Katie B
- Research Program Mentor

PhD at University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB)

Expertise

cognitive psychology, learning, technology

Bio

I am interested in how people learn and how technology can be used to help people learn. My work revolves around digital learning environments and how to use them to improve learning outcomes. I've done work in cognitive training, video games for learning, virtual reality tutorials, and interactive digital textbooks. Anyone who thinks technology is bad for learning just isn't thinking big enough! There are tremendous opportunities for improving learning if you're creative and incorporate cognitive science principles.

Project ideas

Project ideas are meant to help inspire student thinking about their own project. Students are in the driver seat of their research and are free to use any or none of the ideas shared by their mentors.

Are habitual video game players more persistent on learning tasks?

Video games require lots of persistence. You often fail and have to try again. We know from theories like Mindset Theory from Carol Dweck and Grit theory from Angela Duckworth that continued persistence after failure is an important factor in good learning outcomes. Does the persistence that video game players train and use during a game transfer to difficult learning tasks that require sustained effort? If so, can we train non-video game players to improve their academic persistence by playing video games?

Motivation to learn math

What motivates high school students to learn math? What elements could a lesson add to increase motivation? What elements will decrease it? We will design interview questions to ask 12-16 year old students what would work for them, design an intervention based on the interview responses, and test whether the intervention works.

Coding skills

Teaching experience

I have taught Educational Psychology and Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience at Sarah Lawerence College, which utilizes the conference system to incorporate project-based learning via mentorship into every class. I've also taught Advanced Research Methods in Psychology at CSU Channel Islands and at University of California, Santa Barbara, which is based around students learning through the design and execution of their own research project under my supervision. I've also taught in the more traditional lecture style in classes at the University of California, Santa Barbara, including Educational Psychology, Statistics, Brain States, and Cognitive Psychology (among others).

Credentials

Work experience

Institute of Cognitive Science, CU Boulder (2019 - 2021)

Postdoctoral Researcher

Sarah Lawrence College (2021 - 2022)

Guest Professor

OpenStax (2022 - Current)

Research Scientist

Education

Sarah Lawrence College

BA Bachelor of Arts (2011)

Cognitive Development, Neuroscience, Liberal Arts

University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB)

MA Master of Arts (2017)

Psychological and Brain Sciences