Sharon A. Lee

Program affiliation: Experimental Neuropsychology

Supervisor: Dr. Ronald W. Skelton

Research interests

My current research is directed toward understanding the behaviours and cognitions associated with human spatial navigation. My work includes the study of sex differences in navigation and the study of deficits in navigation behaviour after brain injury. Our lab has used eye movement tracking during virtual navigation tasks to distinguish different navigational strategies and we are now working toward understanding the effects of prior experience on the strategic choices humans make while navigating. Recently I participated in a collaborative project using a UVIC developed EEG algorithm to analyse brain activity during virtual navigation tasks. This promises to be an effective means of learning more about what the brain is doing as navigational strategies are selected. A major goal is to contribute to the development of techniques for assisting people who have difficulty finding their way in the world, such as individuals who have experienced brain injury.

Awards

NSERC CGSD2 – 2008, National Science and Engineering Research Council
NSERC-PGS-A – 2003,National Science and Engineering Research Council
Teaching Assistant Award, 2008, Canadian Council of Psychology Departments

Representative publications and presentations

Publications

Goodrich-Hunsaker, N.J., Livingstone, S.A., Skelton, R.W., & Hopkins, R.O. (2009). Spatial deficits in a virtual Morris Water Maze task in amnesic patients with hippocampal damage. Hippocampus (in press HIPO-08-183.R2).

Livingstone, S.A. & Skelton, R.W. (2007). Virtual environment navigation tasks and the assessment of cognitive deficits in individuals with brain injury. Behavioural Brain Research (in press).

Presentations

Ghandi, M., Skelton, R.W., Livingstone, S., & Gillingham, S. (2007, June). Gender Differences in Spatial Navigation in a Virtual Water Maze: Negation by Landmarks. Presentation (primary presenter) at the annual meeting of the Canadian Society for Brain, Behaviour and Cognitive Science, Victoria, BC.

Livingstone, S. & Skelton, R.W. (2007, February). Finding your way after TBI: Some strategies may work better than others.Presentation given at the annual Pacific Coast Brain Injury Conference, Vancouver, BC.