Meet the Lab!

Principal Investigator

David Rapp, Charles Deering McCormick Professor of Teaching Excellence; Professor, Learning Sciences; Professor, Department of Psychology

e : rapp@northwestern.edu

David N. Rapp, is a professor in both the School of Education and Social Policy and the Department of Psychology at Northwestern University, and a Charles Deering McCormick Professor of Teaching Excellence.

His research examines language and memory, focusing on the cognitive mechanisms responsible for successful learning and knowledge failures. He investigates the ways in which prior knowledge, text and visual materials, and learning goals influence the processes and products of our discourse experiences. This has included examining the effects of reading false information, identifying how what people know is not always used most effectively during comprehension, the evaluation of technologies intended to support formal and informal learning, the design of effective presentation systems, and the iterative development of tools intended to support literacy.

Recent published articles examine how memory is influenced by (a) the plausibility and importance of everyday events, (b) the credibility of sources, and (c) the collaborative nature of group discussions. His most recent books include the co-edited volumes Processing Inaccurate Information: Theoretical and Applied Perspectives from Cognitive Science and the Educational Sciences (MIT Press), and The Handbook of Discourse Processes, second edition (Routledge).

Dr. Rapp’s projects have been funded by the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Education, and the National Institute on Aging. For his work, he has received a McKnight Land-Grant Professor award from the University of Minnesota in 2006, the Tom Trabasso Young Investigator Award from the Society for Text & Discourse in 2010, and is a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science. He has served as associate editor at the Journal of Educational Psychology.

Graduate Students

Josie Holohan, Fourth-year doctoral candidate in Cognitive Psychology

E: holohanj@u.northwestern.edu

Josie’s current research projects include exploring the long-term effects of exposure to inaccurate information and how the presentation of content might affect people’s perception of it. Her general interests are in the intersection between video and psychology; specifically, what the cognitive consequences of viewing inaccurate information through video media might be. Josie also has experience as a lead instructor, teaching Research Methods at Northwestern University and is deeply passionate about mentoring undergraduate students.

Fun Fact: Josie loves to travel and has been to 19 countries and 25 states. Her favorite places that she’s visited have been Madrid, Spain and Tokyo, Japan.

Mandy Withall, Fourth-year doctoral candidate in Cognitive Psychology

e: mwithall@u.northwestern.edu

Mandy is interested in metacognitive interventions that can encourage people to think more about the information that they read, particularly when that information is false. Their current research projects focus on factors that might reduce or eliminate the continued influence effect. In their free time, they enjoy sewing, video games, and horror movies.

Sam Agnoli, First-year doctoral candidate in Cognitive Psychology

e: samagnoli@u.northwestern.edu

One of Sam’s current projects investigates the cognitive processes implicated in collaboration with artificial intelligence (AI), including how AI might offload learning and how perceptions about AI (e.g., as objective agents) inform comprehension of texts. Another project seeks to characterize how misinformation is processed under uncertainty.

Sara Neuner, Second-year doctoral candidate in Cognitive Psychology

e: SaraNeuner2028@u.northwestern.edu

Undergraduate Research Assistants

Abbie Farley, Cognitive Science and Psychology major, Linguistics minor

Class of 2025

Angelina Friedrichs, Psychology and Theatre major

Class of 2025

Jamie Kim, Neuroscience and Psychology major, Science in Human Culture minor

Class of 2025

Barbara Alexopoulous, Psychology and Math major, Business Institutions minor

Class of 2026

Katie Keil, Psychology and Political Science major, U.S. History minor

Class of 2026

Gabriel Bernick, Psychology and Journalism major

Class of 2027

Cate Seel, Economics and Environmental Science major

Class of 2027

Lab Alumni – Grad

Nikita Salovich, Former PhD student in Cognitive Psychology; Specialization in Cognitive Science; Quantitative Methods Certificate

e : salovich@u.northwestern.edu

Nikita’s research projects examine why people are influenced by false information even in cases when they should “know better”, like when they have the prior knowledge to determine something is false (learn more on her website here). She formerly taught in the psychology department, communications department, and for Kellogg School of Business.

Kennen Hutchison, Former doctoral student in Learning Sciences.

e : kennenhutchison2022@u.northwestern.edu

Kennen’s research explores how written, verbal, and visual cues influence people’s belief in and use of online information.

Mike Spikes, Former doctoral student in Learning Sciences

e : mspikes@u.northwestern.edu

Mike’s research investigates how people understand and navigate news. He also works on designing, implementing, and testing news literacy initiatives. He is currently teaching a media strategies course at Columbia College, Chicago.

Amalia Donovan, Former PhD Student in Learning Science

amaliamargery@gmail.com

Amalia’s research focus pertains to when and how people verify information they read using both prior knowledge and outside resources. After graduating in 2020, Amalia has been working as an instructional designer at Everspring.

Meghan Salomon-Amed, Former PhD Student in Cognitive Psychology

meghansalomon2013@u.northwestern.edu

Meghan’s research investigates the flawed choices we make, from relying on information we know to be inaccurate, to overestimating our decision-making capabilities. After graduating in 2019, Meghan worked as a post-doc at DePaul University studying the longitudinal effects of friendship social networks for individuals in recovery homes. She now is a Research Manager at The Sound, a Marketing Agency in Chicago.