Principle Investigator

Daniel Levin, PhD ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Professor of Psychology Department of Psychology and Human Development Vanderbilt University

Graduate Students

Maddie Lee Mason :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: PhD Candidate, Cognition in Context LinkedIn Interests: Maddie is a doctoral candidate at Vanderbilt University, studying how cognitive and perceptual constraints affect learning in applied educational contexts. Her interdisciplinary research involves collaborations with both engineers and educators across labs, classrooms, and simulation-based education. Her dissertation focuses on leveraging self-regulated learning and event perception to develop a technology-enhanced reflection tool for improving nursing students’ learning outcomes. Maddie aims to pursue a career in education research.

Lee, M., & Levin, D. T. (2024). Evidence for an event-integration window: A cognitive temporal window supports flexible integration of multimodal events. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 153(6), 1449–1463. https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0001577

Lee, M., Jaeger, C., & Levin, D. (2023). To Search is to See: Reducing incidental change blindness via intentional search tasks. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 49(8), 1158.

Vatral, C., Lee, M., Cohn, C., Davalos, E., Levin, D., & Biswas, G. (2023, June). Prediction of Students’ Self-confidence Using Multimodal Features in an Experiential Nurse Training Environment. In International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Education (pp. 266-271). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland.

Vatral, C., Cohn, C., Lee, M., … & Holt, J. E. (2023). A Tale of Two Nurses: Studying Groupwork in Nurse Training by Analyzing Taskwork Roles, Social Interactions, and Self-Efficacy. In ISLS 2023: 3rd Annual Meeting of the International Society of the Learning Sciences.

Davalos, E., Vatral, C., Cohn, C., Horn Fonteles, J., Biswas, G., Mohammed, N., Lee, M., & Levin, D. (2023, March). Identifying Gaze Behavior Evolution via Temporal Fully-Weighted Scanpath Graphs. In LAK23: 13th International Learning Analytics and Knowledge Conference (pp. 476-487).

Levin, D. T., Mattarella-Micke, A., Lee, M., Baker, L. J., Bezdek, M. A., & McCandliss, B. D. (2022). How Movie Events Engage Childrens’ Brains to Combine Visual Attention with Domain-Specific Processing Involving Number and Theory of Mind in a Cinematic Arena. Projections, 16(1), 67-83.

Kathryn Sam :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: PhD Student, Cognition in Context Interests: Kathryn is a doctoral student in the Cognition in Context area. She is interested in the experimental study of narratives. Specifically, her interests lie in how movies and other audiovisual media affect neurocognitive processes, intergroup attitudes, and aesthetic experiences. Outside the lab, she enjoys dancing, editing videos, and watching TV series.

Zhengling Dai :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: MS, Cognitive Psychology in Context Interests: Zhengling Dai is a Master of Science student in Cognitive Psychology in Context at Vanderbilt University. His research focuses on motivation and goal achievement, particularly through the lens of future self-continuity, and he is currently leading the “Future-Self Motivation Study.” Zhengling’s expertise extends to advanced quantitative methods, including SEM, CFA, and regression analysis, as well as statistical consulting for psychology research.

Emily Garcia :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: MS, Cognitive Psychology in Context Interests: Emily is a master’s student in the Cognitive Psychology in Context program at Vanderbilt University. Her research interests are centered on multisensory integration and attention within virtual reality (VR) environments. Emily is particularly interested in how the brain synthesizes information from multiple sensory systems when exposed to VR stimuli, and how immersive technologies can be used to study perception, memory, and learning. She aims to explore a career in developing immersive virtual worlds to better understand human perception and cognition. Outside the lab, Emily enjoys walking her dog, playing the piano, and painting.

Gabrielle Wilson :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: MS, Cognitive Psychology in Context Interests: Gabby is a first year master’s student in the Cognitive Psychology in Context program. Her research interests center around visual cognition in applied contexts and naturalistic environments. Specifically, she utilizes eye tracking methodologies to study gaze behavior in educational and military settings. Gabby is a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force and will leverage her graduate education in her operational career as an Intelligence Officer. Outside of the lab, Gabby enjoys playing on the Vanderbilt Club Volleyball team, learning new cooking recipes, and watching reality TV.

Zhining Xing :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: MS, Cognitive Psychology in Context Interests: Zhining is a master’s student in the Cognitive Psychology in Context program. He is obsessed with how cognitive mechanisms are exploited in the real world. Currently, he is exploring neurological responses to Hollywood editing techniques using EEG. Beyond research, he combats video game addiction, appreciates art, and plays a mean guitar.

Staff

Joe Jackowski, MS :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Research Program Coordinator LinkedIn Interests: Joe Jackowski is the Research Program Coordinator for the Levin Lab. He manages multiple projects funded by the Templeton Religion Trust. While Joe’s broader interests include the psychology of meaning in life, currently he focuses on the antecedents of the moral understanding of fiction films. For example, how retrospective imaginative involvement mediates the relationship between theory of mind and moral understanding. He is passionate about understanding the predictors of moral understanding and fostering interdisciplinary approaches to studying cognition, meaning, and morality.

Undergraduate Research Assistants

Nathaniel D’Albert :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Human and Organizational Development & Computer Science

Ari Patrich :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Psychology and Human Development, Cognitive Studies

Lab Alumni – Graduate Students

Bonnie Angelone ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: PhD, Kent State University, 2003 Professor of Psychology Rowan University

Levin, D.T., & Angelone, B. L. (2001). Visual search for a socially defined feature: What causes the search asymmetry favoring cross-race faces? Perception and Psychophysics, 63, 423-435.

Levin, D.T., Simons, D.J., Angelone, B.L., & Chabris, C.F. (2002). Memory for centrally attended changing objects in an incidental real-world change detection paradigm. British Journal of Psychology, 93, 289-302.

Angelone, B.L., Levin, D.T., & Simons, D.J. (2003). The roles of representation and comparison failures in change blindness. Perception. 32, 947-962.

Beck, M.R., Angelone, B.L., & Levin, D.T. (2004). The role of knowledge about the probability of change in detecting changes. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 30, 778-791.

Lewis Baker ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: PhD, Vanderbilt University 2016 Director of Data Science pymetrics

Levin, D.T., Hymel, A.M., & Baker, L. (2013). Belief, desire, action, and other stuff: Theory of mind in movies. In A. Shimamura (Ed.) Psychocinematics: Exploring Cognition at the Movies, (pp. 244-266), Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

Baker, L.J., & Levin, D.T. (2015). The role of relational triggers in event perception. Cognition, 136, 14-29.

Hymel, A.M., Levin, D.T., & Baker, L.J. (2016). Default processing of event sequences. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 42, 235-246. 

Baker, L.J., & Levin, D.T. (2016). The Face-Race Lightness Illusion is Not Driven by Low-level Stimulus Properties: An Empirical Reply to Firestone & Scholl (2014). Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, 23, 1989-1995.

Baker, L.J., Levin, D.T., & Saylor, M.M. (2016). The extent of default visual perspective taking in complex layouts. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 42(4), 508-16.

Baker, L.J., Hymel, A.M., & Levin, D.T. (2016). Anthropomorphism and intentionality improve memory for events. Discourse Processes.

Levin, D.T., & Baker, L.J. (2017). Bridging views in cinema: A review of the art and science of view integration. WIREs Cognitive Science, DOI: 10.1002/wcs.1436

Melissa Beck ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: PhD, Kent State University 2003 Professor of Psychology Louisiana State University

Levin, D.T., Drivdahl, S.B., Momen, N., & Beck, M.R. (2002). False predictions about the detectability of unexpected visual changes: The role of beliefs about attention, memory, and the continuity of attended objects in causing change blindness blindness. Consciousness and Cognition, 11, 507-527.

Beck, M.R., & Levin, D.T. (2003). The role of representational volatility in recognizing pre- and postchange objects. Perception and Psychophysics, 65, 458-468.

Levin, D.T., & Beck, M.R. (2004). Thinking about seeing: Spanning the difference between metacognitive failure and success. In D.T. Levin (Ed), Thinking and Seeing: Visual Metacognition in Adults and Children. Cambridge MA: MIT Press.

Beck, M.R., Angelone, B.L., & Levin, D.T. (2004). The role of knowledge about the probability of change in detecting changes.  Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 30, 778-791.

Beck, M.R., Levin, D.T., & Angelone, B.L. (2007).  Change blindness blindness: Beliefs about the roles of intention and scene complexity in change detection. Consciousness and Cognition, 16, 31-51.

Chris Jaeger :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: PhD, Vanderbilt University 2019 Assistant Professor of Law Baylor University

Jaeger, C.B., & Levin, D.T. (2016). If Asimo thinks, does Roomba feel?: The legal implications of promiscuous and selective attributions of agency to technology. Journal of Human-Robot Interaction. 5(3), 3-25.

Jaeger, C.B., Levin, D.T., & Porter, E. (2017). Justice is (Change) Blind: Applying Research on Visual Metacognition in Legal Settings. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 23(2), 259-279.

Jaeger, C.B., Hymel, A.M., Levin, D.T., Biswas, G., Paul, N., & Kinnebrew, J. (2019). The interrelationship between concepts about agency and students’ use of teachable-agent learning technology. Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications, 4:14.

Jaeger, C.B., Little, J.W., & Levin, D.T. (in press). The prevalence and utility of formal features in YouTube screen-capture instructional videos. Technical Communication.

Jaeger, C. B., & Trueblood, J. S. (in review). Rethinking rationality: Legal implications and applications of quantum decision-making.

Jaeger, C. B., Jones, O. D., Brosnan, S. F., & Levin, D. T. (in progress). A new theory of the endowment effect: A meta-analytic test.

Stephen Killingsworth ::::::::::::::::::::::: PhD, Vanderbilt University 2012 GoNoodle Software Developer

Levin, D.T., Killingsworth, S.S., Saylor, M.M. (2008). Concepts about the capabilities of computers and robots: A test of the scope of adults’ theory of mind. Proceedings of the 3rd Annual IEEE International Workshop on Human and Robot Interaction, 3, 57-64.

Killingsworth, S.S., Saylor, M.M., & Levin, D.T. (2011). Analyzing action for agents with varying cognitive capacities. Social Cognition, 29, 56-73.

Levin, D.T., Killingsworth, S.S., Saylor, M.M., Gordon, S., & Kawamura, K. (2013). Tests of concepts about different kinds of minds: Predictions about the behavior of comptuers, robots, and people. Human-Computer Interaction. 28:2, 161-191.

Alex Varakin ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: PhD, Vanderbilt University 2006 Eastern Kentucky University Professor of Psychology

Levin, D.T., & Varakin, D.A. (2004).  No pause for a brief disruption: Failures to detect interruptions to ongoing events. Consciousness and Cognition, 13, 363-372.

Varakin, D.A., Levin, D.T., & Fidler, R. (2004). Unseen and unaware: Applications of recent research on failures of visual awareness for human-computer interface design. Human-Computer Interaction, 19, 389-421.

Wayand, J.W., Levin, D.T., & Varakin, D.A. (2005). Inattentional blindness for a noxious multimodal stimulus. American Journal of Psychology, 118, 339-352.

Varakin, D.A., & Levin, D.T. (2006).  How can visual memory be so good if change detection is so bad?  Visual representations get rich so they can act poor. British Journal of Psychology, 91, 51-77.

Levin, D.T., Saylor, M.M., Varakin, D.A., Gordon, S.M., Kawamura, K, & Wilkes, D.M. (2006). Thinking about thinking in computers, robots, and people. Proceedings of the 5^th Annual International Conference on Development and Learning, 5, 49.

Arrington, J.G., Levin, D.T., & Varakin, D.A. (2006).  Color onsets and offsets, and luminance changes can cause change blindness. Perception, 35, 1665-1678.

Varakin, D.A., Levin, D.T., & Collins, K. (2007). Comparison and representation failures both cause real-world change blindness. Perception, 36, 737-749.

Varakin, D.A., & Levin, D.T. (2008). Scene structure enhances change detection. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 61, 543-551.

Beck, M. R., Angelone, B.A., Levin, D.T., Peterson, M.S., & Varakin, D.A. (2008) Implicit learning for probable changes in a visual change detection task. Consciousness and Cognition, 17, 1192-1208.

Yukari Takarae ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: PhD, Kent State University 2003 UC San Diego Health Assistant Project Scientist

Takarae, Y., & Levin, D.T. (2001). Animals and artifacts may not be treated equally:  Differentiating strong and weak forms of category specific visual agnosia. Brain and Cognition, 45, 249-264.

Levin, D.T., Takarae, Y., Miner, A., & Keil, F.C. (2001). Efficient visual search by category: Specifying the features that mark the difference between artifacts and animals in preattentive vision. Perception and Psychophysics, 63, 676-697.

Joe Wayand :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: PhD, Kent State University 2003 Walsh University Associate Professor of Psychology

Wayand, J.W., Levin, D.T., & Varakin, D.A. (2005). Inattentional blindness for a noxious multimodal stimulus. American Journal of Psychology, 118, 339-352.

Jonathan Herberg ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: PhD, Vanderbilt University 2011 Microsoft. Data Scientist

Herberg, J.S., Saylor, M.M., Ratanaswasd, R., Levin, D.T., Wilkes, M. (2008). Audience-contingent variation in action demonstrations for humans and computers. Cognitive Science, 32, 1003-1020.

Herberg, J.S., Levin, D.T., & Saylor, M, M. (2012). Social audiences can disrupt learning by teaching. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 48 (1), 213-219.

Lab Alumni – Undergraduate Researchers

*Note – this is a very incomplete list! It’s based in large part on who we have pictures of. We love hearing from former lab members, so lets us know what you are doing, send a picture, and we’ll get you on the list.

Krista Collins ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Former undergraduate researcher Director of Strategy and Innovation Boys and Girls Clubs of America

Anne Havard ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Former undergraduate researcher Special Advisor Nashville Mayor’s Office

Josh Little :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Former undergraduate researcher Junior Artist Crafty Apes VFX

Natan Dumessa ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Former undergraduate researcher Clemson University Graduate Student in Human Factors

Rishabh Gupta :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Undergraduate Researcher in Neuroscience

Michelle Huang :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Former undergraduate researcher Goldman Sachs TechRisk Analyst

Kai Keliikuli :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Undergraduate Cinema Specialist

Pamella Okonny :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Undergraduate Media Production Specialist

Daniel Shaykovich :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Former undergraduate researcher Stanford University Graduate Student in Biological Sciences

Evan Porter :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Former Undergraduate Researcher Stanton Law Office Associate Attorney

Rebecca Wildman :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Undergraduate Researcher in Cognition

Lab Alumni – Research Associates

Simon Lynn :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Former Research Assistant Catalyst Healthcare Research Research Manager

Jim Arrington :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Former Research Assistant Compliance Lead Vanderbilt IRB

 

Kelly Carter :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Former Research Assistant Research Assistant Vanderbilt Med

 

Caroline Christopher ::::::::::::::::::::::::: Former research assistant Research Associate, Peabody Research Institute

Alexander Steger ::::::::::::::::::::::::: Former research assistant Software Developer

Natalie Paul :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Former Research Assistant Vanderbilt School of Nursing Research Nurse Specialist