Educational Psychology student, Martin Van Boekel, was featured at the 2016 doctoral research showcase on April 6, 2016. The doctoral research showcase highlights the variety of research taking place at the University of Minnesota.
Martin is in the learning and cognition track of the psychological foundations program. His research program aligns with his two distinct and overarching goals: to understand how people learn when correct new information conflicts with incorrect prior knowledge and to investigate the factors that support positive youth development.
His dissertation research addresses his first research goal and focuses on overcoming hindsight bias. He works extensively with Dr. Keisha Varma and Dr. Sashank Varma and is leading a research program that investigates the factors that reduce or eliminate hindsight bias.
Building on this research, Martin’s dissertation is testing the retrieval-based theory of hindsight bias, a theory that he, Dr. Keisha Varma, and Dr. Sashank Varma proposed to account for their earlier hindsight bias study findings. In order to collect direct evidence for the proposed mechanisms, he is conducting a think-aloud study. The use of this methodology is novel in the memory literature. He is also investigating whether the passage of time influences the mechanisms proposed in the retrieval-based theory, and whether or not whether or not repeated retrieval can mitigate the onset of hindsight bias over time.
In the future, he plans to transition his research on hindsight bias and related memory phenomenon to authentic classroom studies.
Martin’s experience at the doctoral research showcase “was a great reminder that we graduate students (and the volunteer undergraduates) who get involved in various research groups across the educational psychology department have a lot to contribute to furthering our understanding of the field.” He expressed his gratitude to his peers for their insight, help and inspiration that he receives working alongside incredible and talented fellow students on a daily basis.
