We study how people learn and perform when the pressure is on; in the classroom, on the playing field and in the business world.
Work in our lab sits at the intersection of cognitive science and education. We explore the cognitive and neural substrates driving learning as well as the mechanisms by which performance breaks down in high-stress or high-pressure situations. We use converging methodologies in our research – ranging from behavioral performance measures (e.g., reaction time and accuracy), to physiological measures of stress (e.g., salivary cortisol), to neuroimaging techniques (e.g., fMRI). In addition to answering basic questions about cognition, our goal is to inform educational practice and policy.
