Functional MRI Laboratory

A number of researchers in the Cognition & Perception (C&P) program use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate the neural substrates of cognitive processes. This research is carried out at the Functional MRI Laboratory, co-directed by John Jonides (from C&P) and Doug Noll (from Bioengineering). The fMRI Lab is equipped with a state-of-the-art 3T GE Signa scanner that is used exclusively for research. High-resolution visual stimuli (as well as auditory and tactile stimuli) can be presented during scanning and manual responses and eye movements can be recorded. The Lab provides data preprocessing (image reconstruction, slice acquisition correction, motion correction) as part of its service. A mock scanner is also available, including a computer, button boxes for responses, and speakers for simulating the noise of the real scanner. The fMRI Lab also has funding to support pilot projects that have not yet obtained external grant support.

Psycholinguistics

The Psycholinguistics Laboratory in the Psychology Department has facilities and equipment for investigations of both written and spoken language. An ISCAN head-mounted eye tracker is equipped with a high speed camera and a head tracking component. This allows for automated data analysis with unrestricted head movements. This equipment is being used to monitor gaze over related pictures as participants listen to sentences or engage in conversational tasks. We also have an SMI head-mounted eyetracker, primarily for use in reading experiments, which permits monitoring both eye-movements and pupil size at both high spatial (~0.3-0.5 degrees visual angle) and temporal (4 ms) resolution. A second eye tracker for reading is slated to be purchased soon. There are four additional experiment rooms, each housing a computer station for collecting reaction time data, judgment data, etc. All of the rooms are fitted with wall coverings to dampen sound, and adjustable lighting to reduce glare and increase the effectiveness of the eye-trackers. The Linguistics Department also has two phonetics laboratories equipped with one anechoic chamber and one sound-attenuated recording booth, DAT recorders, and computers running various sound analysis software.

Electrophysiology

There are several event-related brain potential (ERP) and psychophysiology laboratories in or affiliated with the Department of Psychology. The ERP laboratories of Bill Gehring and Patricia Deldin, and the Center for Human Growth and Development (CHGD) ERP laboratory can record between 32 and 128 channels of ERP data using high-density arrays of scalp electrodes. Several software packages for data analysis and source localization are available (including the BESA and EMSE programs). The laboratories of Patricia Deldin, Barbara Fredrickson, and Nnamdi Pole are equipped to measure other psychophysiological measures, such as heart rate and skin conductance. The brand-new CHGD ERP laboratory is designed specifically for studies of children, using the Electrical Geodesics Inc. geodesic sensor net.

Gerontology

In addition to the research on cognitive, affective and social aspects of aging conducted by faculty in the Cognition and Perception area and in other areas of the Psychology Department, there are numerous resources on campus for research and training in gerontology. These include the Institute of Gerontology, the Nathan Shock Center for the Basic Biology of Aging, the Retirement Research Center, and the Geriatrics Center at the UM hospital.

Culture and Cognition Program

Many C&P students interested in the role of culture in cognition participate in the Culture and Cognition Program. The program is a collaboration between the University of Michigan's Psychology and Anthropology departments and the Institute for Social Research. Faculty and students from anthropology, psychology, and related disciplines are brought together for discussion, collaboration, and graduate student training. During the winter semester, the program hosts a visiting speaker series. Past series have been on topics such as culture and cognition across species and literary theory and cognition. The series culminates in a day-long conference hosted by the program's students. Major areas of interest in the program include: cross-cultural differences in reasoning, perception, and memory; culture and emotion; evolution and culture; domain-specific/modular approaches to cognitive architecture; culture and development; the epidemiology of representations.

Neuropsychology Resources

In addition to the Cognitive and Affective Neuropsychology Laboratory in the Department of Psychology, there are a variety of neuropsychology resources at the University of Michigan that offer potential training opportunities. The Division of Neuropsychology in the Department of Psychiatry has a nationally recognized APA-accredited Postdoctoral Training Program in Professional Psychology. This program includes a Specialty Track in Clinical Neuropsychology. Faculty in the division carry out research in a number of areas, including substance abuse and its effect on the brain, effects of exposure to toxins, depression and aging, epilepsy, drug efficacy in neurological and psychiatric conditions, schizophrenia, and others. Many of the faculty in this program are members of the Psychology Department and supervise both graduate and undergraduate research. The Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation also has a cognitive rehabilitation program: The Michigan Assistive Technology for Cognition Program (MATCP). The director of this program, Ned Kirsch, is an adjuct member of the Psychology Department.

Division of Kinesiology

The Movement Science department in the Division of Kinesiology provides opportunities for Cognition & Perception students to learn about motor control. Research and coursework focus on diverse facets of motor control, including motor development, skill acquisition, and cognitive neuroscience of action. Faculty utilize research techniques such as functional neuroimaging, biomechanical motion analysis, and computer simulations to understand how the CNS controls movement. Projects within the Center for Human Motor Research investigate adaptive changes in the motor control system during learning, growth, aging, and disease.

University of Michigan Autism and Communication Disorders Center

Faculty and students in the Department of Psychology have opportunities to collaborate with members of the University of Michigan Autism and Communication Disorders Center. The UMACC pursues both academic and clinical missions. As an academic setting, the UMACC is involved in developing and conducting research designed to enhance our knowledge and understanding of adults and children with autism and train future researchers and clinicians in the scientific study, diagnosis and treatment of children with autism. As a center dedicated to providing clinical services, they offer comprehensive diagnostic evaluations, intervention, consultation to schools, therapists, and other professionals, as well as training and resources to families and professionals working with children with autism.

Center for Complex Systems

The Center for the Study of Complex Systems (CSCS) is a broadly interdisciplinary program at the University of Michigan designed to encourage and facilitate research and education in the general area of nonlinear, dynamical and adaptive systems. Participating faculty represent nearly every college of the University. The Center is based on the recognition that many different kinds of systems which include self-regulation, feedback or adaptation in their dynamics, may have a common underlying structure despite their apparent differences. Moreover, these deep structural similarities can be exploited to transfer methods of analysis and understanding from one field to another. In addition to developing deeper understandings of specific systems, interdisciplinary approaches should help elucidate the general structure and behavior of complex systems, and move us toward a deeper appreciation of the general nature of such systems.

Center for Human Growth and Development

The Center for Human Growth and Development (CHGD) seeks to further the understanding of the complex processes by which human beings grow and develop. With multidisciplinary collaborations among biomedical, behavioral, and social scientists, the long-range goal of research and training at the Center is to optimize children's physical, cognitive, and socioemotional development.

Michigan Alzheimer's Disease Research Center

The Michigan Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (MADRC) is one of 28 centers in the nation that are devoted to research, clinical care, neuropathologic studies, and educational activities in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related disorders. The Center was established in 1989 at the University of Michigan with funding from the National Institute on Aging (NIA). As part of its mission, MADRC strives to ensure that all individuals and families in Michigan have access to the most advanced diagnostic and treatment techniques and the most current information about research findings. The Center supports four ongoing scientific projects investigating neurodegenerative diseases and funds pilot projects to encourage new investigators to work in the field of AD research.

Cognitive Science and Cognitive Neuroscience Certificate Program

The goal of the Cognitive Science and Cognitive Neuroscience Certificate Program (CSCN) is to support and promote interdisciplinary training and research in Cognitive Science and Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Michigan. The program provides students with: (a) a background on neural and computational approaches to cognition, (b) a background in substantive areas of interest, such as attention and memory; and (c) opportunities to develop analytic research skills in the context of collaborative and interdisciplinary research projects. The Program is concerned with studying cognition—including the topics of perception, attention, learning & memory, language, and reasoning—at both the behavioral and neurological levels. We believe that “doing cognitive neuroscience from a cognitive-psychology perspective” can make major contributions to cognitive neuroscience, cognitive psychology, and their interface. However, we also include other perspectives, so as to make contact with related research being done at other units on the Michigan campus.