Lisa Blalock

Lisa Blalock serves as Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychology within the Usha Kundu, MD College of Health at the University of West Florida. Her academic home is Building 41, Room 253, where she leads the Visual Cognition Lab.

Her educational background includes a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Central Florida and Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology from Colorado State University. These foundations support her expertise in visual information processing.

Dr. Blalock's research centers on visual and spatial working memory mechanisms, examining how humans encode, maintain, and retrieve visual information. Her work bridges basic cognitive processes with real-world applications like driving safety and training systems. Key interests include the interaction between visual working memory and attentional systems, the role of long-term memory in short-term processing, and how expertise development affects cognitive performance. Her lab actively investigates how familiarity with stimuli enhances memory consolidation and how cognitive load impacts situational awareness.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals strong continuity in visual working memory research with expanding applications to educational technology and human factors. Her work increasingly integrates crossmodal cues and practical training systems while maintaining rigorous experimental cognitive methodology.

Dr. Blalock mentors undergraduate students through hands-on research experiences in the Visual Cognition Lab, emphasizing practical skill development. Her teaching portfolio includes Research Methods I, Professional Development in Psychology, Memory & Cognition, and Sensation & Perception courses that bridge theoretical knowledge with applied practice.

The Visual Cognition Lab focuses on how humans process and represent visual information, particularly examining object memory in short-term systems and how attentional and long-term memory processes influence these representations. The lab provides opportunities for student involvement through volunteering and study participation.