Psychology & Cognitive Science Lab
How do we pay attention, hold information in mind and make decisions? Here, students find out by watching the mind at work.
Who we are
In the Psychology and Cognitive Science Laboratory, students find out how the mind works by watching it at work.
Through controlled experiments on attention, memory and executive function, you turn classroom theory into data you collect yourself.
This hands-on approach grounds theory in something concrete and repeatable, giving students a working understanding of how cognitive processes are actually studied rather than just described.
What we do
Design experiments with research-grade software
Students build experiments in PsychoPy, OpenSesame and other open-source, Python-based platforms used across psychology, neuroscience and the behavioural sciences. You learn to design, code and run a study from start to finish, using the same tools researchers rely on worldwide.
Investigate attention and cognitive control
Classic paradigms let you examine attention from every angle, from sustained vigilance to response inhibition.
- Attentional Blink
- Posner Cuing
- Eriksen Flanker
- Mackworth Clock
- Stroop
Measure how memory works
These experiments show how short-term, working and long-term memory function, and how they interact.
- Digit Span Task
- Corsi Block Test
- N-Back Task
- Serial Position Effect
Test problem-solving and executive function
Challenge yourself to manage divided attention, solve problems and plan ahead, engaging the executive processes behind everyday decision-making.
- Multitasking Experiment
- Tower of Hanoi
- Wisconsin Card Sorting–inspired task
Learn by doing
With a dozen practicals spanning attention, memory and executive function, the lab transforms core concepts in psychology and cognitive science into hands-on, measurable experience.
