Nicholas Gaspelin
Associate Professor
ngaspelin@missouri.edu
Faculty
Lab Information
Rms. 50–60, McReynolds Hall
About the Lab

In daily life, we are often overloaded by multiple competing stimuli and tasks. To function efficiently, we use mechanisms of attention to selectively process the most relevant sensory information and juggle our cognitive processing resources amongst the most important tasks. Our research aims to understand in the cognitive neuroscience underlying attentional processes in humans. These topics are studies via experiments that measure behavior, eye movements, and event-related potentials (ERPs).

**We are looking for paid participants in our studies. Click here for more info!**

Education

B.A., Psychology, University of Iowa

Ph.D., Psychology, University of New Mexico

Postdoc, Center for Mind & Brain, University of California, Davis

Research Interests
  • Attention
  • Distraction
  • Cognitive Control
  • Eye Movements
  • Event-Related Potentials (ERPs)
Selected Publications

Gaspelin, N., Lamy, D., Egeth, H.E., Liesefeld, H.R., Kerzel, D., Mandal, A., Müller, M.M., Schall, J.D., Schubö, A., Slagter, H.A., Stilwell, B.T., van Moorselaar, D. (2023). The distractor positivity component and the attentional capture debate. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience.

Stilwell, B.T., Adams, O.J., Egeth, H.E., & Gaspelin, N. (2023). The role of salience in suppression of distracting stimuli. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review.

Luck, S. J., Gaspelin, N., Folk, C. L., Remington, R. W., & Theeuwes, J. (2021). Progress toward resolving the attentional capture debate. Visual Cognition, 29(1), 1-21.

Gaspelin, N., & Luck, S. J. (2018). The role of inhibition in avoiding distraction by salient stimuli. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 22(1), 79–92

Luck, S.J., & Gaspelin, N. (2017). How to get statistically significant effects in any ERP experiment (and why you shouldn’t). Psychophysiology, 54(1), 146-157.

Gaspelin, N., Leonard, C. J., & Luck, S. J. (2015). Direct evidence for active suppression of salient-but-irrelevant sensory inputs. Psychological Science, 22(11), 1740-1750.