Research Out Front: Experts Look Ahead to 2023 and Beyond

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Steven Norris
Senior Director of Social Media and Media Relations
Georgia Tech

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Writers: Benjamin Hodges and Steven Norris
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Summaries

Summary Sentence:

As we kick off a new year, hear from six young, pioneering Georgia Tech researchers who are tackling some of the world’s most complicated issues and working on solutions.

Full Summary:

As we kick off a new year, experts at Georgia Tech are working to understand how some of the world's most pressing concerns will play out over the next 12 months. Hear from six young, pioneering Georgia Tech researchers who are tackling some of the world’s most complicated issues and working on solutions — ranging from feeding an ever-growing population to controlling wheelchairs via wireless brain wave patches.

Media
  • As we transition to a new year, researchers across the globe are looking ahead to the world’s most pressing concerns. Georgia Tech researchers share what they will be watching during the next 12 months and beyond. As we transition to a new year, researchers across the globe are looking ahead to the world’s most pressing concerns. Georgia Tech researchers share what they will be watching during the next 12 months and beyond.
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  • Alexander Burgoyne, cognitive scientist in the School of Psychology at Georgia Tech Alexander Burgoyne, cognitive scientist in the School of Psychology at Georgia Tech
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What differentiates how people are able to hold their attention on a task? How do people acquire new skills? These are tough questions that Georgia Tech cognitive scientist Alex Burgoyne is trying to find good answers to.  

For decades, schools, companies, and federal agencies have tried to use standardized tests to determine whether someone will be a success before they are hired or assigned. But Burgoyne says there are better ways to figure out if a candidate is likely to be a good fit.  

“We’re looking at more fluid abilities like problem-solving, working memory, and how people can control their attention,” explains Alexander Burgoyne, a cognitive scientist in the School of Psychology.

Burgoyne and his fellow researchers are taking a closer look at the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, better known as the ASVAB. With the U.S. Navy, Burgoyne and his colleagues are using modeling to determine if pilots, air traffic controllers, and flight officers are hitting the mark during their training. The ASVAB, which is highly focused on acquired math and verbal skills, may not measure more specific skills necessary for success.

“Air traffic controllers, for example, need to be able to maintain focus for long periods of time. Whether or not they can make change for a $10 bill is less important for their day-to-day jobs,” he says. 

Burgoyne says his work also addresses adverse impact in employment and selection practices. Acquired knowledge tests like the ASVAB often have stratified results that make it harder for applicants from minority communities to succeed. 

“The military has a duty to improve their selection procedures to reduce inequities, and they can all better predict who will do well in certain types of training,” he says.

Burgoyne is conducting testing with naval trainees at Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida, but Fortune 500 companies have also been in contact with him about this cognitive ability research.

Because every failed personnel search or newly assigned team member who can’t pass training costs an organization valuable time, money, and resources, says Burgoyne, “Every company that is hiring must worry about whether they have equitable selection measures in place.” He says it’s a systemic issue and currently a hot topic of conversation.

In the next year, Burgoyne and his colleagues in the Attention and Working Memory Lab at Georgia Tech will continue identifying how to measure different levels of memory capacity and mental focus, as a better determinant for successful performance in a variety of settings. 

Learn more about Burgoyne and five fellow researchers in the Georgia Tech newsroom.

Additional Information

Groups

College of Sciences, School of Psychology

Categories
Institute and Campus, Research, Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics, Military Technology, Policy, Social Sciences, and Liberal Arts
Related Core Research Areas
National Security, People and Technology, Public Service, Leadership, and Policy
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Keywords
cos-community, School of Psychology, Cognition, Research, psychology, skills acquisition, memory, brain science
Status
  • Created By: jhunt7
  • Workflow Status: Published
  • Created On: Jan 5, 2023 - 2:31pm
  • Last Updated: Mar 2, 2023 - 2:36pm