PEER-REVIEWED JOURNAL ARTICLES:
Stoltenhoff, I., van der Ham, I., Cuperus, A., Schomaker, J. A curved-walking illusion: Effects of locomotion on presence and cybersickness, Preprint
Aron, C., Schomaker, J., Bastin, C. (2025). The impact of exposure to a novel environment on episodic memory as a function of the level of processing. Applied Cognitive Psychology 39(5), e70109. Article
Raza, S., Schomaker, J., Quent, J.A., Anderson, M., Henson, R. (2025). Proactive and retroactive effects of novelty and rest on memory. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 17470218251346156. Preprint Article
Zheng, L., Genc, Z.N., Baumann, V., van der Ham, I.J.M., Schomaker, J. (2025). Charting the unknown: Sex differences in spatial exploration across the lifespan. Human Nature, 1-19. Article, OSF Preprint
Rangel-Gomez, M., Prezanti, P., Cruz, R., Vogelsang, D., Schomaker, J. (2025). Cathecholaminergic effects on early and late novelty processing. OSF Registration. Registration
Baumann, V., Dambacher, J., Ruitenberg, M.F.L., Schomaker, J.*, Krauel, K.* (2025). Towards a characterization of human spatial exploration behavior. Behavioral Research Methods 57(65). (* = shared senior authorship) Article
Wurm, F.R., van der Ham, I., Schomaker, J. (2025). The ins and outs of unpacking the black box: Understanding motivation using a multi-level approach. Behavioral and Brain Sciences 48, e49. Article
Servais, A., Schomaker, J., Bastin, C. (2024). Investigation of the impact of exploring a novel environment on episodic memory performance. Preprint
Sekeres, M.*, Schomaker, J.*, Nadel, L., & Tse, D. (2024). To update or to create? The influence of novelty and prior knowledge on memory networks. Philosophical Transactions B. Article (* = shared first authorship)
Nijboer, A., Sellitto, M., Ruitenberg, M.F.L., Kerkkanen, K.I.L., Schomaker J. (2024). Food-related exploration during different phases of the menstrual cycle. Appetite. Article
Kerkkänen, K., Ruitenberg, M.F.L., Schomaker, J. (2024). Explore more! How new environments may boost your memory. Frontiers for young minds: Neuroscience & Psychology. Article
Aron, C., Schomaker, J., Bastin, C., (2023). The effect of exposure to novelty of virtual environments on memory as a function of level op processing at encoding. - OSF project
Antariska, C., Besse, C., de Bruijn, T., Kroes, B., Schaap, L., de Vink, E., Schomaker, J., Gomez-Mareira. (2023). Modifying a game to study the impact of a hostile environment on foraging behavior. Proceedings of the 18th International Conference on the Foundations of Digital Games. 1-4. Article
Lorents, A., Ruitenberg, M.F.L., Schomaker, J. (2023). Novelty-induced memory boosts in humans: The when and how. Heliyon. Article
Ruitenberg, M.F.L., Koppelmans, V., Seidler, R.D., Schomaker, J. (2023). Developmental and age differences in visuomotor adaptation across the lifespan. Psychological Research, 1-8. Article
Hall, J., Park, H., Krebs, R., Schomaker, J. (2023). The effect of task-relevant and task-irrelevant novel stimuli on response behaviour. Acta Psychologica / PsyArXiv. Preprint Article
Schomaker, J., Ruitenberg, M.F.L. Takeuchi, T. (2022). Memory's penumbra in the older or pathological brain. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 27(2), 118-119. Article
Schomaker, J., Baumann, V., & Ruitenberg, M. (2022). Effects of exploring a novel environment on memory across the lifespan. Scientific Reports / PsyArXiv Preprint Article
Petzke, T. & Schomaker, J. (2022). A Bias Towards the Unknown: Individual and Environmental Factors Influencing Exploratory Behavior. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. Full article
Schomaker, J., Jarva, H., Vriens, M., (2022). Healthy or not: Influencing attention to bias food choices. Food Quality and Preference. Article link
Ruitenberg, M.F.L., Koppelmans, V., Seidler, R., Schomaker, J. (2022). Novelty exposure induces stronger sensorimotor representations during a manual adaptation task. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. Full article
Schomaker, J., & Wittmann, B.C., (2021). Effects of Active Exploration on Novelty-Related Declaritive Memory Enhancement. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory 179, 107403. Full article
Schomaker, J., Grouls, M.E., Rau, E.M., Hendriks, M., Colon, A., & Meeter, M. (2021). Novelty processing depends on medial temporal lobe structures. Neurobiology of Learning & Memory 183, 107464. Preprint Full article
Schomaker, J., & Vriens, M. (2020). What you see is what you want: Top-down attention biasing choice behavior. Journal of Business Research. Article link
Schomaker, J. (2019). Unexplored territory: Beneficial effects of novelty on memory. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory (161), 46-50. Article link
Vriens, M., Chen, S., & Schomaker, J. (2019). Evaluation of a brand association density metric. Journal of Product & Brand Management. Article Link
Schomaker, J., & Meeter, M. (2018). Predicting the unknown: Novelty processing depends on expectations. Brain Research Article link
Schomaker, J., & Wittmann, B.C. (2017). Memory performance for everyday motivational and neutral objects is dissociable from attention. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 11:121. Full article
Schomaker, J., Rau, E., Einhaeuser, W., & Wittmann, B.C. (2017). Motivational Objects in Natural Scenes (MONS): A database of > 800 objects. Frontiers in Psychology: Emotion Science Full article
Schomaker, J., Walper, D., Wittmann, B.C., Einhäuser, W. (2017). Attention in natural scenes: Affective-motivational factors guide gaze independently of visual salience. Vision Research 133, 161-175. Article link
Schomaker, J., Rangel-Gomez, M., & Meeter, M. (2016). Happier, faster: Developmental changes in the effects of mood and novelty on responses. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 69(1), 37-47. Article link
Schomaker, J., Meeter, M. (2015). Short- and long-lasting consequences of novelty, deviance, and surprise on brain and cognition. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 55, 268-279. Article link
Schomaker, J., Berendse, H.W., Foncke, E.M.J., van der Werf, Y.D., van den Heuvel, O.A., Theeuwes, J., & Meeter, M. (2014). Novelty processing and memory formation in Parkinson’s disease. Neuropsychologia 62, 124-136. Article link
Schomaker, J., van Bronkhorst, M.L.V., & Meeter, M. (2014). Exploring a novel environment improves motivation and promotes recall of words. Frontiers in Psychology 5, 918. Full article
Schomaker, J., Roos, R., & Meeter, M. (2014). Expecting the unexpected: The effects of deviance on novelty processing. Behavioral Neuroscience 128, 146-160. Article link
Schomaker, J., & Meeter, M. (2014a). Facilitation of responses by task-irrelevant complex deviant stimuli. Acta Psychologica 148, 74-80. Article link
Schomaker, J., & Meeter, M. (2014b). Novelty detection is enhanced when attention is otherwise engaged: an event-related potential study. Experimental Brain Research 232, 995-1011. Article link
Schomaker, J., & Meeter, M. (2012). Novelty enhances visual perception. PLoS One 7, e50599. Full article
Schomaker, J., Tesch, J., Bülthoff, H.H., & Bresciani, J.P. (2011). It is all me: the effect of viewpoint on visual-vestibular recalibration. Experimental Brain Research 213, 246-256. Article link
Schomaker, J., & Talsma, D. (2009). The relationship between response times and the strength of top-down attentional control: An ERP study. Journal of European Psychology Students 1. Full article
For citations per paper see Google Scholar
*shared first/senior authorship
EXPERIMENTS AND CODE
Since 2010 I have programmed over 50 experiments, mostly in OpenSesame and E-Prime. I recently created a repository, trying to add experiments (old and new ones) regularly). Check out my GitHub if you are interested in using some classic cognitive psychology experiments (e.g., a go-nogo task, n-back task, word learning task) or are interested to use experiments from work we have published. I also recently added some C# code to replay and record exploration/navigation behavior on basis of XYZ-coordinates (logfiles) in Unity projects: https://github.com/SchomakerExperiments
INVITED TALKS
Psychologie & Gehirn, Wuerzburg, June 2025
Wat is tijd? - Klokhuisvragendag, Nemo Science Museum, 14 June 2025.
Grassfields Project - SpatialMind: A flexible platform for 3D-learning, Immersive Tech Event, 30 January 2025
Individual differences in human spatial exploration, ICSC, 2024
Prof. Lambert Schomaker's (my dad's) Farewell Symposium, Groningen, 8 March 2024
Neuropsychology in the age of AI: Challenges and opportunities, NVN (Dutch Neuropsychology Society) meeting 2023
Neural oscillations associated with the effects of novelty on memory, Hippocampal Spring Conference, Verona, Italy, 2023.
The effects of novelty on long-term memory, ICON, Helsinki, Finland, 2022.
Unexplored territory: The memory boosting effects of novelty across the lifespan. NVP Winter Conference, Egmond aan Zee, the Netherlands, 2022.
The memory boosting effects of novelty, Studium Generale, Maastricht University, the Netherlands, 2020.
The effects of exploring novel environments: Individual differences and the role of volition. Recollection, Familiarity and Novelty Detection conference, Liege, Belgium, 2019
The novelty P3 component, International Organization of Psychophysiology, Havana, Cuba, 2016
Open Sesame: A cross-platform experiment builder - BION Methods meeting, Rauischholzhausen, Germany, 2014
Nieuwe informatie beinvloeft het menselijk brein. Lekenpraatje (layman's talk) PhD Defense. VU University Amsterdam, 9th of January, 2015. For a video (in Dutch) see: Lekenpraatje
Novelty's Benefits. Amsterdam Vision Meeting, Amsterdam, 2013.
Novelty processing when attention is otherwise engaged: An event-related potential study. Working Memory Mini-Conference Amsterdam, 2013
Novelty-driven response facilitation modulated by personality traits. NVP Winter Conference, Egmond aan Zee, the Netherlands, 2011.
Two modes of novelty processing: Context-induced exploration and exploitation. 2nd Amsterdam Memory Slam, 24th of October, 2011.
Electrophysiological responses to novelty in a visual oddball paradigm. Learning and Memory in Amsterdam (1st Amsterdam Memory Slam), 29th of September, 2010.
It is all me: The effect of viewpoint on visual-vestibular recalibration. 1st Annual Cognitive Neuropsychology Research Master Students Conference, 2010.
It is all me: Varying viewpoints and motor learning in a virtual reality environment. 11th International Multisensory Research Forum (IMRF). Liverpool, England, 2010.
CONFERENCE ABSTRACTS
Servais, A., Schomaker, J., Bastin, C. (2025). Novelty Enhances Memory: Besides Providing Novel Spatial Environments, Virtual Reality also Constitutes a Novel Distinctive Experience. Society for Applied Research in Memory and Cognition (SARMAC).
Schomaker, J, Rau, E., Wittmann, B.C. (2019). The effects of exploring novel environments on learning: Individual differences and the role of volition. Brain & Cognition.
Hendriks, M.P.H., Grouls, M.M.E., Colon, A., Schomaker, J., Meeter, M. (2013). Visual novelty processing in patients with unilateral temporal lobe resection. Epilepsia, 54, 221.
POSTERS
Vermey, K., Sep, C., Van der Veen, S., Schomaker, J., Balaji, D., De Natris, M., Fisser, E., Zimbile, F. (2025). AI-driven conversational agent which support clients with questions about sexually transmitted infections. 38th IUSTI Europe Congress.
Schomaker, J. Kerkkänen, K.I.L, Hansov, S., Calmus, C.M., Vogelsang, D.A. (2023). The neural signature of novelty-induced memory benefits. NVP meeting, the Netherlands
Bartling, A., Schomaker, J. (2022). Interindividual differences in exploration behaviour and novelty seeking. NVP Winter conference, the Netherlands {Master Award winner}
van der Linden, C., Schomaker J. (2022). Novelty processing depends on temporal lobe structures. NVN Meeting, the Netherlands
Di Mino, E., Schomaker, J, Bastin, C. (2021). Does exposure to novel scenes improve subsequent verbal memory? BAPS convention, Belgium
Schomaker, J., Einhäuser, W., Wittmann, B.C. (2018). Visual salience effects on reinforcement learning. 51. Kongress der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Psychologie, Frankfurt, Germany
Schomaker, J., & Wittmann, B.C. (2018). Response facilitation by task-irrelevant novel sounds is associated with increased pupil size, Psychologie & Gehirn, Giessen, Germany
Schomaker, J., Duncan, K.D., Daw, N., & Wittmann, B.C. (2017). Visual salience amplifies reward prediction error signals in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex. ICON 2017, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Schomaker, J., Einhauser, W., Wittmann, B.C. (2015). Motivational salience guides attention in natural scene viewing. Pscyhonomic Society's 56th Annual Meeting, 19-22 November 2015, Chicago, USA
Schomaker, J., Rau, E., Einhauser, W., Wittmann, B.C. (2015). Motivational objects in realistic scenes (MONS): A database of >700 objects. Psychologie & Gehirn, Frankfurt, Germany
Schomaker, J., Meeter, M. (2013). Gender differences in the interaction between novelty and emotion in enhancing visual perception. NVP Winterconference, Egmond aan Zee, the Netherlands
Meeter, M., Schomaker, J., Rangel-Gomez, M. (2013). Reacting to novelty: The role of expectations and attention. Society for Neuroscience (SfN), San Diego, USA
Schomaker, J., Meeter, M. (2013). Novelty detection is enhanced when attention is otherwise engaged: An event-related potential study. European Brain and Behavior Society Meeting (EBBS), Munich, Germany
Schomaker, J., Berendse, H., Foncke, E., van den Heuvel, O., van der Werff, Y. Theeuwes, J., & Meeter, M. (2012). The effects of dopamine on memory formation in Parkinson’s patients. Society for Neuroscience (SfN), New Orleans, USA.
Schomaker, J., Roos, R., Meeter, M. (2012). Two modes of novelty processing: context-induced exploration and exploitation. Society for Psychophysiological Research (SPR), New Orleans, USA.
Schomaker, J., Roos, R. & Meeter, M. (2012). Two modes of novelty processing: Context-induced exploration and exploitation. EPOS meeting. Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Bresciani, J.P., Schomaker, J., Tesch, J., Bischoff, H., Buelthoff, H.H. (2010). The richness of the visual scene of the visual scene and the viewpoint affect sensorimotor learning in virtual reality. Body Representation in Physical and Virtual Reality with Applications to Rehabilitation. Monte Verita, Switzerland.
PHD THESIS
What's New? The interaction between novelty and cognition (2015)
Note, adaptations of the eight chapters + the introduction were also published elsewhere. For references to these respective papers check the thesis chapters.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
In Alexandrova I. V., Teneva P. T., de la Rosa S., Kloos U., Bülthoff H. H. & Mohler B. J.: Egocentric Distance Judgments in a Large Screen Display Immersive Virtual Environment (2010). In: APGV, 7th Symposium on Applied Perception in Graphics and Visualization, ACM Press, New York, NY, USA.
Acknowledgement in the book Gisse leerlingen. Geografische Informatie Systemen, Geografisch besef en aardrijkskundeonderwijs. ISBN 978-90-74580-16-8 / NUR 905 Notification © Onderwijscentrum, VU University Amsterdam, 2 november 2007.