The lab is opening in February 2025.
Our lab is dedicated to exploring the factors that make individuals unique. We investigate the neural mechanisms that explain differences in working memory capacity, learning speed, and the ability to mobilize effort. To study these individual differences in cognitive function, we use a multimodal approach that includes large-scale online data collection, combined with simultaneous tracking of both peripheral (e.g., pupil size, ECG) and central nervous system activity (EEG).
With the increasing application of EEG in real-world contexts, such as brain-computer interfaces and wearable sleep trackers, we aim to translate our findings into meaningful societal impact. Our research focuses on understanding neurocognitive functioning in gifted individuals as well as those with psychopathology.
A core part of our mission is to improve EEG methodology and research practices to enhance the rigor of published research. To this end, Dr. Pavlov initiated and leads the #EEGManyLabs project (Pavlov et al., 2021), a large international collaboration that spans multiple research institutions and involves numerous researchers. This project aims to replicate 27 of the most influential EEG studies on psychological phenomena. Each experiment is being replicated in several labs to collect a large sample of data for each study allowing the assessment of replicability through internal meta-analyses. We expect this project’s legacy will be to push the field towards higher replicability standards and to facilitate an open science culture of high-powered, large-scale multi-site collaborations in neuroscience.
Prospective graduate students interested in the following topics are encouraged to reach out:
Extrinsic and intrinsic motivation for effort in both typical development and psychopathology
Improving methodological practices in EEG research
Neural underpinnings of individual differences in learning and memory