People

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 and is currently Editor of the journal Discourse Processes

 

Graduate Students

 

Josie Holohan, Second year doctoral student in Cognitive Psychology

E: holohanj@u.northwestern.edu

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Josie’s current research projects include exploring the long-term effects of exposure to inaccurate information and how the presentation of content might effect 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.
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Amanda Withall, Second year doctoral student in Cognitive Psychology

e: mwithall@u.northwestern.edu

 

 

 

 

 

Mandy’s current research projects investigate how a little bit of information can change people’s confidence in what they know, and how unheralded pronouns can change people’s trust in the given information. Her general interests are in how features of a text can change how people perceive and believe in given information.

 

 

 

Kennen Hutchison, First year 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.

Undergraduate Research Assistants

 

 

Andres Martell, Cognitive Science and Computer Science major

Class of 2024

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tiffany Lou, Cognitive Science and Neuroscience major

Class of 2024

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jamie Kim, Neuroscience and Psychology major, Human Culture minor

Class of 2025

 

 

 

 

 

 

Abbie Farley, Cognitive Science and Psychology major, Linguistics minor

Class of 2025

 

 

 

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.

 

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.

Lab Alumni – Undergrad

Claire Mason, Psychology major and Statistics minor

Class of 2023

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anya Kirsch, Neuroscience major

Class of 2023

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kylie Lin, Cognitive Science and Communications major, Data Science minor

Class of 2023

 

 

 

 

 

Kate Lawson, Biology and Psychology major

Class of 2023

 

 

 

 

 

Nuo (Anor) Chen, Psychology and Philosophy major

Class of 2022

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sydney Crawford, Cognitive Science major

Class of 2022

 

 

 

 

 

 

Louis Ingram, Neuroscience major

Class of 2021

Where now? Research assistant at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine

 

 

 

 

Ella DeBode, Learning and Organizational Change and Psychology

Class of 2021

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stef Luthin, Psychology and Radio/Television/Film major

Class of 2021

 

 

 

 

 

Keldon Lin, Neuroscience

Class of 2019

Where now? In Medical School at Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine

 

 

 

 

 

Yulan Chen, Psychology and Global Health

Class of 2020

 

 

 

 

 

Rayna Weiser, Cognitive Science and Viola Performance

Class of 2018

Where now? Administrative Coordinator at Massachusetts General Hospital

 

 

 

 

 

Rebecca Adler, Cognitive Science and Psychology

Class of 2018

Where now? PhD student in Psychology at Vanderbilt University

 

 

 

 

Megan Imundo, Psychology and Cognitive Science

Class of 2018

Where now? PhD student in Cognitive Psychology at UCLA