Erica Barhorst-Cates

I am a Human Factors Engineer at Monterey Technologies, Inc., a small human factors engineering company based in Park City, UT. I work on various projects related to safety analysis, error reduction, and optimizing human performance, especially in aerospace and military applications. I'm especially passionate about considering human factors in context and aim to optimize systems to meet users' needs in the field.

I received my PhD in Psychology - Cognition and Neural Science - in 2019 from the University of Utah. I worked in the Visual Perception and Spatial Cognition lab with Dr. Sarah Creem-Regehr and Dr. Jeanine Stefanucci. I recently completed an NIH-funded postdoctoral research fellowship at Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute where I worked with Dr. Laurel Buxbaum and Dr. Aaron Wong.

In my research I explore the effects of various experiential and environmental factors on human spatial cognition and motor abilities. I am particularly interested in individual differences in sensorimotor experience. I have four main lines of research — (1) visual perception, mobility, and navigation in low vision or after stroke, (2) the effects of physical environment structure on navigation, (3) the effects of movement experiences (training in dance and sports) and development on spatial cognition, and (4) imitation of action. I use real-world movement, immersive virtual reality (VR), and human factors methods.