معرفی
Shannon Heald is an Assistant Instructional Professor in the Department of Psychology and The College at the University of Chicago. She specializes in cognitive psychology and neuroscience, focusing on how past experiences and goals guide attention, influencing perception, learning, and problem-solving. Her research integrates methodologies from cognitive psychology and neuroscience to explore perceptual and cognitive mechanisms. She earned her B.A. (2002), M.A. (2005), and Ph.D. (2012) in psychology at the University of Chicago, followed by a postdoctoral appointment there. She is a member of the Attention, Perception, & Experience Lab led by Dr. Howard Nusbaum and holds fellowships with the Psychonomic Society and the Open User Innovation Society.
Dr. Heald's teaching includes courses such as Concepts and Categories, Introduction to Statistical Concepts and Methods, and The Psychology of Problem-Solving. Her work bridges theoretical and applied research, examining topics like absolute pitch, perceptual learning, and the neural correlates of decision-making. Recent studies highlight her exploration of how sleep consolidates perceptual learning and the role of auditory working memory in pitch recognition. Her research often emphasizes cross-modal interactions and contextual influences on cognitive processes.
- Research Themes: Attention & Perception, Auditory Learning, Cognitive Neuroscience, Problem-Solving
- Key Contributions: Demonstrated generalized learning effects through sleep, explored absolute pitch acquisition in adults, and investigated talker normalization in speech perception.
Her awards reflect recognition for advancing cognitive science, particularly in perceptual and auditory domains. Dr. Heald’s interdisciplinary approach spans psychology, neuroscience, and education, with ongoing work on neural mechanisms underlying decision-making and market outcomes.
