Presenter

Richard Catrambone is a Professor in the School of Psychology at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He received his B.A. from Grinnell College and his Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from the University of Michigan.

The question Catrambone likes to ask--and the thread that runs through the projects he does alone and in collaboration with others--is: What does someone need to know in order to solve novel problems or carry out tasks within a particular domain?

Catrambone’s research interests include problem solving, educational technology, and human-computer interaction. He is particularly interested in how people learn from examples in order to solve problems in domains such as algebra, probability, and physics. He explores how to create instructional materials that help learners understand how to approach problems in a meaningful way rather than simply memorizing a set of steps that cannot easily be transferred to novel problems. He researches the design of teaching and training materials--including software and multimedia environments--based on cognitive principles that help students learn basic tasks quickly and promote transfer to novel problems. He uses task analysis to identify what someone needs to know in order to solve problems or carry out tasks in a domain and then to use the results of the task analysis to guide the construction of teaching and training materials/environments.

Catrambone has served on the Cognitive Science Society governing board from 2011-2016 and was chair of the Society in 2015. He was co-chair of the Cognitive Science Conference in 2010. He has served as a consulting editor for the Journal of Educational Psychology (1/2008 - 12/2011), the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition (6/2000 - 12/2001 and 1/2009 - 12/2009), the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied (1/2001 - 12/2007), and the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General (6/2000 - 12/2001). He has published his research in journals such as the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General; Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition; Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied; Memory & Cognition; Journal of Educational Psychology; Human-Computer Interaction; Human Factors; and other basic and applied journals. He has also served on grant review panels for a variety of funding agencies including the National Science Foundation and the Institute of Education Sciences (U.S. Department of Education).

His research has been funded by organizations such as the National Science Foundation, the Office of Naval Research (ONR), and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR). He has consulted on instructional design and human-computer interaction topics for various organizations. His classroom teaching and student mentoring has been recognized by multiple teaching awards including Georgia Tech's Class of 1940 W. Howard Ector Outstanding Teacher Award.