Resume

• 2016

  Post Doctoral Fellow

  Higher Education & Learning

  University of Waterloo

• 2014

  Certificate in Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy

  Psychotherapy

  Centre for Mindfulness Studies

• 2013

  CEL Yoga (University of Waterloo)

  University of Toronto

  Toronto

  The Writing Instruction for TAs (WIT) program is designed to enhance discipline-specific writing in undergraduates through enhanced training and support for TAs. In the relatively short time I have been in this role of lead writing TA I have designed the writing curriculum

  assignments and tutorials for two psychology classes and presented these tutorials in large psychology classes. I have trained TAs in writing pedagogy

  giving several workshops on how to teach large tutorials

  strategies for helping students in one-on-one settings

  and provide formative feedback on assignments. I also act as a consultant

  meeting with TAs and helping them structure their own tutorials.

  Lead Writing Teaching Assistant

  University of Toronto

  Affect and Cognition Lab - Prof Eve De Rosa

  My research in this lab was aimed at addressing questions about attentional learning using behavioural and ERP methodologies.

  Research Assistant

  University of Toronto

  University of Waterloo

  As a leader in designing online courses

  the Centre for Extended Learning (CEL) not only develops cutting edge and engaging courses that employ evidence-based techniques and tools

  they are also engaged in important research in this growing field. In my role as an Online Learning Consultant (Instructional Designer)

  I work with content experts to develop engaging online courses

  bringing to each project my knowledge and expertise in human psychology

  motivation

  attention and learning. In my role as Research Associate

  I am involved in study design

  overseeing

  organizing

  and conducting data collection

  as well as analysis of large scale studies in online courses.

  Online Learning Consultant and Research Associate

  Centre for Extended Learning

  I was a teaching assistant for university level Cognitive Neuroscience and Introduction to Psychology for 7 years. In this role I ran tutorials

  worked with students one-on-one to improve writing abilities and understanding of course material

  marked assignments and exams

  and gave guest lectures.

  Teaching Assistant

  Department of Psychology

  Toronto

  Canada Area

  University of Toronto

  Toronto

  I teach Introduction to Cognitive Psychology at University of Toronto

  St. George Campus.

  University Instructor

  University of Toronto

  Psychology Department

  University of Waterloo

  I am currently a post doctoral fellow in Evan Risko's Cognition and Natural Behaviour Lab and Dan Smilek's Visual Cognition Lab. Here my research has moved from my PhD work in the lab

  studying individual differences in attention and working memory

  to real-world learning environments. I am exploring the impact of various different factors of instructional design (e.g.

  the use of multimedia) on attention

  working memory

  mind wandering

  and learning outcomes in learners in online and in-person classrooms. Further

  I am interested in how learners preferences and beliefs about their learning and their motivation may influence learning outcomes and interact with different modes of presenting lecture content.

  Post Doctoral Fellow

  University of Waterloo

  York University

  At the Milton and Ethel Harris Research Initiative we explore the impact of a novel therapeutic intervention in the treatment of Autism. We use behaviour

  electrophysiology (GSR and EEG)

  as well as eye tracking to assess differences in children with Autism (ages 2-6) pre- and post-treatment (over 2 year span)

  relative to typically developing children in the same age range.

  Lab Coordinator

  Milton and Ethel Harris Research Initiative Developmental Neuroscience Lab

  York University

  At the Milton and Ethel Harris Research Initiative we explore the impact of a novel therapeutic intervention in the treatment of Autism. We use behaviour

  electrophysiology (GSR and EEG)

  as well as eye tracking to assess differences in children with Autism (ages 2-6) pre- and post-treatment (over 2 year span)

  relative to typically developing children in the same age range.

  Research Assistant in Developmental Neuroscience Lab

  York University

  Cognitive Neuroscience Lab

  My graduate research focuseed generally on visual attention and memory. More specifically

  I have explored how cognitive processing

  such as attention and visual short-term memory relate to individual differences in more global traits such as personality

  general intelligence

  problem solving

  and learning/cognitive styles. My work suggests there are attentional styles that underlie some of the Big 5 personality traits

  which may explain some of the characteristics associated with these traits. I am currently interested in applications of this work to the field of higher education.

  PhD

  University of Toronto

  University of Waterloo

  Practicing and teaching yoga and mindfulness is a personal passion and something that brings me great joy. It brings balance to my life and is something I am excited to share with others. I have studied and practiced meditation and yoga for the past 20 years and have completed 200+ hrs of training in yoga instruction. I specialize in vinyasa flow

  restorative

  and working with individuals who are new to yoga and/or are working with illness and/or injury. I have been a yoga instructor at Ahimsa Yoga (Toronto) and Sukha Yoga (Guelph) and am currently teaching at University of Waterloo.

  Yoga Instructor

  CEL Yoga (University of Waterloo)

  This award was held from Sept 2010 to Aug 2011

  Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)

  Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS)

  Canadian Government

  Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS)

  This award was held from Sept 2011 to Aug 2012

  Canadian Government

  Post-Graduate Scholarship - Doctoral Award

  This award will be held from Sept 2012 to Aug 2015

  Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)

• 2010

  Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

  Psychology

  University of Toronto

• 2009

  Master’s Degree

  Cognitive Neuroscience

  University of Toronto

• 2008

  Contemplative Neuroscience

  The summer research initiative is \"an annual week-long retreat that advances collaborative research among scientists based on dialogue and collaboration with contemplatives\".\nhttp://www.mindandlife.org/\n\nI have been accepted to and attend this institute in 2008

  and 2012.

  Mind and Life Summer Research Institute

• 2006

  Bachelor of Science

  Psychology and Philosophy

  University of Toronto

• Psychology

  Multivariate Statistics

  Experimental Psychology

  Research

  Research Design

  Cognitive Neuroscience

  Scientific Writing

  Matlab

  Higher Education

  EEG

  University Teaching

  Electrophysiology

  Instructional Design

  Guest Lecturing

  Neuroscience

  Teaching

  Public Speaking

  Science

  Critical Thinking

  Eye Tracking

  Sensory Processing Patterns Predict the Integration of Information Held in Visual Working Memory

  Jonathan S. Cant

  Matthew X. Lowe

  Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception & Performance

  Given the limited resources of visual working memory

  multiple items may be remembered as an averaged group or ensemble. As a result

  local information may be ill-defined

  but these ensemble representations provide accurate diagnostics of the natural world by combining gist information with item-level information held in visual working memory. Some neurodevelopmental disorders are characterized by sensory processing profiles that predispose individuals to avoid or seek-out sensory stimulation

  fundamentally altering their perceptual experience. Here

  we report such processing styles will affect the computation of ensemble statistics in the general population. We identified stable adult sensory processing patterns to demonstrate that individuals with low sensory thresholds who show a greater proclivity to engage in active response strategies to prevent sensory overstimulation are less likely to integrate mean size information across a set of similar items and are therefore more likely to be biased away from the mean size representation of an ensemble display. We therefore propose the study of ensemble processing should extend beyond the statistics of the display

  and should also consider the statistics of the observer.

  Sensory Processing Patterns Predict the Integration of Information Held in Visual Working Memory

  Evan F. Risko

  Daniel Smilek

  Sidney D'Mello

  Caitlin Mills

  Mark Martinez

  Online education provides the opportunity to present lecture material to students in different formats or modalities

  however there is debate about which lecture formats are best. Here

  we conducted four experiments with 19–68 year old online participants to address the question of whether visuals of the instructor in online video lectures benefit learning. In Experiments 1 (N = 168) and 2 (N = 206) participants were presented with a lecture in one of three modalities (audio

  audio with text

  or audio with visuals of the instructor). Participants reported on their attentiveness – mind wandering (MW) – throughout the lecture and then completed a comprehension test. We found no evidence of an advantage for video lectures with visuals of the instructor in terms of a reduction in MW or increase in comprehension. In fact

  we found evidence of a comprehension cost

  suggesting that visuals of instructors in video lectures may act as a distractor. In Experiments 3 (N = 88) and 4 (N = 109) we explored learners' subjective evaluations of lecture formats across 4 different lecture formats (audio

  text

  audio + text

  audio + instructor

  audio + text + instructor). The results revealed learners not only find online lectures with visuals of the instructor more enjoyable and interesting

  they believe this format most facilitates their learning. Taken together

  these results suggest visuals of the instructor potentially impairs comprehension

  but learners prefer and believe they learn most effectively with this format. We refer to as the Instructor Presence Effect and discuss implications for multimedia learning and instructional design.

  Instructor presence effect: Liking does not always lead to learning

  Daniel Smilek

  Paul Seli

  In two experiments

  we sought to determine whether (a) people are aware of the frequently observed performance costs associated with engaging in media multitasking (Experiment 1)

  and (b) if so

  whether they modulate the extent to which they engage in multitasking as a function of task demand (Experiment 2). In Experiment 1

  participants completed a high-demand task (2-back) both independently and while a video was simultaneously presented. To determine whether people were sensitive to the impact that the concurrent video had on primary-task performance

  subjective estimates of performance were collected following both trial types (No-Video vs. Video trials)

  as were explicit beliefs about the influence of the video on performance. In Experiment 2

  we modified our paradigm by allowing participants to turn the video on and off at their discretion

  and had them complete either a high-demand task (2-back) or a low-demand task (0-back). Findings from Experiment 1 indicated that people are sensitive to the magnitude of the decrement that media multitasking has on primary-task performance. In addition

  findings from Experiment 2 indicated that people modulate the extent to which they engage in media multitasking in accordance with the demands of their primary task. In particular

  participants completing the high-demand task were more likely to turn off the optional video stream compared to those completing the low-demand task. The results suggest that people media multitask in a strategic manner by balancing considerations of task performance with other potential concerns.

  Volitional media multitasking: awareness of performance costs and modulation of media multitasking as a function of task demand

  Susanne Ferber

  Stergiopoulos

  Erene

  Stephen Emrich

  Although significant advances in our understanding of the cognitive and neural processes involved in conscious awareness have occurred in recent years

  the precise mechanisms that support consciousness remain elusive. Examining the neural correlates associated with the moment a stimulus enters or exits conscious awareness is one way to potentially identify the neural mechanisms that give rise to consciousness. In the present study

  we recorded neural activity using electroencephalography (EEG) while participants observed a bilateral shape-from-motion (SFM) display. While the display is in motion

  the observer perceives an object that is immediately segregated from a noisy background. After the motion stops

  the observer’s experience of the object remainsmomentarily in awareness

  before it eventually fades out of consciousness back into the noisy background. Consistent with subjective reports of perceptual experience

  we observed a prominent sustained posterior contralateral negativity known as the contralateral delay activity (CDA). This activity was sustained only in conditions associated with sustained awareness. Interestingly

  the amplitude of the CDA was correlated with individual differences in visual awareness

  suggesting that this activity plays a significant role in the maintenance of objects in consciousness. The CDA is typically associated with visual short term memory (VSTM)

  suggesting that conscious visual awareness may be mediated by the same neural and cognitive mechanisms that support VSTM. Our results demonstrate that the CDA may reflect the contents of conscious awareness

  and therefore can provide a measure to track when information moves in and out of consciousness.

  In and Out of Consciousness: Sustained Electrophysiological Activity Predicts Individual Differences in Perceptual Awareness.

  Maha Adamo

  Visual short-term memory (VSTM) is a capacity limited resource

  which is consistently estimated to hold about four visual items at a time. There is

  however

  debate in the literature about what constitutes an “item” and how resources are allocated within VSTM. Some research suggests information is stored in VSTM as discrete objects; however

  there is also evidence suggesting that within object features alter VSTM performance. The present study addresses the question of whether VSTM load effects reflect the number of discrete objects and/or the number of within-object features. An electrophysiological correlate of VSTM—the contralateral delay activity (CDA)—was measured while participants performed a lateralized change-detection task

  in which to-be remembered items varied in the number of features and locations. Each trial contained either a solitary simple feature (shape

  color

  or orientation) or one of two multifeature arrays: three features presented at three separate locations or three features bound at one location. While presenting multiple features—regardless of whether they are at discrete locations or bound within a single object resulted in greater CDA amplitude relative to a solitary feature

  there was a dissociation in the distribution of activity between the two multifeature conditions

  such that the CDA at site P1/P2 was sensitive to the number of discrete objects

  while activity at P7/P8 was most enhanced when multiple features were bound in one object. The findings demonstrate the inhomogeneity of the CDA and suggest this electrophysiological marker may reflect both discrete object individuation/separation and flexible feature-feature binding in VSTM.

  To bind or not to bind: Addressing the question of object representation in visual short-term memory

  Davood Gozli

  Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance

  Recent evidence suggests that visual working memory (VWM) load reduces performance accuracy on a concurrent visual recognition task

  particularly for objects presented in the left hemifield. It has also been shown that high VWM load causes suppression of activity in the right temporoparietal junction (TPJ). Given the resemblance of VWM load effects to symptoms of unilateral neglect (i.e.

  impaired perception on the left side and lesion to the right TPJ)

  we investigated whether VWM load effects are restricted to the left side of space or extend to object-centred reference frames. In other words

  akin to object-centered neglect

  can high VWM load cause a perceptual cost in attending to the left side of the stimulus? We addressed this question using an object recognition task (Experiment 1) and a visual search task (Experiment 2) showing that this transient left-neglect can indeed be modulated by an object-centered frame of reference. These findings suggest that load-induced impairments of visual attention are spatially asymmetric and can emerge within multiple spatial reference frames. Therefore

  the attentional consequences of high VWM load on conscious perception may serve as a useful model of unilateral perceptual neglect.

  The spatially asymmetric cost of working memory load on visual perception

  Online learning is a rapidly growing educational domain

  and while it totes many benefits

  learners face unique challenges. Video lectures

  a popular online content delivery format

  are frequently terminated within the first 5 min. Even when students watch the entire video

  mind wandering (MW) increases substantially as a function of time. One solution is to speed lectures up

  preserving lecture content while decreasing time on task. We tested the impact of speeding up lectures (1.6–1.7 times normal pace) on MW

  students’ judgment of learning (JOL)

  comprehension

  and self-reported lecture experience (i.e.

  interest

  enjoyment

  difficulty

  benefit). Experiment 1

  which included students with prior psychology knowledge

  revealed a small benefit of speeding lectures (F[1

  71] = 0.73

  p = .39)

  with a reduction in unintentional MW (F[1

  71] = 2.16

  p = .15). There was no impact on JOLs

  comprehension

  or subjective reports. Experiment 2

  which included participants with limited prior psychology knowledge

  showed no significant impact of speed on JOLs or MW

  although there was a small increase in MW for 1 lecture (t[74] = 2.03

  p = .05). There was also a small comprehension cost in the speeded lecture (F[1

  165] = 4.99

  p = .03); however

  in a real learning context

  this cost is likely offset by the benefit of being exposed to more lecture content. Taken together

  these results suggest little negative impact of speeding lectures on comprehension

  MW

  and JOLs; however

  these effects may vary with learner characteristics

  such as prior knowledge

  beliefs about one’s learning

  and interest.

  The benefits and costs of speed watching video lectures

  Jay Pratt

  Justin Ruppel

  Matthew X. Lowe

  How and what we attend to is foundational in determining the content of our experience

  thus differences in attention contribute significantly to how we perceive the world

  learn

  and develop. Personality also plays a role in constraining how we learn to perceive the world and it is conceivable that some facets of personality interact with visual attention

  however

  the relationship between these two constitutional aspects of psychology remains unclear. To address this interplay between cognition and personality

  we looked at how the Big Five personality traits relate to the spatial scope of attention

  as indexed by the spatial distribution of Inhibition of Return (IOR). IOR is marked by a decrement in reaction time when a target appears at a cued location

  more than 200 ms after that cue. As the cue/target distance increases there is a release from inhibition

  providing a measure of the spatial distribution of IOR and reflecting the spatial scope of attention. The results presented here show personality does predict the distribution of IOR. Specifically

  higher trait Openness is associated with a broader distribution of IOR and attention. This finding suggests there is an intimate connection between personality

  particularly Openness

  and the spatial allocation of attention.

  The scope of no return: Openness predicts the spatial distribution of Inhibition of Return

  Kristin E.

  Wilson

  BSc.

  M.A.

  PhD

  Centre for Extended Learning

  Milton and Ethel Harris Research Initiative Developmental Neuroscience Lab

  University of Waterloo

  University of Toronto

  York University