Welcome to Willamette University's Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory!
Our research group uses behavioral and non-invasive neuroimaging methods (primarily event-related brain potentials) to study human cognition. We use these techniques to address a range of research questions related to the development, specialization, and plasticity of neural systems underlying cognitive processing. Sample research questions we are addressing include:
- How do neural systems specialize for reading, and does this process differ for alphabetic scripts (like English) versus logographic scripts (like Japanese Kanji)?
- When attention is focused selectively on particular auditory or visual information, in what ways does neural processing of that information change?
- Which cognitive processes are most impaired by sleep deprivation, and what is the nature of changes in cognitive processing after sleep deprivation?
The CNL is equipped with a 32-channel BioSemi event-related brain potential (ERP) system, which we have used in studies with both college students and children as young as three years of age.