The University of Chicago
Department of Psychology
5848 South University Avenue
Chicago, IL, 60637
Office Phone: (773) 834-3713
Fax: (773) 702-0886
Office: Green Hall 319
Labs: Green Hall 313, 315, 317 and Kelly Hall 304
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Sian Beilock
Biography
Sian L. Beilock is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at The University of Chicago. She received a B.S. in Cognitive Science from the University of California, San Diego in 1997 and PhDs in both Kinesiology (sport psychology and motor learning) and Psychology (cognitive psychology) from Michigan State University in 2003. These dual degrees reflect Dr. Beilock's interest in examining the cognitive and neural processes governing skill success and failure across different task types, performance environments, and levels of expertise. Dr. Beilock's research is funded by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Education (Institute of Education Sciences).
Research Interests
- Attention and executive control of complex cognitive and sensorimotor skills
- Skill acquisition and expertise
- Performance under pressure and stereotype threat
- Individual differences in executive functioning
- Embodied cognition
I use converging methodologies in my research – ranging from behavioral performance measures (e.g., reaction time and accuracy), to physiological measures of stress (e.g., salivary cortisol), to neuroimaging techniques (e.g., fMRI).
Recent Publications
DeCaro, M. S., Thomas, R., & Beilock, S. L. (in press). Working memory capacity and category learning: Sometimes less is more. Cognition.
Beilock, S. L., & DeCaro, M. S. (2007). From poor performance to success under stress: Working memory, strategy selection, and mathematical problem solving under pressure. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, & Cognition, 33, 983-998.
Beilock, S. L., Rydell, R. J., & McConnell, A. R. (2007). Stereotype threat and working memory: Mechanisms, alleviation, and spill over. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 136, 256-276.
Beilock, S. L. & Holt, L. E. (2007). Embodied preference judgments: Can likeability be driven by the motor system? Psychological Science, 18, 51-57.
Beilock, S. L., Jellison, W. A., Rydell, R. J., McConnell, A. R., & Carr, T. H. (2006). On the causal mechanisms of stereotype threat: Can skills that don't rely heavily on working memory still be threatened? Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin, 32, 1059-1071.
Beilock, S. L., & Carr, T. H. (2005). When high-powered people fail: Working memory and "choking under pressure" in math. Psychological Science, 16, 101-105.
Beilock, S. L., Bertenthal, B. I., McCoy, A. M., & Carr, T. H. (2004). Haste does not always make waste: Expertise, direction of attention, and speed versus accuracy in performing sensorimotor skills. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 11, 373-379.
Beilock, S. L., Kulp, C. A., Holt, L. E., & Carr, T. H. (2004). More on the fragility of performance: Choking under pressure in mathematical problem solving. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 133, 584-600.
Beilock, S. L., Carr, T. H., MacMahon, C., & Starkes, J. L. (2002). When paying attention becomes counterproductive: Impact of divided versus skill-focused attention on novice and experienced performance of sensorimotor skills. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 8, 6-16.
Beilock, S. L. & Carr, T. H. (2001). On the fragility of skilled performance: What governs choking under pressure? Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 130, 701-725.
Courses
- Cognitive psychology
- Mind
