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Software

This page provides access to various custom-written software packages and utilties we use in our research. Most of it is written in the Python programming language. EPIC – Computational Cognitive Architecture for Modeling Human Performance EPICcoder – Minimal Programmer’s Text Editor for EPIC Production Rule Files. GEMS – Graphical Environment Management System for Creating Immersive… Continue Reading Software

Attention and Performance

Although much of our work explores what we can learn from contexts in which participants are unable to apply strategies due to various cognitive constraints, in some cases people are less constrained than believed. For example, under some circumstances, people can perform multiple tasks at once; a navy pilot can fly an aircraft, operate a… Continue Reading Attention and Performance

Status of Information in Memory

A central problem addressed in our research is how the status of information in memory affects its retrieval. For example, if you tell a lie, will the memory for that lie operate in the same way as for truths you told at the same time? Traditional “lie-detector” polygraphy (e.g., using heart rate, respiratory rate, and… Continue Reading Status of Information in Memory

Memory and Action

In addition to its theoretical and applied implications mentioned in other sections, the response time-based recognition paradigm we developed is also important because it reveals constraints on human memory. We have been developing a computational model of performance focused on aspects of recognition memory that are under one’s conscious control, and aspects that are not.… Continue Reading Memory and Action

Computational Cognitive Modeling

Although not a research area itself, we also use computational modeling to simulate human behavior during complex cognitive tasks. These simulations allow us to test various theories and performance strategies by comparing simulated data to observed human data. This approach complements traditional experimentation. In particular, we use the EPIC computational cognitive architecture (Kieras & Meyer… Continue Reading Computational Cognitive Modeling