About

My recent work involves the study of mindfulness as a trait and a state. See my book on the effects of mindfulness on brain, mind, and life. In our research, we're interested in a new, broader definition of mindfulness, which includes self-awareness, self-regulation, as well as self-transcendence. We're particularly interested in how these aspects foster not just personal wellbeing, but can also be of benefit to others, by fostering wisdom, virtue, compassion, and social justice.

Historically, most of the work in our lab has centered around cognitive aging: What happens to people's minds as they grow older? Much of my meta-analytic work boils down to the question of the dimensionality of cognitive aging: Does it all go together when it goes?

Much of our experimental work on aging has focused on cognitive control. Cognitive control concerns dealing with complex tasks in a complex environment, which includes: (a) making sure that only the appropriate stimuli from the environment enter into consciousness; (b) continuously updating the content of working memory; (c) switching between different tasks; (d) coordinating the different actions that need to be performed; and (e) switching back and forth between relevant stimuli. Some of these aspects seem to be more susceptible to aging than others (b, c, and d); some have different effects of speed and accuracy (e).

We also conducted research on working memory per se. We are very interested in working memory dynamics. How (or even when) do people search working memory? Can we distinguish different subsystems in working memory depending on the retrieval dynamics? Are the memory processes in working memory cognitive primitives, or are they subsumed under known mechanisms of attentional control?
A fourth research interest is creativity, more specifically the link between creativity (or, as we like to think of it, mental play), mood disorder, and different types of rumination.

About

I received my degree from Washington University in St. Louis. After moving around a bit (Binghamton University and Stanford University)I arrived at Georgia Tech in 2001. I'm a member of the Cognition and Brain Science, Cognitive Aging, and Quantitative Psychology areas of the department.  

About

My overarching goal is to ensure that technology is developed with the end user in mind. All aspects of design, implementation, adoption, and use of a system or device can be enhanced by considering the perceptual, cognitive, and social needs and abilities of those who will use it. Research in my Sonification Lab focuses on three main areas:

1. Sonification and auditory displays. 
Determining which type of display is appropriate for a system, and then how best to implement it, is a growing challenge, especially as devices continue to shrink in size. The use of sound to communicate information has become more common, but there is little theory to guide auditory display designers. Therefore, we study the perception and understanding of auditory displays, and helping to build up both the theoretical and practical foundations. In particular, our lab studies sonification, the use of sound to display and analyze scientific data. Our findings about how listeners interpret these auditory graphs is leading to more effective data exploration tools, for both sighted and visually impaired researchers and students. 

2. Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) in Non-Traditonal Interfaces.
In situations where there is not necessarily a monitor, keyboard, mouse, etc., what are the best ways to create a successful interaction between the user and the system? Designers need to "think outside the box" and utilize novel interaction style, non-traditional interfaces, and make use of all sensory modalities. Certainly auditory displays fit into this category. However, tactile, voice, and vibration interfaces also apply, as do many others we have not even imagined yet! 

3. Psychological and social factors in the adoption and use of technology.
When first introduced, any new technology will raise both fears and excitement. What are the traits that help a new technology to become accepted and adopted by users so much that it becomes part of our daily lives (e.g., telephones, microwaves, electronic mail)? I am beginning to examine the many factors that contribute to the evolution of a device from "new technology" to "household appliance".

Some other areas of my recent research include: HCI in unique task environments such as the International Space Station; delivery of government services through various channels (Web, telephone, and touch-screen kiosks); stimulus-response compatibility in the design of interface controls; and the use of sound in the teaching of statistical concepts.

About

My area of expertise is in the cognitive neuroscience of aging. My specialties include the application of functional and structural neuroimaging methods to understand cognitive and brain aging as well as behavioral endocrinology. I have devoted much of my career to the study of the effects of steroid hormones on behavior and brain function. Among my contributions to this field are studies assessing the effect of gonadal steroids on spatial cognition, hemispheric asymmetry and interhemispheric communication. Most recently my work has focused on the cognitive and neurological actions of stress and cortisol in elderly humans. I have been at the forefront of developing and using virtual environment technology to assess spatial memory in elderly individuals and have completed numerous behavioral and functional/structural neuroimaging studies investigating the effects of age on the neural systems supporting human spatial memory.

About

I work on the high-level aspects of perceptual decision making. My research attempts to elucidate the brain mechanisms that influence what we perceive, as well as build computational models that explain current findings and lead to novel testable predictions. Specific areas of emphasis include visual metacognition, neural network models of vision, high-level processes like expectation and attention, and the role of large-scale brain networks in cognition.

To understand how perception emerges in the brain, I use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Recently, I have combined these methods by delivering TMS simultaneously with fMRI. Although technically challenging, this method is very exciting for its power to combine the causal inferences associated with directly perturbing brain function with understanding of how such perturbations affect activity across the entire brain.

To understand the principles behind perception, I use computational models built on signal detection theory, drift diffusion, convolutional neural networks, and Bayesian inference. I am especially interested in how these different approaches relate to each other, as well as how they can be combined to explain accuracy, reaction time, and confidence within the same framework.

About

     My research interests are in the development and application of item response theory (IRT) models to measure psychological constructs.  Over the past two decades, I have developed a family of polytomous IRT models to unfold responses to test or questionnaire items.  These unfolding models imply higher item scores to the extent that an individual is located close to an item on a unidimensional latent continuum.  Unfolding item response models can be used to measure attitudes using responses from traditional Likert or Thurstone scales.  They can also be used to assess satisfaction, preference, personality and individual differences in certain developmental processes that occur in distinct stages.  My research and development efforts with unfolding IRT models have been recognized by the National Science Foundation via its Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award, and the computer freeware spawned by this work (GGUM2004) has been used by researchers worldwide.

     My current research extends these earlier unfolding models to the multidimensional domain where an individual is expected to endorse an item (or prefer a stimulus) to the extent that the individual is close to it in a latent space.  These models have a host of dimensionality assessment and estimation issues that my students and I are investigating.  Along with these new unfolding models, we are also developing alternative multidimensional models for change in longitudinal contexts where measurement invariance is not achieved, as well as hybrid multidimensional preference models based on external unfolding of previously scaled stimuli.

About

I study adult learning, motivation, and development related to workers and their careers.  As 21^st century changes in technologies, demographics, and the global economy continue, their impacts are increasingly felt on what people do at work, their career paths, and shifting employment trends. My research team conducts investigations in four areas that bring together different topics in psychology and related disciplines to address these challenges: (1) adult learning and resource management across the lifespan, (2) self-management processes in job search and career crafting, (3) motivational dynamics in the context of achievement and in teams, and (4) the psychology of the built environment on career development and worker well-being. 

Our research frequently uses a mixed-methods approach, including qualitative and quantitative techniques in experimental studies and large-scale field research. 

For additional information about my research activities and our team, please also see:  https://kanfer-ackerman.gatech.edu/research