David N. Rapp

David N. Rapp is a distinguished academic serving as the Charles Deering McCormick Professor of Teaching Excellence at Northwestern University. He holds dual professorships in the School of Education and Social Policy (SESP) and the Department of Psychology, with a primary affiliation in the Learning Sciences. As Director of Undergraduate Education for SESP, he oversees academic programs and initiatives. His research focuses on cognitive mechanisms underlying learning, memory, and the processing of accurate and inaccurate information, particularly in educational and multimedia contexts.

Education:

• PhD in Experimental Psychology, State University of New York, Stony Brook (2000)
• MA in General Psychology, New York University (1996)
• BA in Psychology, State University of New York, Albany (1994)

Research Interests:

• Reading comprehension and multimedia learning
• Memory dynamics and misinformation effects
• Translation of cognitive science into educational tools
• Visualization and STEM education
• Social contagion of knowledge and beliefs

Notable Achievements:

• Recipient of the McKnight Land-Grant Professor Award (2006)
• Tom Trabasso Young Investigator Award (2010)
• Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science
• Lead Editor of the Journal of Discourse Processes
• Principal Investigator of NSF and NIH-funded projects

Lab & Collaborations:

• Directs the Reading Comprehension Lab, exploring cognitive processes in learning and misinformation.
• Collaborates with institutions like the Feinberg School of Medicine and Kellogg School of Business.
• Advises over 20 graduate and undergraduate students, many pursuing academic and industry roles.