Steven Most

Professor Steven Most is a cognitive psychologist at the University of New South Wales, affiliated with the School of Psychology within the Faculty of Science. He holds a Ph.D. from Harvard University and a B.A. from Brandeis University. His research investigates how attention and emotion shape perception and conscious experience, with strong connections to social and clinical psychology.

• B.A. in Psychology, Brandeis University
• Ph.D. in Psychology, Harvard University

His research focuses on attentional mechanisms, emotional processing, inattentional blindness, and emotion-induced blindness. He explores how emotional stimuli disrupt perception and memory, and how cognitive control and effort regulation modulate these effects. His work combines behavioral experiments, eye-tracking, and neurocognitive methods.

His recent publications reveal a consistent focus on emotional attentional capture, working memory modulation by emotion, and the cognitive consequences of emotional distraction. He has contributed to theoretical frameworks on attentional capture and perceptual interference, particularly in dynamic visual environments.

• Most Promising New Textbook Award (2021) for Cognition
• Recognized for excellence in teaching and mentoring

Steven Most actively mentors students and early-career researchers, with advisees including S. Onie, B. Kennedy, and J. Zhao. He has secured research funding and leads a productive lab focused on the cognitive neuroscience of attention and emotion. He is also engaged in public science communication, offering workshops and educational videos on cognitive psychology.

He leads a research laboratory investigating the interplay between attention, emotion, and perception, with ongoing projects on emotional distraction, cognitive control, and memory consolidation.