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Psychological Sciences

Psychological Sciences
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Phillip Newman

PhD Candidate
Research Area: Cognition and Cognitive Neuroscience

My ongoing research is investigating how humans combine multiple sensory cues during spatial navigation. I also study how people construct and retrieve memories of the environment. As part of these endeavors, I develop experiments in immersive virtual reality and employ behavioral and computational modeling techniques. I'm also collaborating with researchers at Johns Hopkins University to develop a diagnostic tool for individuals with vestibular impairments. I did my undergraduate studies at the University of Louisville, where I worked with the Learning and Performance lab to develop exploratory learning approaches to classroom instruction. In my spare time, I like to work out, read, and do everything within my willpower to contain my excitement for Baldur's Gate 3.

Representative Publications

Newman, P. M., & McNamara, T. P. (in prep). Integration of synthetic map cues with visual and self-motion cues.

Newman, P. M., Qi, Y., Mou, W., & McNamara, T. P. (2023). Statistically optimal cue integration during human spatial navigation. Psychonomic Bulletin and Review. DOI:10.3758/s13423-023-02254-w

Newman, P. M. & McNamara, T. P. (2021). Integration of visual landmark cues in spatial memory. Psychological Research. DOI:10.1007/s00426-021-01581-8

Newman, P. M., Cox, G. E., & McNamara, T. P. (2020). A computational cognitive model of judgments of relative direction. Cognition. DOI:10.1016/j.cognition.2020.104559

Newman, P. M. & McNamara, T. P. (2020). A comparison of methods of assessing cue combination during navigation. Behavior Research Methods. DOI:10.3758/s13428-020-01451-y

Ciurea, S. A., Maxcey, A. M., & Newman, P. M. (2020). Why do we choke under pressure? Frontiers for Young Minds. 8:56

Newman, P. M. & DeCaro, M. S. (2019). Learning by exploring: how much guidance is optimal? Learning and Instruction, 62, 49-63.

Newman, P. M. & DeCaro, M. S. (2018). How much support is optimal during exploratory learning? Proceedings of the 40th Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society. Madison, WI: Cognitive Science Society.

Honors

Pat Burns Research Award (2022)

Psychonomics Graduate Student Travel Award (2019)

Glushko Student Travel Award (2018)