NACS members investigating these basic human cognitive processes are primarily found in the Psychology Department, distributed across several labs and areas. This research typically involves the collection of reaction time and accuracy measurements during memory or reasoning tasks. Many members of this group employ sophisticated mathematical techniques not only to analyze data but also to formally instantiate theory and to direct future experimentation.

Anderson, Michael, Computer Science

Cohen, Leonardo G., Chief, Human Cortical Physiology Section and Stroke Neurorehabilitation Clinic,

The goal of our activity is to understand the mechanisms underlying plastic changes in the human central nervous system and to develop novel therapeutic approaches for recovery of function based on these advances. We utilize transcranial magnetic (TMS)and DC (tDCS) stimulation, fMRI, TMS in combination with fMRI, MR spectroscopy, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), PET scanning and magnetoencephalography (MEG) alone or in combination with brain computer interfaces (BCI). We investigate mechanisms of human plasticity in healthy volunteers and the impact in treatment of patients with stroke.

Daughters, Stacey B.,

Dr. Daughters is an Assistant Professor and the Director of the Stress, Health, and Addictions Research Program (SHARP) in the Department of Public and Community Health in the School of Public Health. Her research expertise includes the neurobiological and behavioral determinants of addiction and HIV risk behavior, and the translation of this knowledge into effective prevention and intervention programs aimed at reducing health disparities. She is currently examining the relationship between neurobiological indices of distress tolerance and substance use treatment outcomes via functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and salivary cortisol collection (HPA axis). She is also the PI on a NIDA funded R01 grant evaluating an integrated treatment to increase HIV medication adherence and decrease depression and sexual risk taking behavior among depressed, HIV positive minority substance users.

Dougherty, Michael, Psychology

My research is focused on understanding the cognitive, motivational, and affective components of hypothesis generation and human judgment. The primary thesis underlying my research is that hypothesis generation processes serve as the lynchpin for understanding and interpreting information in the natural environment, for evaluating the probability of various hypotheses, and for searching for information in the environment to test hypotheses. Addressing this thesis requires an integration of work from long-term memory, working memory, visual attention, and judgment and decision making.

Israel, Michael, English

Linguistics

Jiang, Nan, Linguistics

Nan Jiang studies adult second language acquisition and bilingual language processing from a cognitive perspective. His ongoing research projects concern topics such as bilingual lexical organization, language transfer, the automatization of linguistic knowledge, semantic development in second language acquisition.

Norman, Kent, Psychology

His interests are in cognitive psychology, judgment and decision making, and cyberpsychology. Cyberpsychology includes the study of psychological issues at the intersection of human behavior and computer technologies including the Internet, social computing, human-computing, and mobile computing. Current research involves the cognitive aspects human/computer interaction, interface design, usability testing, online surveys and experiments, menu navigation, and the assessment of user satisfaction to frustration and computer rage. In addition, Dr. Norman is interested in the design of electronic educational environments for collaborative learning and the construction of knowledge.

Perlis, Donald, Computer Science

I am a member of the Artificial Intelligence Group at the University of Maryland. I study various aspects of commonsense reasoning, including the related areas of cognitive modeling and philosophy of mind and language. An ongoing project of my research team (Active Logic, Metacognitive Computation, and Mind) is the use of time-situated metacognitive computation for enhanced flexibility and generality of reasoning.

Riggins, Tracy, Psychology

Research in Dr. Riggins's lab investigates the development of cognitive abilities, such as memory, in infants and young children. She is especially interested in how the development of the brain contributes to changes in cognition early in life. These questions are addressed using multiple methodological tools including behavioral and neuroimaging techniques (event-related potentials, ERPs and magnetic resonance imaging, MRI) in both typically developing children and children with neurodevelopmental disorders. The overall goal of research in Dr. Riggins's lab is to develop a better understanding of how early experiences influence the development of brain-behavior relations and result in individual differences in cognitive performance.

Roesch, Matthew R., Psychology

My laboratory studies the neural mechanisms of cognition and their disturbance in disorders such as addiction and schizophrenia. We are interested in the neural underpinnings of reward, learning, motivation, conflict, attention and decision-making. For example, we are currently investigating how the brain guides decisions based on expected outcomes and violations in those expectations. We address these issues with a variety of approaches in behaving rats, including neurophysiology, pharmacology, lesions and drug self-administration.

Wallsten, Thomas, Psychology

As a cognitive psychologist with a penchant for formal models and a primary research interest in behavioral decision theory, I seek to develop useful, well-grounded cognitive theory and methods of data analysis regarding judgment and choice processes.