Chris Kent

My general research interest is in perception and memory for visual, auditory, and haptic stimuli. More specifically, I am interested in the perceptual and memory processes that support a wide range of cognitive tasks. For example, how are objects encoded, stored, and retrieved from memory? An area that particularly interests me is how perceptual encoding processes and retrieval processes interact. I have studied a variety of tasks that seem to involve overlapping (and hence general) cognitive operations, including, identification, categorization, object recognition, and perceptual matching. I am also interest in how we allocate attention to both static (visual search) and moving (multiple object tracking) stimuli. I am also interested in applied aspects of cognition, including expert perception, haptic interfaces (with Engineering), and the relationship between anxiety and performance (and how to mitigate it). As well as using traditional experimental techniques (including psychophysical, eye tracking, and signal-to-respond methodologies) I develop and use simple mathematical models that embody general processing principles which should offer an account of many perceptual and memory based tasks. I am always looking for strong PhD candidates whose research interests overlap with mine.

[04/01/2026] Coproducing Recommendations for Decolonizing the Psychology Curriculum With Psychology Faculty Members [01/02/2026] Decolonising the Psychology curriculum [10/03/2026] Enhancing Navigation Through Natural Sensory Mappings: A Cross-Modal Approach [03/03/2025] Auditory and tactile frequency mapping for visual distance perception [05/03/2025] Effects of Selective Retrieval Practice on Older Adults