Cognitive Distractions in Surgery

 

Institution

RPI CeMSIM

DATES

Aug 2014-Dec 2015

Description

We used a fully-immersive virtual surgical environment to examine stress and distractions.

 

As research staff at RPI CeMSIM, my role for this NIH-funded research was to determine theoretical rationale for cognitive studies, and design research methods and analyses accordingly.

Specifically, we examined cognitive issues involved regarding background music and stress during surgery. We investigated a countdown timer, differing music tempos, and an arithmetic secondary task. I also mentored four undergraduate students, one of whom presented an award-winning undergraduate research poster.