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
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.