Alexander P. Burgoyne, PhD

Alexander P. Burgoyne

Research Scientist II at Georgia Tech

Current Grant Funding:
$7,499,317 - Office of Naval Research MURI
Understanding and building overall cognitive capability through attention control.
Co-PI: Alexander P. Burgoyne

$1,034,940 - Army Research Institute
Understanding change in performance: The roles of cognitive abilities, "hot cognition", and context.
Co-PI: Alexander P. Burgoyne

$117,193 - Defense University Research Instrumentation Program Grant
Investigating the physiological underpinnings of attention control.
Co-PI: Alexander P. Burgoyne

Teaching:
Psychology 6011(A): Graduate-Level Cognitive Psychology
Georgia Institute of Technology

Psychology 1101(SF): Introductory Psychology
Georgia Institute of Technology
- Overall instructor effectiveness: 5/5, 100th percentile at GT
- Inclusivity: 5/5, 100th percentile at GT
- Enthusiasm: 5/5, 100th percentile at GT

Psychology 1101(G): Introductory Psychology
Georgia Institute of Technology
- Overall instructor effectiveness: 4.9/5, 99th percentile at GT
- Inclusivity: 4.9/5, 99th percentile at GT
- Enthusiasm: 4.9/5, 99th percentile at GT

Alexander P. Burgoyne

Hi, I'm Alex. I'm a cognitive psychologist who is fascinated by individual differences in cognitive ability, personality, and motivation, and their consequences for skill acquisition and expertise. My current work combines experimental, differential, and computational approaches to better understand the nature of intelligence and specific cognitive abilities, such as attention control, problem solving, working memory capacity, and placekeeping ability. This work cuts across basic and applied research areas; for example, it has been used to inform personnel selection procedures used by the U.S. Navy. An important goal of mine in this context is to reduce adverse impact and increase the equity of high-stakes tests.

I use a range of statistical and computational approaches in my work, including meta-analysis, meta-regression, multigroup structural equation modeling, multilevel modeling, and drift diffusion modeling. I also enjoy scientific writing, and have written popular press articles for outlets such as Scientific American, Slate, and The New York Times.

Ongoing Projects:

Using Computational Modeling to Understand Sub-Optimality in Decision Making
We are using drift diffusion modeling and structural equation modeling to better understand suboptimalities in decision making resulting from impulsivity, excessive response caution, lapses of attention, and monitoring failures.

Introducing the Flight Lab
We bought and built FAA-approved flight simulators to research skill acquisition in the cockpit. We will investigate training techniques that ramp-up learning curves and use discriminant function analyses to identify learner profiles that have consequences for effective training.

Developing Efficient, Reliable, and Valid Attention Control Tests
The study of individual differences in attention control has been stymied by the use of psychometrically unsound tasks. We are developing novel attention control tests that are highly efficient, reliable, and valid. This work combines data collected in our laboratory at Georgia Tech, online, and at the Naval Aerospace Medical Institute (NAMI) in Pensacola, Florida. Our goal is to improve selection procedures currently used by the U.S. Military.

How Firm Are the Foundations of Mindset Theory?
Much ado has been made about mindset in educational contexts. However, there is mixed evidence regarding central premises of mindset theory, including its impact on academic achievement. In this series of experiments, we're testing proponents' major claims about mindset.

Cognitive Abilities, Complex Task Performance, and Training
This work examines the predictive validity of broad cognitive abilities for performance in different kinds of complex task environments before and after training. This is a joint research project at Georgia Tech, Case Western Reserve University, and TAMUC, funded by the Army Research Institute.