My Research

Although for most adults reading a word requires minimal effort, the cognitive processes behind word recognition are not so simple. Consider, for instance, that English speakers only have 26 letters at their disposal, but manage to use over 100,000 words. This means that the letters present in any given word are likely to appear in many others. Worse yet, some words are distinguishable only by the position of the same set of letters (e.g., spot, pots, stop, post). I am fascinated by our ability, and occasional inability, to perceive letter order correctly. By studying letter order, we have the opportunity to uncover the representations involved in visual word recognition. My current projects investigate visual word recognition, but I also have research interests in psycholinguistics, memory, and attention  (more details provided on my Research Interests page). 

My Teaching Interests

I believe part of a successful post-secondary education is the preparation of students for intellectual life after graduation. That is, students should become thoughtful consumers of information who can communicate their ideas with others effectively. As an instructor my goal is to provide opportunities for students to develop these skills. I have had the chance to develop my teaching skills by mentoring students who were completing independent research projects, serving as a teaching assistant, and teaching my own course in Learning and Memory. In recognition of my work with undergraduate students in the lab I was awarded the 2008-2009 Graduate Student Excellence Award for Exceptional Undergraduate Mentoring by the ISU Psychology department.