Mr Simon Hanzal
- Graduate Teaching Assistant (Psychology & Neuroscience Education Hub)
Research interests
My main research interest is the intersection between fatigue and motivation and their effects on attention. During my PhD, I contributed to research using electroencephalography (EEG) to detect biomarkers associated with mechanisms involved in fatigue. I also investigated the role of ageing in sustained attention. I developed behavioural testing protocols for online attentional experiments and worked on methods for data collection through public engagement.
I am now particularly interested in applying behavioural experiments and non-invasive EEG to study motivational drivers of individual differences in attentional performance. I am especially keen to identify underlying drivers of motivation in student populations, including long-term motivators such as belief in science. I believe that the experience of experimental participation provides a valuable context for examining these dynamics, particularly in relation to biases that may skew performance. To this end, I draw on both objective markers (EEG signals, physiological measures, task performance) and subjective measures (questionnaires, assessments, and qualitative studies of lived experience). I maintain an ongoing interest in how reframing the experimental setting through public engagement and outreach to underrepresented populations can enhance the generalisability of psychological findings.
Supervision
Supervisor
Teaching
Undegraduate Dissertation Projects
MSc Cognitive Brain Imaging Methods
Level 3 Psychometrics
Level 2 Psychobiology
Level 1 Research Methods Labs