SARAH CREEM-REGEHR, PH.D., CHAIR

Research Interests

Spatial Cognition, Visual Perception, Multisensory Perception, Spatial Navigation, Virtual and Augmented Reality

Our research examines how humans perceive, learn, and navigate spaces in natural, virtual, and visually impoverished environments. We take an interdisciplinary approach, combining the study of space perception and spatial cognition with applications in virtual environments and visualization. Current projects include: 1) Navigation in Extended Realities (XR), 2) Spatial Gist—perception and memory formed in dynamic navigation tasks, 3) Multisensory cue-combination during navigation, 4) Low vision spatial cognition, 5) Space Perception in XR

OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS

The Vision, Audition, Action in Space & Time (VAAST) laboratory has many opportunities for undergraduate research assistants to participate in all aspects of our research. Our research is fun and interactive, involving tasks measuring space perception and spatial cognition in real and virtual environments. It is a great experience to add to graduate school applications as well! If interested, please email Dr. Creem-Regehr.

Dr. Creem-Regehr is not considering new graduate student applications for the Fall 2025 admissions cycle.

EDUCATION

Ph.D., University of Virginia (Psychology, 2000)
M.A. University of Virginia (Psychology, 1997)
B.A. Colgate University (Psychology, 1994)

Selected Publications

Creem-Regehr, S. H., Stefanucci, J. K., & Bodenheimer, B. (2023). Perceiving Distance in Virtual Reality: Theoretical Insights from Contemporary Technologies. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 378(1869), 20210456. 

Ruginski, I. T., Giudice, N., Creem-Regehr, S. H., & Ishikawa, T. (2022). Designing mobile spatial navigation systems from the user’s perspective: An interdisciplinary review. Spatial Cognition and Computation 22(1-2), 1-29.

Barhorst-Cates, E., Meneghetti, C., Zhao, Y., Pazzaglia, F. & Creem-Regehr, S. H. (2021).  Effects of home environment structure on navigation preference and performance: A comparison in Veneto, Italy and Utah, USA. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 74, 101580.

Creem-Regehr, S. H., Barhorst-Cates, E.M., Tarampi, M. R., Rand, K. M. & Legge, G. (2021). How can basic research on spatial cognition enhance the visual accessibility of architecture for people with low vision? Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications, 6(1), 1-18.

Gagnon, H. C., Rosales, C. S., Mileris, R., Stefanucci, J.K., Creem-Regehr, S.H., & Bodenheimer, B. (2021). Estimating distances in action space in Augmented Reality. ACM Transactions on Applied Perception, 18(2), 1-16.

Barhorst-Cates, E.M., Stefanucci, J.K., & Creem-Regehr, S. H. (2020). A comparison of virtual locomotion methods in movement experts and non-experts: Testing the contributions of body-based and visual translation for spatial updating. Experimental Brain Research, 238 (9), 1911-1923.

MY CURRENT GRADUATE STUDENTS

Mirinda Whitaker (Psychology)
Hunter Finney (Computer Science)
Emily Tighe (Psychology)
Corey Shayman (Neuroscience)
Maggie McCracken (Psychology)
Ashley Buzard (Psychology)