About the Arch Lab

The Arch Laboratory is housed in the Department of Psychology at George Mason University and is the main research and training facility of the graduate program in Human Factors and Applied Cognition. The Arch Lab has approximately 5,000 sq. ft. of dedicated space for research in human factors, cognitive psychology, cognitive neuroscience, and neuroergonomics.

In July 2010, a new Center of Excellence in Neuroergonomics Technology and Cognition (CENTEC) was established and is associated with the Arch Lab.

Currently the Arch Lab consists of 6 full-time faculty, 5 adjunct faculty, and about 40 graduate students. Arch Lab members conduct research in attention, audition, biological motion, eye movements, imagery, memory, and visual perception as applied to such domains as automation, aviation, driving, robotics, and human-computer interaction. Work in the lab is primarily focused on behavioral and computational methods of research, but convergent evidence from cognitive neuroscience (ERP, fMRI, TCD, fNIRS) plays an integral role in many of our research programs.

Graduate students in the Arch Lab receive their MA or PhD in the Human Factors and Applied Cognition program. Training in the Arch Lab prepares students for research and teaching positions in the academic, public, and private sectors.

Agencies that have funded or are currently funding research in the Arch Lab include NIH, NSF, ONR, DARPA, FAA, NASA, NTSB, DoD, the Army Research Laboratory, and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research.