TRAFTON DREW, PH.D.

Research Interests

My research focuses on understanding the real-world ramifications and underlying neural mechanisms of visual attention. I study radiologists’ behavior to understand why errors are sometimes made, with the goal of using what we know about attention help reduce the number of errors committed. I also study the neural mechanisms that underlie our ability to represent information using electroencephalograph (EEG). The capacity of visual attention is limited, and my lab uses a variety of methods to study the ramifications of this fact on behavior in a variety of settings.

Keywords: Attention, working memory, medical image perception, EEG, ERPs, Eye-tracking.

Overview of one of our recent studies.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS

I am not currently accepting new graduate students. 

Motivated graduate and undergraduate students assist with a variety of current research projects which involve studying: 
1). The role of visual attention in diagnostic radiology.
2). The electrophysiological underpinnings of visual attention and working memory.
3.) The interactions between searching through memory and searching through visual space.

Graduate students would ideally have some experience with EEG, eye-tracking, or working closely with MDs / medical professionals. Some programming experience (Matlab-Psychtoolbox, ERPLAB, EEGLAB, Presentation, PsychoPy...E-Prime) is a definite plus.

EDUCATION

Ph.D., University of Oregon, 2009
M.S., University of Oregon, 2006
B.A., University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, 2002

Selected Publications

Banerjee, S., Drew, T., Mills, M. K., Aufferman, W. F. (2019). Perceptual training: learning versus attentional shift. Journal of Medical Imaging, 7(2), 022407.

Balaban, H., Drew, T., Luria, R. (2019).Neural evidence for an object-based pointer system underlying working memory. Cortex, 119, 362-372.

Williams, L.H., Drew, T. (2019). What do we know about volumetric medical image search?: A review of the basic science and medical image perception literatures. Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications, 4(1), 21.

Brunye, T. T., Drew, T., Weaver, D. L., & Elmore, J. G. (2019). A review of eye tracking for understanding and improving diagnostic interpretation. Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications, 4(1), 7.

Clement, A., Stothart, C., Drew, T., & Brockmole, J.R. (2019). Between-Category Semantic Associations Do Not Modulate the Visual Awareness of Objects. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 72(5), 1224-1232. 

Brunye, T. T., Drew, T., Weaver, D. L., & Elmore, J. G. (In Press). A review of eye tracking for understanding and improving diagnostic interpretation. Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications.

Clement, A., Stothart, C., Drew, T., & Brockmole, J.R. (In Press). Between-Category Semantic Associations Do Not Modulate the Visual Awareness of Objects. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology.

Williams, L.H., Drew, T. (2018). Working memory capacity predicts search accuracy for novel as well as repeated targets. Visual Cognition, 26(6), 463-474.

Balaban, H., Drew, T., Luria, R. (2018). Delineating resetting and updating in visual working memory based on the object-to-representation correspondence. Neuropsychologia, 113, 85-94.

Balaban, H., Drew, T., Luria, R. (in press). Visual working memory can selectively reset a subset of its representations. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review.

Drew., T. & Williams, L. H. (2017). Simple eye-movement feedback during visual search is not helpful. Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications 2(14), 44.

Aizenman, A., Drew, T., Ehinger, K. A., Georgian-Smith, D., Wolfe, J. M. (2017) Comparing search patterns in digital breast tomosynthesis and full field digital mammography: An eye tracking study. Journal of Medical Imaging, 4(4), 045501.

Wen, G., Aizenman, A., Drew, T., Wolfe, J. M., Haygood T. M., Markey M.K. (2016). Computational Assessments of Visual Search Strategies in Volumetric Medical Images. Journal of Medical Imaging, 3(1), 015501-13.

Wolfe, J. M., Boettcher, S. E. P., Josephs, E. L., Cunningham, C. A., Drew, T. (2016) You look familiar, but I don't care: Target detection in hybrid visual and memory search is not based on familiarity. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 41(6), 1576.

Drew, T., Aizenman, A. M., Thompson, M., Kovacs, M. D., Trambert, M., Reicher, Wolfe, J. M. (2015). Image toggling saves time in mammography. Journal of Medical Imaging, 3(1), 0110031-0110037.

Drew, T., Boettcher, S. Wolfe, J. M. (2015). Searching while loaded: Visual working memory does not interfere with hybrid search efficiency but hybrid search uses working memory capacity. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 1-15.

Drew, T., Mance, I., Horowitz, T. S., Wolfe, J. M., Vogel, E. K. (2014). A soft handoff of attention. Current Biology, 24(10), 1133-1137.

Drew, T., Wolfe, J. M. (2014). Hybrid search in the temporal domain: Evidence for rapid, serial logarithmic search through memory. Attention, Perception & Psychophysics, 76, 296-303.

 Drew, T., Võ, M. L. H., Wolfe, J. M. (2013). The invisible gorilla strikes again: Sustained inattentional blindness in expert observers. Psychological Science, 24(9), 1848-1853.

Drew, T., Võ, M. L. H., Olwal, A., Jacobson, F., Seltzer, S. E., Wolfe, J. M. (2013). Scanner and Drillers: Characterizing expert visual search through volumetric images. Journal of Vision, 13(10), article 3.

Drew, T., Horowitz, T. S., Vogel, E. K. (2013). Swapping or Dropping? Electrophysiological measures of difficulty during multiple object tracking. Cognition, 126, 213-223.

Drew, T., Evans K. E., Vo, M. L. H., Jacobson, F. L., Wolfe, J. M. (2013). What can you see in a single glance and how might this guide visual search in medical images? Radiographics, 33(1), 263-274.

MY CURRENT GRADUATE STUDENTS

Lauren Williams