Laura E. Thomas, Ph.D.

Laura E. Thomas, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Department of Psychology

Center for Visual and Cognitive Neuroscience

North Dakota State University

Office: 134E4 Minard Hall

Phone: (701)231-6311 

Email: laura.e.thomas@ndsu.edu

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Research Interests

My research incorporates approaches from embodied cognition and vision science to study the ways in which physical actions affect key components of cognition such as problem solving, memory, and attention.

Action and Cognition Lab

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Education

Ph.D., 2008, Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

B.A., 2002, Psychology (summa cum laude), Washington University in St. Louis

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Academic Appointments

2011-present, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, North Dakota State University

2008-2011, Postdoctoral Fellow, Perception, Attention, and Control Lab, Vanderbilt University

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Courses Taught

PSYC 464/664: Attention and Thinking

PSYC 764: Advanced Topics in Attention

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Selected Publications

Thomas, L. E., & Seiffert, A. E.  (2013).  Looking ahead: Attending to anticipatory locations increases perception of control.  Consciousness and Cognition, 22, 375-381.

Thomas, L. E., Davoli, C. C., & Brockmole, J. R.  (2013).  Interacting with objects compresses environmental representations in spatial memory.  Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 20, 101-107.

Thomas, L. E., & Seiffert, A. E.  (2011).  How many objects are you worth? Quantification of the self-motion load on multiple object tracking.  Frontiers in Cognition, 2:245.

Thomas, L. E., & Seiffert, A. E.  (2010).  Self-motion impairs multiple-object tracking.  Cognition, 177, 80-86.

Higgins, J. S., Irwin, D. E., Wang, R. F., & Thomas, L. E.  (2009).  Visual direction constancy across eye blinks.  Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics, 71, 1607-1617.

Thomas, L. E., & Lleras, A.  (2009a).  Swinging into thought: Directed movement guides insight in problem solving.  Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 16, 719-723.

Thomas, L. E., & Lleras, A.  (2009b).  Covert shifts of attention function as an implicit aid to insight.  Cognition, 111, 168-174.

Thomas, L. E., & Lleras, A.  (2009c).  Inhibitory tagging in an interrupted visual search.  Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics, 71, 1241-1250.

Thomas, L. E., & Lleras, A.  (2007).  Moving eyes and moving thought: On the spatial compatibility between eye movements and cognition.  Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 14, 663-668.

Irwin, D. E., & Thomas, L. E.  (2007).  The effect of saccades on number comparison.  Perception & Psychophysics, 69, 450-458.

Thomas, L. E., Ambinder, M. S., Hsieh, B., et al.  (2006).  Fruitful visual search: Inhibition of return in a virtual foraging task.  Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 13, 891-895.

Thomas, L. E., & Irwin, D. E.  (2006).  Voluntary eyeblinks disrupt iconic memory.  Perception & Psychophysics, 68, 475-488.