David Strayer

David Strayer is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Utah's College of Social and Behavioral Science. His research focuses on attention, skilled performance, cognitive distraction, and the interplay between nature exposure and neural recovery mechanisms.

• Education: Ph.D. in Psychology (1989) from the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign.

Strayer's work bridges cognitive psychophysiology and applied contexts, using EEG, fMRI, and behavioral measures to explore attentional limits in multitasking (e.g., distracted driving) and cognitive restoration through nature immersion. His lab pioneered studies on neural oscillations during environmental exposure and error-processing dynamics in automated systems.

Key research themes include attention restoration theory, driver cognitive workload, and ecosystem conservation. Articles show increasing focus on automation-human interaction and neurophysiological impacts of natural environments.

Students in his lab contribute to projects on driver distraction, neural indices of reward processing, and freshwater biodiversity. The Applied Cognition Lab offers research assistant positions to undergraduates and accepts graduate students biennially.