I am a cognitive psychologist and cognitive scientist. My own research centers around understanding the cognitive processes involved in language-related abilities, from word processing to conversation. My research stands at an intersection of method and theory: I explore questions of cognition through the lens of dynamical systems, utilizing theoretical concepts from this domain by adapting novel approaches to experimental and observational data analysis. For example, I have studied the dynamics of judging fuzzy sentences (e.g., "Is murder sometimes justifiable?") by tracking the arm as it moves through a task space (e.g., using the Nintendo Wii remote). Also, I have used novel mathematical techniques to quantify how two people come together as one analyzable "system" during linguistic interaction. All this work draws primarily from concepts and methods related to the study of complex and dynamical systems. In short, and in the broadest sense, I am concerned with the unfolding dynamics of cognition and behavior within and between people. Importantly, this is not at the exclusion of considering, and possibly integrating, multiple frameworks of explanation.
Current course sites: PSYC 3303-301, PSYC 7302
CogSci 