Research Interests: Dr. Couperus's research interests surround the development and neurological substrates of attention focusing on visual selective attention in particular. Currently her research is focused on understanding selection (how we attend to relevant information) and filtering (how we ignore irrelevant information) aspects of selective attention in adults and the development of selective attention more generally in children. Her work uses behavioral as well as electrophysiological methodologies, specifically event related potentials (ERPs). In addition she works with undergraduate students on projects examining topics as varied as cross-modal memory, autism, and decision making. Information on studies with children: Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Lab of Learning Attention Brain and Behavior (DCN LABB) Information on studies using ERPs: ERP Lab
Background: Dr. Couperus received her B.A. from Wesleyan University (CT) in psychology and music in 1996, M.A. from Claremont Graduate University in Applied Developmental Psychology in 1999, and PhD. from the Institute of Child Development at the University of Minnesota in Child Psychology with a minor in Neuroscience in 2004. She is currently the director of the Culture Brain and Development Program at Hampshire College. Curriculum Vitae
Tedx Hampshire College Talk Attending to Difference
Recent Publications: Couperus, J.W. (2011). Effects of Perceptual Load on Selective Attention Across Development. Developmental Psychology. 47(5), 1431-1439. DOI: 10.1037/a0024027 *Benau, E.M., Morris, J., Couperus, J.W. (2011). Semantic processing in 10 year olds and adults: Incongruity and the N400. Journal of Psycholinguistic Research 40(3), 225-239. DOI: 10.1007/s10936-011-9167-1 Couperus, J.W., Hunt, R., Nelson, C.A., Thomas, K. (2011). Visual Search and Contextual Cueing: Differential Effects in 10-Year-Old Children and Adults. Attention, Perception, and Psychophysics 73(3), 334-348. DOI: 10.3758/s13414-010-0021-6 Couperus, J.W., Mangun, G.R. (2010). Signal Enhancement and Suppression During Visual-Spatial Selective Attention. Brain Research 1359, 155-177. DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2010.08.076 Couperus, J.W. (2010). Perceptual Load Modifies Processing of Unattended Stimuli Both In the Presence and Absence of Attended Stimuli. Neuroscience Letters 485, 246-250. DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2010.09.023 Couperus, J.W. (2009). Implicit learning modulates selective attention at sensory levels of perceptual processing. Attention,Perception, and Psychophysics, 71(2), 342-351. doi:10.3758/APP.71.2.342 Hoel E., Hogan, M., Couperus, J.W. (under review) Studying Consciousness through Dynamical Properties of Functional Networks. Frontiers in Neuroscience.
CNS POSTERS 2011: Couperus, Alperin, B. (April 2011) Expression of Facilitation and Suppression in Visual Selective Attention in Adolescence. Poster session presentation at the 18th Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Neuroscience Society, San Francisco, CA. Poster
CNS POSTERS 2010: Couperus, J.W., Hoel, E., Alperin, B. (April 2010) Perceptual Load Modifies Processing of Distractor Stimuli Both in the Presence and Absence of Target Stimuli Poster session presented at the 2010 Cognitive Neuroscience Society Meeting, Montreal, Canada. Poster References Iodice, K., Couperus, J.W.(April 2010) Attentional Biases for Cigarette and Anti-cigarett Cues in Ex-smokers Poster session presented at the 2010 Cognitive Neuroscience Society Meeting, Montreal, Canada. Poster