Matthew S. Peterson

September 1, 2017 Scott Joy

Summary

Associate Professor, Human Factors and Applied Cognition and the Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience divisions, Department of Psychology, George Mason University Director, GMU Psychology MA program

Information

Human Factors web page
Visual Attention and Cognition Lab web site
Visual Attention and Cognition Lab

LinkedIn page Google Scholar citations

Email: mpeters2@gmu.edu
Phone: 703.993.4255
Office Hours: Tuesday 12:30 to 1:20 pm
Address: David King Hall 2058
Fairfax, Va. 22030

Biosketch

From GMU page
Dr. Peterson is an Associate Professor in the Human Factors and Applied Cognition and the Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience divisions of the Department of Psychology, as well as a member of the Neuroscience Ph.D. program. His research is on visual attention and related areas, such as eye movements, working memory, multitasking, and visual cognition. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Kansas followed by postdoctoral training in psychophysiology at the Beckman Institute at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

His articles have appeared in numerous scholarly journals, such as Psychological Science, Cognition, Perception and Psychophysics, and Cerebral Cortex. Additionally, his work has been cited in The Wall Street Journal, Science Daily, and The Atlantic Monthly. His research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, the United States Army, and the United States Air Force.

He currently serves as the director of the human factors and applied cognition concentration of the MA in psychology and consulting editor of Psychonomic Bulletin & Review.

Affiliations

Human Factors and Applied Cognition
Neuroscience Program
Psychology
Cognitive & Behavioral Neuroscience Program

Experience

Director, HFAC Masters Degree program
George Mason University
January 2011 – Present (5 years 11 months)

Associate Professor
George Mason University
2002 – Present (14 years)I am currently a faculty member at George Mason University with a primary appointment in the Human Factors and Applied Cognition (HFAC) program, with secondary appointments in the Cognitive & Behavioral Neuroscience (CBN) program and the Neuroscience Interdisciplinary Program.

Starting in Janauary 2011, I will be the director of the Human Factors and Applied Cognition master’s program (archlab.gmu.edu).

CENTEC Scientist
George Mason University
July 2010 – December 2011 (1 year 6 months)Scientist at Center of Excellence in Neuroergonomics, Technology, and Cognition (CENTEC) http://centec.gmu.edu/

Postdoctoral Fellow
Beckman Institute, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
1998 – 2002 (4 years)My postdoc position was sponsored both by the US Army and by NIH (psychophysiology training grant). During that time period I worked with Art Kramer and Dave Irwin (plus many, many others) on research related to attention. My research primarily involved eye movements, but also included mathematical modeling, some EEG/ERP, fMRI, and driving simulator work.

Education

Director, HFAC Masters Degree program
George Mason University
January 2011 – Present (5 years 11 months)

Starting in Janauary 2011, I will be the director of the Human Factors and Applied Cognition master’s program (archlab.gmu.edu).

Grants & Fellowships

“Electroencephalography (EEG) Feedback In Rapid Decision-Making” – Army Research Office

Current Research

Dr. Peterson’s research centers around the interaction between attention, working memory, and eye movements.

Recent projects include exploring the effects of training and brain-stimulation on working memory and attention, to using EEG to measure the effects of grouping on working memory capacity.

Visual Attention and Perception Lab (VAC)

The Visual Attention and Cognition lab performs basic and applied research centered around attention, perception, and human performance. Some of our recent topics include:

Attention and Control

Attentional control, including executive control and self-regulation, is one of the key components to successful everyday living. Topics thaw we study include how task-irrelevant distractors capture attention, how implicit memories can guide attention, the role anxiety plays in distraction, and how we can successfully resume a task after being interupted.

Calkin,A, Peterson, M.S. (2016-2017 honors thesis) Using Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation to modulate attentional disengagement from
threat in anxious individuals.
Azarian, S.B., Peterson, M.S., & Esser, E. (2016). Evidence from the eyes: Threatening postures hold attention. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review. 764-770
Azarian, B., Esser, E. G., & Peterson, M. S. (2016). Watch out! Directional threat-related postures cue attention and the eyes. Cognition and Emotion, 30(3), 561-569.

Blumberg, E. J., Foroughi, C. K, Scheldrup, M. R., Peterson, M. S., Boehm-Davis, D. A., & Parasuraman, R (2015) Reducing the Disruptive Effects of Interruptions with Noninvasive Brain Stimulation. Human Factors. 57(6), 1051-62

Wong, J.H., & Peterson, M.S (2013). What we remember affects how we see: Spatial working memory steers saccade programming. Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics. 75(2), 308-321
Wong, J.H., & Peterson, M.S (2011). The interaction between memorized objects and abrupt onsets in oculomotor capture. Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics. 73(6), 1768-1779

Interaction between Attention, Working Memory, and Eye Movements

Many different brain regions, such as the frontal eye fields and the lateral intraparietal, are involved in saccade generation, covert attention, and spatial working memory. Investigating how these three interact can lead to a greater understanding of the underlying architecture driving these constructs.

Recent evidence out of our lab suggests that saccadic eye movements can lead to directionally specific distortions in spatial working memory.

Kelly, S., Zhou, W., Bansal, S., Peterson, M.S., Bray, L., Joiner, W. (May 2016). Quantifying the Spatiotemporal Properties of Saccade Averaging.16^th Annual Meeting of the Vision Sciences Society. St. Pete Beach, FL.
Bansal, S., Bray, L. C. J., Peterson, M. S., & Joiner, W. M. (2015). The effect of saccade metrics on the corollary discharge contribution to perceived eye location. Journal of Neurophysiology, 113(9), 3312-3322.
Peterson, M.S., Blumberg, E.J., & Sachdeva, S. (November 2013). Eye movements delay passive spatial working memory tasks. Talked presented at the 54^th Annual Meeting of the Psychonomic Society, Toronoto, ON.
Wong, J.H., & Peterson, M.S (2013). What we remember affects how we see: Spatial working memory steers saccade programming. Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics. 75(2), 308-321
Wong, J.H., & Peterson, M.S (2011). The interaction between memorized objects and abrupt onsets in oculomotor capture. Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics. 73(6), 1768-1779

Working Memory Representational Systems

Information held in working memory can be represented in multiple ways, such as linguistically, visually, and spatially. Some of our recent work investigates how grouping items into a single unit (e.g. a constellation) affects neural activity (specifically the contra-lateral delay activity, or CDA). Other research demonstrates that stimulating the parietal lobe can enhance multiple-object tracking ability and reduce workload during complex spatial tasks such as a UAV combat task.

Rabbit, L.R., Roberts, D.M., McDonald, C.G., & Peterson, M.S. (accepted pending minor revisions) Neural activity reveals perceptual grouping in working memory. International Journal of Psychophysiology
Blumberg, E.J. (dissertation) Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Modulates Performance in Challenging Situations.
Blumberg, E.J., Peterson, M.S., & Parasuraman, R. (2015) Enhancing Multiple Object Tracking Performance with Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation; A Causal Role for the Anterior Intraparietal Sulcus. Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience 9

Applied Cognition and Human Factors

• Roc-V mobile – mobile version of “Recognition of Combat Vehicles” software developed for US Army NVESD. Available on Android. and iPhone.

• Command and Control of Mixed Human and Robotic Forces

Part of the Provost’s multidisciplinary initiative. Team consists of members from Psychology, the C4i Center, and Systems Engineering and Operations, as well as industry partner MAK Technologies. PIs: Matt Peterson, Michael Hieb

Recent Presentations

Peterson, M.S. (November 2014). Human Factors, Neuroergonomics, and Visual Search. Vision Sciences Problems in Medical Imaging: Workshop sponsored by the National Cancer Institute (NIH). Rockville, MD.

Bansal, S., Bray, L.C., Peterson, M.S., & Joiner, W.M. (November 2014). The contribution of corollary discharge to perceived eye location for different movement orientations and amplitudes. Neuroscience 2014. Washington, DC.

Foroughi, C.K., Blumberg, E.J., Scheldrup, M.R., Peterson, M.S., Parasuraman, R., & Boehm-Davis, D.B. (April 2014). Exploring the Relationship between the DLPFC and Task Resumption with tDCS. 2014 Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Neuroscience Society, Boston, MA.

Rabbit, L.R., McDonald, C. G., & Peterson, M.S. (April 2014). Encoding Objects as a Configural Representation Increases Spatial Working Memory Capacity. 2014 Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Neuroscience Society, Boston, MA.

Blumberg, E. J., Kidwell, B. D., Peterson, M. S., & Parasuraman, R. (April 2014). Improving multiple object tracking performance by stimulating the anterior intraparietal sulcus.2014 Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Neuroscience Society. Boston, MA.

Peterson, M.S., Blumberg, E.J., & Sachdeva, S. (November 2013). Eye Movements Delay Passive Spatial Working Memory Tasks. Talked presented at the 54th Annual Meeting of the Psychonomic Society, Toronoto, ON.

Azarian, S., Esser, E., Green, T., & Peterson, M. S. (October 2013). The eyes don’t lie: Fearful averted postures cue attention. Neuroscience 2013.

Publications

From Google Scholar

Visual search has memory MS Peterson, AF Kramer, RF Wang, DE Irwin, JS McCarley Psychological Science 12 (4), 287-292	295	2001
Training effects on dual-task performance: are there age-related differences in plasticity of attentional control? L Bherer, AF Kramer, MS Peterson, S Colcombe, K Erickson, E Becic Psychology and aging 20 (4), 695	240	2005
Training-induced plasticity in older adults: effects of training on hemispheric asymmetry KI Erickson, SJ Colcombe, R Wadhwa, L Bherer, MS Peterson, PE Scalf, … Neurobiology of aging 28 (2), 272-283	193	2007
Training-induced functional activation changes in dual-task processing: an FMRI study KI Erickson, SJ Colcombe, R Wadhwa, L Bherer, MS Peterson, PE Scalf, … Cerebral Cortex 17 (1), 192-204	189	2007
Transfer effects in task-set cost and dual-task cost after dual-task training in older and younger adults: further evidence for cognitive plasticity in attentional control in late adulthood L Bherer, AF Kramer, MS Peterson, S Colcombe, K Erickson, E Becic Experimental aging research 34 (3), 188-219	149	2008
Attentional guidance of the eyes by contextual information and abrupt onsets. MS Peterson, AF Kramer Perception & Psychophysics 63 (7), 1239-1249	132	2001
Covert shifts of attention precede involuntary eye movements MS Peterson, AF Kramer, DE Irwin Perception & psychophysics 66 (3), 398-405	129	2004
How much memory does oculomotor search have? JS McCarley, RF Wang, AF Kramer, DE Irwin, MS Peterson Psychological Science 14 (5), 422-426	121	2003
Testing the limits of cognitive plasticity in older adults: application to attentional control L Bherer, AF Kramer, MS Peterson, S Colcombe, K Erickson, E Becic Acta psychologica 123 (3), 261-278	115	2006
Neural correlates of dual-task performance after minimizing task-preparation KI Erickson, SJ Colcombe, R Wadhwa, L Bherer, MS Peterson, PE Scalf, … Neuroimage 28 (4), 967-979	55	2005
Evidence for distinct attentional bottlenecks in attention switching and attentional blink tasks MS Peterson, JF Juola The Journal of general psychology 127 (1), 6-26	52	2000
Age equivalence in switch costs for prosaccade and antisaccade tasks. A Bojko, AF Kramer, MS Peterson Psychology and Aging 19 (1), 226	46	2004
Memory for where, but not what, is used during visual search. MR Beck, MS Peterson, M Vomela Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance 32 (2), 235	44	2006
Automatic and intentional memory processes in visual search WR Boot, JS Mccarley, AF Kramer, MS Peterson Psychonomic Bulletin & Review 11 (5), 854-861	44	2004
Oculomotor consequences of abrupt object onsets and offsets: Onsets dominate oculomotor capture WR Boot, AF Kramer, MS Peterson Perception & Psychophysics 67 (5), 910-928	42	2005
Age-related effects of attentional and oculomotor capture by onsets and color singletons as a function of experience AM Colcombe, AF Kramer, DE Irwin, MS Peterson, S Colcombe, S Hahn Acta Psychologica 113 (2), 205-225	42	2003
Visual search is guided by prospective and retrospective memory MS Peterson, MR Beck, M Vomela Perception & Psychophysics 69 (1), 123-135	35	2007
Contextual cueing reduces interference from task-irrelevant onset distractors MS Peterson, AF Kramer Visual Cognition 8 (6), 843-859	35	2001
The roles of encoding, retrieval, and awareness MR Beck, MS Peterson, BL Angelone Memory & Cognition 35 (4), 610-620	34	2007
Explicit memory for rejected distractors during visual search MR Beck, MS Peterson, WR Boot, M Vomela, AF Kramer Visual Cognition 14 (2), 150-174	30	2006
Were you paying attention to where you looked? The role of executive working memory in visual search MS Peterson, JH Wong Psychonomic Bulletin & Review 15 (2), 372-377	28	2008
Influence of single and multiple onset distractors on visual search for singleton targets AF Kramer, ND Cassavaugh, DE Irwin, MS Peterson, S Hahn Perception & Psychophysics 63 (6), 952-968	27	2001
Overt and covert object-based attention JS Mccarley, AF Kramer, MS Peterson Psychonomic Bulletin & Review 9 (4), 751-758	24	2002
Aging, memory and visual search AF Kramer, WR Boot, JS McCarley, MS Peterson, A Colcombe, CT Scialfa Acta psychologica 122 (3), 288-304	20	2006
Visual working memory capacity for objects from different categories: A face-specific maintenance effect JH Wong, MS Peterson, JC Thompson Cognition 108 (3), 719-731	18	2008
Priming effects in attentional gating JF Juola, P Duvuru, MS Peterson Memory & cognition 28 (2), 224-235	18	2000
Oculomotor behaviour in visual search for multiple targets JS McCarley, AF Kramer, WR Boot, MS Peterson, RF Wang, DE Irwin Visual cognition 14 (4-8), 685-703	14	2006
Using peripheral processing and spatial memory to facilitate task resumption RM Ratwani, AE Andrews, M McCurry, JG Trafton, MS Peterson Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting 51 (4 …	13	2007
12 Attentional Capture, Attentional Control and Aging AF Kramer, CT Scialfa, MS Peterson, DE Irwin Attraction, distraction and action: multiple perspectives on attentional …	13	2001
Implicit learning for probable changes in a visual change detection task MR Beck, BL Angelone, DT Levin, MS Peterson, DA Varakin Consciousness and cognition 17 (4), 1192-1208	12	2008
Contingent visual marking by transients MS Peterson, AV Belopolsky, AF Kramer Perception & psychophysics 65 (5), 695-710	12	2003
Modulation of oculomotor capture by abrupt onsets during attentionally demanding visual search MS Peterson, AF Kramer, DE Irwin, S Hahn Visual Cognition 9 (6), 755-791	12	2002
Reducing the disruptive effects of interruptions with noninvasive brain stimulation EJ Blumberg, CK Foroughi, MR Scheldrup, MS Peterson, … Human Factors: The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society …	8	2014
Landmarks help guide attention during visual search MS Peterson, WR Boot, AF Kramer, JS Mccarley Spatial vision 17 (4), 497-510	8	2004
Aging and the strategic control of the fixation offset effect. N Cassavaugh, AF Kramer, MS Peterson Psychology and aging 19 (2), 357	8	2004
The interaction between memorized objects and abrupt onsets in oculomotor capture JH Wong, MS Peterson Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics 73 (6), 1768-1779	7	2011
Enhancing multiple object tracking performance with noninvasive brain stimulation: a causal role for the anterior intraparietal sulcus EJ Blumberg, MS Peterson, R Parasuraman Frontiers in systems neuroscience 9	5	2015
Eye movements and memory MS Peterson, MR Beck	5	2011
Visual search in temporally segregated displays: Converging operations in the study of the preview benefit AV Belopolsky, MS Peterson, AF Kramer Cognitive Brain Research 24 (3), 453-466	5	2005
Contextual guidance of attention in younger and older adults MS Peterson, AF Kramer, A Colcombe 2002 Cognitive Aging Conference	5	2002
Watch out! Directional threat-related postures cue attention and the eyes B Azarian, EG Esser, MS Peterson Cognition and Emotion 30 (3), 561-569	4	2016
Evidence from the eyes: Threatening postures hold attention B Azarian, EG Esser, MS Peterson Psychonomic bulletin & review, 1-7	3	2016
Are changes in semantic and structural information sufficient for oculomotor capture? JH Wong, MS Peterson, AP Hillstrom Journal of vision 7 (12), 3-3	3	2007
The guidance of attention by retrospective and prospective memory during visual search. MS Peterson, MR Beck, M Vomela Journal of Vision 4 (8), 168-168	3	2004
The effect of saccade metrics on the corollary discharge contribution to perceived eye location S Bansal, LCJ Bray, MS Peterson, WM Joiner Journal of neurophysiology 113 (9), 3312-3322	2	2015
Shifting the focus: an objective look at design fixation MAB Smith, RJ Youmans, BG Bellows, MS Peterson International Conference of Design, User Experience, and Usability, 144-151	2	2013
Adaptive design of visual perception experiments JD O’Connor, J Hixson, JM Thomas Jr, MS Peterson, R Parasuraman SPIE Defense, Security, and Sensing, 76620H-76620H-16	2	2010
Morphed objects do not capture the eyes JH Wong, AP Hillstrom, MS Peterson Journal of Vision 6 (6), 221-221	2	2006
What we remember affects how we see: Spatial working memory steers saccade programming JH Wong, MS Peterson Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics 75 (2), 308-321	1	2013
Effects of individual differences on visual search task performance YFD Tsai, S Kang, MS Peterson Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting 54 …	1	2010
Resuming after Interruption: Exploring the roles of spatial and goal memory NE Werner, DM Cades, DA Boehm-Davis, MS Peterson Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting 53 (4 …	1	2009
Memory mechanisms make search efficient during static and dynamic search W Boot, J McCarley, M Peterson, A Kramer International Journal of Psychology 43 (3-4), 175-175	1	2008
More than meets the eye: Investigating expert and novice differences in action video games CF Smith, YFD Tsai, JH Wong, DT Brooks, MS Peterson Journal of Vision 8 (6), 105-105	1	2008
Making Sense of Design Research: The Search for a Database M Davis, M Peterson, K Cunningham, S Harjula Artifact 1 (3), 142-148	1	2007
Effects of executive functioning on visual search MS Peterson, MR Beck, JH Wong Journal of Vision 6 (6), 1106-1106	1	2006
The roles of attention, memory, comparison failures, and decision making in top-down influences on change detection MR Beck, MS Peterson, BL Angelone Journal of Vision 5 (8), 789-789	1	2005
Where but not what is remembered during visual search MR Beck, MS Peterson, M Vomela Journal of Vision 4 (8), 176-176	1	2004
How much memory does oculomotor visual search have? JS McCarley, AF Kramer, RF Wang, CT Scialfa, A Colcombe, … Perception ECVP abstract 31, 0-0	1	2002
Quantifying the Spatiotemporal Properties of Saccade Averaging S Kelly, W Zhou, S Bansal, M Peterson, L Bray, W Joiner Journal of Vision 16 (12), 850-850		2016
Impact of Gestalt Grouping on Objects in Spatial Working Memory MAB Smith, E Blumberg, MS Peterson Journal of Vision 12 (9), 295-295		2012
Spatial memory increases fixations to targets and onsets in a visual search task M Peterson, J Wong Journal of Vision 11 (11), 126-126		2011
The Effects of Route Guidance on Spatial Learning YF Tsai, M Peterson Driving Assessment 2011: 6th International Driving Symposium on Human …		2011
The interaction between memorized objects and abrupt onsets in oculomotor capture: New insights in the architecture of oculomotor programming MS Peterson, J Wong Journal of Vision 10 (7), 129-129		2010
Individual Differences in Resuming Interrupted Tasks NE Werner, DM Cades, DA Boehm-Davis, MS Peterson, SJ Alothman, … Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences 96 (3)		2010
Object similarity in visual working memory: A face-specific memory effect J Wong, M Peterson, J Thompson Journal of Vision 8 (6), 1174-1174		2008
Identity change and oculomotor capture A Hillstrom, J Wong, M Peterson Journal of Vision 7 (9), 1083-1083		2007
Identifying a target during visual search affects the contents of working memory J Wong, M Peterson Journal of Vision 7 (9), 665-665		2007
People like big, bright things: Investigating the effects of saliency on visual search YF Tsai, M Peterson Journal of Vision 7 (9), 714-714		2007
Are changes in semantic and structural information JH Wong, MS Peterson, AP Hillstrom		2007
Examining the influence of saliency during visual search YFD Tsai, MS Peterson Journal of Vision 6 (6), 529-529		2006
Implicit learning of base rate information in change detection occurs for location but not identity MR Beck, BL Angelone, DT Levin, MS Peterson, DA Varakin Journal of Vision 6 (6), 837-837		2006
Abernethy, B., see Jackson, RC 355 L Bherer, AF Kramer, MS Peterson, S Colcombe, K Erickson, E Becic Acta Psychologica 123, 414-416		2006
Little is remembered about rejected distractors in visual search MS Peterson, MR Beck, WR Boot, M Vomela, AF Kramer Journal of Vision 5 (8), 416-416		2005
Better contextual memory for dense displays M Vomela, MS Peterson Journal of Vision 5 (8), 866-866		2005
Role of Memory in Visual Search JS McCarley, WR Boot Quantifying Human Information Processing, 43		2005
Environmental cues modulate memory during visual search MS Peterson, WR Boot, AF Kramer Journal of Vision 3 (9), 626-626		2003
Covert shifts of attention precede involuntary eye movements MS Peterson, AF Kramer Journal of Vision 2 (7), 163-163		2002
Article ID brcg. 1999.1198, available online at http://www. idealibrary. com on S Abrahams, G Alexander, D Baboorian, A Baddeley, D Ballard, … Brain and Cognition 41, 421		1999
The brain structures involved in temporal production G Basso, P Nichelli, J Grafman, CM Wharton, M Peterson NeuroImage 5 (4 PART II)		1997
The temporal dynamics of attention and the attentional blink MS Peterson		1997
The allocation of visual attention in three-dimensional space MS Peterson		1994
PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE Research Article VISUAL SEARCH HAS MEMORY MS Peterson, AF Kramer, RF Wang, DE Irwin, JS Mccarley
Bobby Azarian, Elizabeth G. Esser & MS Peterson

Classes

Fall 2016 Classes

PSYC 309-001:
Sens/Percept/Info Proc
10:30 AM to 11:45 AM TR

PSYC 768-001:
Eye Movements
01:30 PM to 04:10 PM R

Spring 2017 Classes

PSYC 309-001:
Sens/Percept/Info Proc
10:30 AM to 11:45 AM TR

PSYC 768-001:
Cog Neurosci of Attention
01:30 PM to 04:10 PM R

Human Factors/Applied Cognition Masters Program

This specialization trains students to apply basic research skills in the cognitive sciences to “real-world” problems. Faculty help place students who do not have real-world experience in a part- or full-time practicum before completing their degree. Practicum placements use the extensive resources of the local Washington, D.C. area.

Students in our MA program can elect to focus on either professional training or preparation for a doctoral program. Both tracks stress the analytic and empirical methodologies that are used in all phases of interactive systems design (where this is broadly defined to include any human-machine system). The power and interpretation of these techniques reside in their close ties to cognitive theory. The professional training track emphasizes coursework and practical experience; the doctoral preparation track involves students in ongoing research projects.

Dissertations Supervised

Yi-Fang D. Tsai, The Effects of Working Memory Capacity on Workload and Task (2011)

Brian Falcone, Simultaneous tDCS and fMRI Reveals How Brain Stimulation Enhances Complex Perceptual Learning Through Modulation of Task-Relevant Networks (2015)

Eric Blumberg, Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Modulates Performance in Challenging Situations (2016)