Dr Brooke Macnamara

My background is in individual differences in cognitive abilities (e.g., working memory capacity, fluid intelligence) as well as bilingualism.

Primarily, I investigate complex human performance—skill acquisition, achievement, and expertise. I am interested in predictive factors such as individual differences in cognitive abilities (e.g., cognitive control) and individual differences in experience (e.g., deliberate practice) on performance variance. I also examine factors that interact with these predictors or play indirect roles.

I am currently conducting a number of lines of research, including

  • how experiential factors predict variance in performance;
  • how characteristics of the task influence the importance of cognitive and experiential predictors;
  • how beliefs (e.g., mindset) predict achievement;
  • how reliance on artificial intelligence assistance might hinder learning among trainees and/or cause skill atrophy among experts;
  • the mechanisms of cognitive control
Education

Degree: B.A. - Columbia College Chicago, M.A. - Union Institute & University, M.A. - Princeton University, Ph.D. - Princeton University

Education: Ph.D. - Princeton University

Specialty: Psychology