Dr. Joyce M. G. Vromen (lab alumnus)

Position: Former Research Assistant (2016 - 2017)

Research while in the Mattingley Lab

My main interest is in the cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying visual attention, cognitive control, and threat processing.

During my PhD studies I assessed how potentially threatening stimuli are prioritized for processing and whether prioritised attention to threat is subject to cognitive control and learning. PhD advisors: Dr. Stefanie Becker, Prof. Ottmar Lipp and Prof. Roger Remington.

Currently, I am involved in several research projects that investigate the cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying cognitive control and visual memory. Collaborators: Dr. Oliver Baumann, Dr. Stefanie Becker, Prof. Jason Mattingley, Prof. Roger Remington.

Research interests

Cognitive control
Attention
Threat processing
fMRI

Selected publications

Vromen, J. M. G., Lipp, O. V., Remington, R. W., & Becker, S. I. (2016). Threat captures attention, but not automatically: Top-down goals modulate attentional orienting to threat distractors. Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics. doi: 10.3758/s13414-016-1142-3

Vromen, J. M. G., Lipp, O. V., & Remington, R. W. (2015). The spider does not always win the fight for attention: Disengagement from threat is modulated by goal set. Cognition & Emotion, 29, 1185-1196. doi: 10.1080/02699931.2014.969198

Conference presentations

Vromen, J. M. G., Becker, S. I., Mattingley, J. B., & Remington, R. W. (2016, March). Adaptability and functional specialization in the frontoparietal control network. Proceedings of the 43rd Australasian Experimental Psychology Conference. Melbourne, Australia.

Vromen, J. M. G., Lipp, O. V., Becker, S. I., & Remington, R. W. (2016, March). Prioritized attention to threat: variables contributing to inconsistent results. Forum meeting on selective attention and individual differences in motivation and emotion. Melbourne, Australia.

Vromen, J. M. G., Becker, S. I., Mattingley, J. B., & Remington, R. W. (2015, October). Distinct frontoparietal contributions to goal maintenance and goal directed orienting in visual search. [poster] Society for Neuroscience annual meeting. Chicago, USA.

Vromen, J. M. G., Becker, S. I., Remington, R. W., & Mattingley, J. B. (2015, August). Goal-directed orienting and target-set maintenance in the fronto-parietal attention network. European Conference on Visual Perception. Liverpool, UK.

Vromen, J. M. G., Lipp, O. V., & Remington, R. W., & Becker, S. I. (2015, April). Threat compels attention, but not automatically: Current goals modulate attentional capture & disengagement. Proceedings of the 42nd Australasian Experimental Psychology Conference. Sydney, Australia.

Vromen, J. M. G., Lipp, O. V., & Remington, R. W., & Becker, S. I. (2014, April). Task set modulates attentional capture and disengagement from photorealistic spider distracters. Proceedings of the 41st Australasian Experimental Psychology Conference. Brisbane, Australia.

Vromen, J. M. G., Lipp, O. V., & Remington, R. W. (2011, July). Does the spider always win the fight for attention? Top-down modulation of threat-related interference. Proceedings of the 12th European Congress of Psychology. Istanbul, Turkey.

Vromen, J. M. G., Lipp, O. V., & Remington, R. W. (2011, April). Does the spider always win the fight for attention? Top-down modulation of threat interference. Proceedings of the 38th Australasian Experimental Psychology Conference. Auckland, New Zealand.

Vromen, J. M. G., Lipp, O. V., & Remington, R. W. (2010, April). Preferential attention to threat. Proceedings of the 37th Australasian Experimental Psychology Conference. Melbourne, Australia.

Vromen, J. M. G. & Kindt, M. (2009, April). Are Autobiographical Memories Less Positive During Dysphoria? Proceedings of the 36th Australasian Experimental Psychology Conference. Wollongong, Australia.