts on our eyetracking studies. Now an eye-tracker extraordinaire in her own right, Deborah is currently working on a senior honors thesis in which she is investigating whether and how spatial reference frames, implied motion, and perceived animacy are used by observers to inform gaze control desisions.

Undergraduate Research Assistants

Christine Allen Sophomore Anaheim, CA

Natalie Baldasare Senior Pittsburgh, PA

Matthew Donley Junior Houston, TX

Emily Ehrman Junior Orange, TX

Bryan Golubski Junior Dyer, IN

Shane Kelly Sophomore North Huntingdon, PA

Miles Klimara Sophomore Menomonee Falls, WI

Tim Scully Senior Gainesville, GA

Sarah Wiesen Senior Glen Arbor, MI

Lab Alumni

Dr. Adam Biggs. Adam was a graduate student at Notre Dame. While primarily working with Prof. Bradley Gibson, Adam engaged in a variety of research projects in the Visual Cognition Lab related to object recognition. Currently, Adam is a post-doctoral fellow at Duke University.

Dr. Louise Brown. Louise was a post-doctoral fellow when the lab was located at the University of Edinburgh. Her research investigated the nature and causes of age-related changes in visual working memory capacity. Some of this work can be found here. Currently, Louise is a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) at at Nottingham Trent University and she continues to collaborate with us on projects related to cognitive ageing and visual memory. You can learn more about Louise here

Krista Ehinger. Krista was an undergraduate student at the University of Edinburgh who pursued innovative projects examining the role of visual features such as color and spatial frequency play in the guidance of attention during real-world scene viewing. Some of her work on these questions can be found here. Krista is currently a graduate student at MIT.

Dr. Michi Matsukura. Michi was a post-doctoral fellow when the lab was located at the University of Edinburgh. Her research at the time investigated both exogenous and memory-driven aspects of attentional control during real-world scene perception. Currently, Michi is a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Iowa but she continues to work with us on projects we started together in Edinburgh. Her work with us can be found here.

Dr. Carol Walthew. Carol was a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Edinburgh and investigated various aspects of visual statistical learning, or the ways in which observers are able to learn about and exploit the stability and regularities that exist in our visual environments. Carol has since decided to pursue a research career outside of academia as well as the world's most exotic biking terrain.

Dr. Konstantinos Tsagkaridis. Kostas was a graduate student at the University of Edinburgh who continued to receive supervision from Prof Brockmole until the succesful completion of his P.h.D. in 2011. Kostas' dissertation considered the ways in which object functionality influences object perception. He is currently a visiting professor at the University of Cyprus. He will begin a post doctoral fellowship at Moss Rehabilitation Hospital (Philadelphia) in January 2012.

David Windisch. Dave was an undergraduate student at the University of Edinburgh. His research in the lab investigated the role of semantic memory and expertise in visual learning. His work in this area can be found here. Dave is currently pursuing graduate studies in finance and law.



Join the Lab

If you are interested in joining the lab to begin or develop your academic career, to pursue an advanced degree, or to gain research experience prior to graduate studies, positions are available!

Ph.D. Positions: Undergraduates interested in pursuing a Ph.D. in the Visual Cognition Lab starting in the 2011/12 academic year are encouraged to contact Prof. James Brockmole with their expressions of interest (James.Brockmole@nd.edu). The Department's application deadline is December 15, 2011

Undergraduate Postions: Undergraduates at the University of Notre Dame who have successfully completed their statistics requirement are invited to become part of the Visual Cognition Lab Team. Undergraduate research assistants work directly with faculty and other senior researchers to implement experiments by engaging in activities such as hypothesis development, stimulus creation, computer programming, participant testing, and data analysis. Students will broaden their academic experience by extending their learning outside the classroom, obtaining specific skills related to conducting psychological research, and developing applied critical thinking skills. Students of all educational backgrounds are invited to join the lab, and these opportunities will be particularly helpful for those preparing to attend graduate school. Please contact Prof. James Brockmole at James.Brockmole@nd.edu to learn more.