Michael

Stroud

Academic Title

Chair, Psychology & Professor, Psychology

Research Interests
  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Visual Attention
  • Eye Movements
Research Summary

My research interests are focused on exploring both basic and applied questions within visual attention and the science of teaching and learning. My primary area of research revolves around the question of why it is often difficult to search for multiple objects at once. This question, as well how we mentally represent objects during visual search, is best revealed through monitoring eye movements during various visual search tasks. By understanding the basic question of how we represent objects to guide search, we may better understand more critical applied research questions like how to improve visual search for airport security screeners, radiological detection of tumors, etc. My secondary area of research is devoted to investigating projects in applied cognitive and educational research. Specifically, what are the most effective ways to present materials to students to foster the greatest level of learning and comprehension.

Education
  • Ph.D., Cognitive Psychology, UMass Amherst
  • M.A., Psychological Science, California State University, Chico
  • B.S., Biopsychology, University of California, Santa Barbara
Areas of Expertise
  • Cognition
  • Science of Teaching and Learning
  • Visual Attention
Recent Publications

Cave, K.R., Menneer, T., Kaplan, E., Stroud, M.J., Chang, J., Newsome, C., & Donnelly, N. (Under Review) We Can, but Often Don’t, Guide Search Effectively when there are Two Targets or a Working Memory Load

Leonard, S., Stroud, M.J., & Shaw, R.J. (2021). Highlighting and taking notes are equally ineffective when Reading paper or eText (2021), Education and Information Technologies, 1 – 14.

Stiegler-Balfour, J., Jakobsen, K., Stroud, M.J., & Daniel, D. (2020). APA-style citations can create a roadblock to textbook comprehension for less skilled readers. Teaching of Psychology, 47(2), 147 – 155.Menneer, T.M., Cave, K.R., Kaplan, E., Stroud, M.J., & Donnelly, N. (2019). The relationship between working memory and the dual-target cost in visual search guidance. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance.

Stroud, M.J., Menneer, T., Kaplan, E., Cave, K.R., & Donnelly, N. (2019) We can guide search by a set of colors, but are reluctant to do it. Attention, Perception, and Psychophysics, 81(2), 377 – 406. DOI: 10.3758/s13414-018-1617-5

Cave, K. R., Menneer, T., Nomani, M., Stroud, M.J. & Donnelly, N. (2018): Dual Target Search is Neither Purely Simultaneous nor Purely Successive., The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 71(1), 169 – 178. DOI: 10.1080/17470218.2017.1307425

Hardway, C., Seitchik, A., Kurdziel, L., Stroud, M.J., LaTorre, J., & LeBert, C. (2017) Online and classroom simulations: Does video use inspire interest, comprehensibility, or achieve learning outcomes? Journal of Educational Computing Research. DOI: 10.1177/0735633117732961

Stroud, M.J., & Whitbourne, S.K., Casual Video Games as Training Tools for Attentional Processes in Everyday Life (2015) Cyberpsychology, Behavior, & Social Networking 654 – 660. DOI: 10.1089/cyber.2015.0316

Menneer, T., Stroud, M.J., Cave, K.R., Li, X., Godwin, H., Liversedge, S., & Donnelly N. (2012) Search for Two Categories of Target Produces Fewer Fixations to Target-color Items. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 18(4), 404 – 418. DOI: 10.1037/a0031032

Stroud, M.J., Cave, K.R., Menneer, T., & Donnelly, N. (2012). Using the Dual-target Cost to Explore the Nature of Search Target Representations. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance. 38(1), 113 – 122. DOI: 10.1080/00220670903383077

Stroud, M. J., & Schwartz, N.H. (2010). Summoning Prior Knowledge Through Metaphorical Graphics: An Example in Chemistry Instruction, Journal of Educational Research.103, 351 – 366.

Rayner, K., Reichle, E., Stroud, M. J., Williams, C. W., & Pollatsek, A. (2007). The effect of word frequency, word predictability, and font difficulty on the eye movements of young and older readers, Psychology and Aging, 21(3), 448 – 465. DOI: 10.1037/0882-7974.21.3.448

Honors and Awards
  • Apple Distinguished Educator, Apple, 2017