Research

Research Interests

As a cognitive psychologist, my primary research interests are to understand how cognition works and how to apply that understanding to improve human performance and design better systems. This is reflected in my research which has emphases both in understanding how cognition works at the basic level, including rigorous theory development, and in applied cognitive psychology in which I take an experimental approach to determine ideal conditions to support and facilitate human performance. My early work focused on encoding in visual working memory (VWM), how people remember and process visual information over the short term, and how prior knowledge facilitates encoding. More recently my work has shifted to more of a focus on the science of learning and adaptive training. How can we best help develop knowledge and expertise? 

Current Projects

• Adaptive training effectiveness in flashcard-based learning across different learning domains 

• Supporting decision making with visualizations

• Working memory capacity and individual differences

• The encoding process in visual working memory

• The impact of training on visual working memory performance and capacity 

• Applied cognition 

• Science of learning & assessment

Recent Publications (email for a PDF):

• Blalock, L. D. (2022). Adaptively adding cards to a flashcard deck improves learning compared to adaptively dropping cards regardless of cognitive ability. In R. A. Sottilare and J. Schwarz (Eds.) HCII 2022: Adaptive Instructional Systems. Lecture Notes in Computer Science.

• Blalock, L. D., Rainey, V. R., & Halonen, J. S. (2022). Assessment of learning in psychology: Summative strategies in courses and programs. In J. Zumbach, D. A. Bernstein, S. Narciss, & G. Marsico (Eds.), International Handbook of Psychology Learning and Teaching (pp. 1-28). Springer International Handbooks of Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-26248-8_62-2 

• Witt, J. K., Clegg, B. A., Blalock, L. D., & Warden, A. C. (2021). The impact of familiarity on visualizations of spatial uncertainty. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society 65th Annual Meeting, 65, 596-600. https://doi.org/10.1177/1071181321651208 

• Whitmer, D., Johnson, C., Marrafino, M., Pharmer, R., & Blalock, L. D. (2020). A mastery approach to flashcard-based adaptive training. In R. A. Sottilare and J. Schwarz (Eds.) HCII 2020: Adaptive Instructional Systems. Lecture Notes in Computer Science (Vol 12214, pp. 555-568). Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-50788-6_41   

• Hopkins, K., Kass, S. J., Blalock, L. D., & Brill, J. C. (2017). Effectiveness of auditory and tactile crossmodal cues in a dual task visual and auditory scenario. Ergonomics,60, 692-700. https://doi.org/10.1080/00140139.2016.1198495

• Blalock, L. D. (2015). Stimulus familiarity improves consolidation of visual working memory representations. Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics, 77, 1143-1158. https://doi.org/1143-1158.10.3758/s13414-014-0823-z

• VanWormer, L. A., Jordan, E. F., & Blalock, L. D. (2014). Assessing the perceived value of research participation. Teaching of Psychology, 41, 233-236. https://doi.org/10.1177/0098628314537974 

• Blalock, L. D. (2013). Mask similarity impacts short-term consolidation in visual working memory. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 20, 1290-1295. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13423-013-0461-9

• Blalock, L. D., & McCabe, D. P. (2011). Proactive interference and practice effects in visuospatial working memory span task performance. Memory, 19, 83-91. https://doi.org/10.1080/09658211.2010.537035 

• Blalock, L. D. & Clegg, B. A. (2010). Encoding and representation of simultaneous and sequential arrays in visuospatial working memory. The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 63, 856-862. https://doi.org/10.1080%2F17470211003690680 

Get Involved!

Want to get involved in research? At the start of each semester, I am usually looking for self-motivated, conscientious students to help out in the lab. You must have a psychology GPA of at least 3.2 to join and you must have taken (and passed) Research Methods I (EXP 3213). I also prefer students who have had Memory & Cognition or Sensation & Perception.

If you are interested, fill out the form below then send me an email at lblalock@uwf.edu. I will follow up with you via email.