Elisabeth J. Ploran
Associate Professor of Psychology
Degrees
PHD, 2010, Univ Pittsburgh Pittsburgh; MS, 2008, Univ Pittsburgh Pittsburgh; BA, 2004, Drew Univ
Bio
Elisabeth Ploran is an Assistant Professor in Cognitive Neuroscience, teaching courses in Sensation & Perception, Research Methods, and Cognition, as well as Behavioral Neuroscience on occasion. She received her dual B.A. degree in Psychology and Political Science from Drew University in 2004, M.S. in Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh in 2008, and Ph.D. in Cognitive Neuroscience from the University of Pittsburgh in 2010. Her dissertation focused on perceptual decision processes under the mentorship of Mark E. Wheeler. She then spent two years as a postdoctoral fellow under the mentorship of Raja Parasuraman and Jim Thompson at George Mason University in Virginia studying spatial memory and spatial cognition.
In addition to teaching, Dr. Ploran is working on several projects investigating hippocampal and striatal contributions to spatial navigation and memory using fMRI, real-world navigation with colleagues at West Point and Quantico, the neural substrates of perceptual decisions with colleagues at University of Pittsburgh, and amygdala function during fear discrimination with colleagues at University of Michigan.
Research Interests
Spatial cognition, spatial memory, perceptual decisions, describing cognitive deficits and addressing cognitive deficits in a tailored wayRecent Courses Taught
| Course | Title | Level |
|---|---|---|
| INTD 003A | TRANSPERFECT TRANSLATIONS | Undergraduate |
| NEUR 002 | INTRO TO NEUROSCIENCE II | Undergraduate |
| PSY 099 | INTERNSHIP IN PSYCHOLOGY | Undergraduate |
| PSY 100 | DEPT HONORS CANDIDACY:RESEARCH | Undergraduate |
| PSY 166 | SENSATION & PERCEPTION | Undergraduate |
| PSY 207 | COGNITION AND PERCEPTION | Graduate |
| PSY 214 | NEURAL BASES BEHAVR | Graduate |
| PSY 604 | DISSERTATION ADVISEMENT | Graduate |
