معرفی
Casey Roark is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of New Hampshire, where she leads the Computation, Learning, and Representation (CLEAR) Lab. Her research focuses on how humans learn in complex, dynamic environments, with a special emphasis on second-language acquisition and multisensory learning.
Education:
- Ph.D. in Cognitive Neuroscience, Carnegie Mellon University
Research Interests:
Dr. Roark’s work explores how we learn categories across sensory modalities, especially in the context of language acquisition. She investigates auditory and visual category learning, the role of working memory, and how individual differences affect learning trajectories. Her lab uses computational modeling, pupillometry, and neuroimaging to understand the neural and cognitive mechanisms underlying these processes.
She is particularly interested in how non-native speech sound representations are formed, how musical training influences cognition, and how dyslexia and developmental language disorders impact learning.
Scientific Contributions:
Her recent work has focused on individual differences in working memory and their impact on non-native speech category learning, as well as the use of pupillometry and drift-diffusion modeling to uncover real-time learning dynamics. She has also contributed to theoretical debates on single vs. multiple learning systems in categorization.
Lab and Team:
As Principal Investigator of the CLEAR Lab, Dr. Roark mentors a growing team of PhD students, post-bacc researchers, and undergraduate RAs. The lab is active in presenting at major conferences such as the Cognitive Science Society, Psychonomics, and Society for Neurobiology of Language.
Teaching and Mentorship:
- Courses Taught: Psychology of Language, Advanced Seminar in Cognition
- PhD Students Advised: Lyra Joson, Hooman Amiri, Hedieh Nejatmand Malari
- Undergraduate RAs: Megan, Kaylie, Michael, Stephanie, Braelyn, Nusrat, Kay
