I -was- a lab monkey (ie; research assistant) at the BARLab in UBC.  My research tends to involve how people's perceptions, beliefs, and decisions can be influenced by their environment and unconscious biases.  Related work asks how much awareness people actually have of these influences.

Here are some of the questions that keep me thinking:  How can attention be manipulated?  Do people notice if they are making an error in reasoning?  Why does it appear that we are aware of all our thought processes?  Why do we think we are in control?

Other (rather more nebulous) topics I find interesting: How does collaboration work, especially via social media?  How can critical thinking be better taught in schools?  What methods can be used to inspire creativity and innovation?

I am also a skeptic and amateur magician.  I contribute to a radio show on CiTR 101.9 FM entitled Radio Freethinker, which takes a skeptical look at local, Canadian, and international news and events (you can subscribe to an RSS feed of the shows here).

   Contact:
     Email:  rob.teszka[SPLAT]gmail.com
     Twitter

 Background:

* graduated from UBC in 2008 (BSc, Major Cognitive Systems)
* completed undergraduate thesis in Jonathan Schooler's METALab

Current Research Questions:

* Is the likelihood of belief in the paranormal influenced by hemispheric shift?
* Does the shape of the aperture through which you view a scene affect saccade direction?  (with Tom Foulsham)
* How does a question direct attention, as illustrated by magician's tricks?  (with Evan Risko and Gustav Kuhn)