Dr. Pamela Tsang:
Tel: (937) 775-2469
Office: 312C Fawcett Hall
E-Mail: pamela.tsang@wright.edu
Dr. Pamela Tsang
Bio
Dr. Tsang is a Professor in the Department of Psychology. She is an engineering psychologist by training. She is a member of the graduate Human Factors Psychology program and a faculty member of the undergraduate Cognition and Perception concentration.
Research Interests
Dr. Tsang’s research interest is in attention and performance. The understanding of our attentional mechanism has profound implications on activities that are as mundane as calling home while driving or as complex as landing a packed 747 in severe weather. The limits of our attention is illustrated by the four-fold increase in the risk of motor vehicle collision when using a cellular phone, regardless of whether hand-held or hand-free units are used. On the other hand, the effectiveness of training on strategic management of multiple tasks shows our ability to adapt and acquire complex skills. Dr. Tsang also studies cognitive aging and expertise. In particular, she is interested in the interactive effects of cognitive aging and extralaboratory-developed expertise on one’s ability to to perform dynamic and demanding tasks such as those of a pilot or an air traffic controller. While she conducts both basic and applied research mostly in the aviation context, she is interested in the implications of her research on surface transportation as well. For example, how might the transportation needs of older adults be met in a globally aging society, especially one that relies heavily on private automobiles? What is the extent and manner in which practice and cognitive plasticity could ameliorate potential age-related effects?
