Queen’s Attentional Dynamics Laboratory
Studying the cognitive and social neuroscience of attention
Our Research
Our lab studies the dynamics of attention, which captures how attentional processes ebb & flow over time, resulting in differences in performance and separating the unique factors that make your attentional experience different from others.
To explore this, we use behavioural experiments, collaborative activities, eye tracking, EEG, & fMRI to uncover attentional dynamics within social situations, across internal thoughts, & in digital environments.
TEMPORAL DYNAMICS OF ATTENTION
Within Social Situations
Our attention often gravitates towards social information like people, faces, and eyes due to their inherent importance within our everyday lives. However, a key question that we have yet to answer is what properties control how and when attentional dynamics manifest in social settings.
TEMPORAL DYNAMICS OF ATTENTION
Across Internal Thoughts
Our attention often fluctuates between our external environment and our internal thoughts. Despite the frequent occurrence of these shifts though, we still do not have a complete understanding of why attentional dynamics occur and how and when they impact performance outcomes.
TEMPORAL DYNAMICS OF ATTENTION
In Digital Environments
Our attention is often studied in controlled laboratory environments, which typically simplifies the rich diversity of attentional dynamics that we typically find within real, online, and virtual contexts.
Our Team
Principal Investigator
Dr. Effie J. Pereira
(she/her)
Effie is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology and Director of the QuAD Lab. Before this, she completed her Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Waterloo & her PhD at McGill University.
Fun fact: Outside of the lab, Effie is a big TV & movie buff, and she credits her love of science to growing up as a Trekkie.
Madhumita Rajagopal
Lab Coordinator
(she/her)
Madhumita is a second-year BScH Psychology major. She is volunteering as a Lab Coordinator in the QuAD Lab, and is excited to learn more about individual differences in attention!
Fun fact: In her free time, she loves Indian classical dancing.
Honours Thesis Student
Jocelyne Harling
(she/her)
Jocelyne is a fourth-year BScH Psychology major and Biology minor. She is a thesis student in the QuAD Lab studying individual differences in attentional control.
Fun fact: In her free time, she loves reading books with a cup of coffee.
Honours Thesis Student
Mridula Srikanth
(she/her)
Mridula is a fourth-year BAH Psychology major. She is currently an Honour’s Thesis student at the lab and her research interests are in the Cognitive Neuroscience field, specifically, in attention and perception.
Fun fact: She loves to crochet and sing Carnatic (Indian classical) music in her free time.
Yvonne Pelau
Directed Lab Student
(she/her)
Yvonne is a fourth-year in Psychology (BAH) and Concurrent Education. She is a special directed lab student and looks forward to studying attention and learning in students!
Fun fact: She also speaks Romanian.
Ryan Thompson
Directed Lab Student
(she/her)
Ryan is a third-year Psychology major and one of the QuAD Lab's fall directed lab students. She is super excited to study internal attention and daydreaming styles! She is a philosophy minor and hopes to blend her research with ideas and concepts pulled from both disciplines.
Fun fact: She has a rescue dog she is also trying to get involved in research—he has a naturally curious spirit.
Selina Chalmers
Research Assistant
(she/her)
Selina is a third-year BScH Biology and Psychology Specialization Major. She is working as a research assistant in the QuAD Lab and is building her skills in research and knowledge in attentional dynamics. Overall, she aspires towards a career in neuroscience research!
Fun fact: She has lived in three different countries so far!
Maddison De Beaupre
Research Assistant
(she/her)
Maddison is a third-year student majoring in Psychology with a minor in Health Studies. She is looking forward to gaining hands-on experience in research and collaborating with the incredible people in the QuAD lab.
Fun fact: Outside of academics, she is passionate about figure skating.
Angelina Liu
Research Assistant
(she/her)
Angelina is a third-year BScH Psychology major. She is a research assistant with the QuAD Lab and is interested in cognitive functioning and attentional dynamics in both social and solitary states.
Fun fact: She loves reading novels.
Aleah Williamson
Research Assistant
(she/her)
Aleah is a third-year psychology major and is volunteering as a research assistant in the QuAD Lab.
Fun fact: Outside of school, she loves reading, crochet, and spending time with her cats.
