PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

James Tanaka – RSC Fellow

I’m a professor in the Psychology Department and principal investigator of the Different Minds Lab in University of Victoria, British Columbia. I received my PhD from University of Oregon and was a post-doc fellow at Carnegie Mellon University.

My research examines the cognitive and neurological processes underlying object and face recognition. I am interested in how experience influences the way we perceive and recognize objects in the world. To address this question, we study the visual processes involved in perceptual expertise, such as expert birdwatching or car recognition. and have designed and tested training protocols to teach a novice how to become an expert. We are also interested in a kind of perceptual expertise in which we are all experts – face recognition. How does our ability to recognize faces unfold over the course of development and how does experience with one racial group influence our ability to recognize people from other races? In a related line of research, we have been working with children with autism in a program designed to improve their face recognition abilities.

Outside the lab, I’m learning the Okinawan instrument the sanshin and volunteer at the Umi Nami Japanese organic farm in Metchosin, British Columbia.

See Google Scholar Profile for full publication list.

Contact

jtanaka@uvic.ca
(250) 721-7541
Cornett A189

RESEARCH ASSOCIATES

Eric Mah, PhD

Eric is a current PhD student in the Cognition and Brain Sciences program at UVic, supervised by Dr. D. Stephen Lindsay. His primary research focuses on memory, both basic (free and cued recall) and applied (eyewitness memory, lineups, co-witness conformity). In collaboration with the DML, Eric is currently researching individual differences in psychological embeddings – in particular, the ways in which we can measure and represent psychological similarity spaces at the individual level, and how the structure and organizing principles of these spaces are affected by knowledge, expertise and other individual-level factors.

Nick Argument – Lab Coordinator

Hi, I’m Nick and I’m the Lab Coordinator for the Different Minds Lab. I joined the DML during summer 2024 and since then I’ve worked on many different projects in the lab including making the Psiz4All app which provides an easy way for researchers to create psychological embeddings using the Psiz toolset. I’m currently completing my bachelors in Psychology and Computer Science and my current research interests are focused around using EEG and ERP’s to look at how people learn new categories. In my free time I enjoy mountain biking, backpacking and painting.

Anna Lawrance, BSc Honours – Research Coordinator

Hi, my name is Anna, and I am the Different Minds Lab Research Coordinator! I joined the DML as a research assistant in the Summer of 2022 while completing my BSc Honours in Psychology at UVic. My main interests in psychology often relate to implicit memory, knowledge acquisition, and changes in cognitive abilities over time/development, particularly in the later years of life. Much of my work in the lab has used PsiZ to study category restructuring patterns that develop as individuals acquire relevant conceptual and perceptual expertise. In my spare time, you can find me cycling around town, trying to play the guitar, or taking photos of things that catch my eye in nature. Contact: annalawrance@uvic.ca

Meg Lall, MSc

Hi, I’m Megan, a PsyD student in Clinical Psychology collaborating with the Different Minds Lab at UVic. My interests sit at the intersection of perception, forensics, and clinical science—how people learn categories, how expertise reshapes mental maps, and how diagnostic reasoning shifts from categorical labels to dimensional judgments. In addition I have an interest in moral injury and the experience of moral emotions.  In the lab, I help design studies, source and curate stimuli, and use PsiZ to model psychological embeddings for face similarity and category structure. Beyond research, I teach and mentor youth and lead community outreach as Youth Director at We CARE Guyana—and, for balance, I’m usually at the gym or out on a local hike!

Johannes Schultz-Coulon, BSc Honours

Hi, I joined the Different Minds Lab in Fall 2023 as an exchange student from the Netherlands. After I completed my bachelor’s degree in Psychology at Maastricht University, I continued with a Research Master in Fundamental Neuroscience, trying to understand the underlying mechanisms of the mind. Particularly, I am intrigued by how the body and brain communicate with each other, and how immune and inflammatory processes shape learning, memory, and emotion. In the lab my work focuses on category learning, specifically on understanding how fast and slow learners form different category structures, and whether learning speed represents a stable individual trait across different visual objects. In my free time, I enjoy music, spending time with friends, and exercising.

Yueling Sun, BEng,  MEd

My name is Yueling, and I joined the Different Minds Lab as a PhD student in the fall of 2024. I hold a Bachelor of Engineering from the Communication University of China and a Master of Education from South China Normal University. My research focuses on visual working memory, attention, and machine learning, with a particular interest in the intersection between deep neural networks and the human brain. Outside of research, I enjoy swimming, dancing, and watching movies. I’m also an avid gamer, with Zelda being my favorite.

Dilhan Toredi, PhD, Lab Associate

Hi, I’m Dilhan. I am currently a Research Associate at Åbo Akademi University and was previously a Postdoctoral Fellow at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. I completed my PhD at the Queen Margaret University of Edinburgh, which focused on the cross-race effect—that is, the difficulty individuals experience when recognizing faces from racial groups other than their own. My research focuses on memory—both basic (such as stages of processing) and applied aspects (including eyewitness memory and lineup procedures)—with particular attention to the role of race. In collaboration with the DML, I investigate individual differences in the psychological representations of cross-racial faces and how these representations correspond to recognition-level cross-race effects.

RESEARCH ASSISTANTS

Abby Hunter

Hello, I’m Abby! I joined the lab in Winter 2024 as part of the programming team, and I’m currently pursuing a combined BSc in Psychology and Computer Science at UVic. Recently, I’ve been collaborating with lab members to explore how Large Language Models (LLMs) can be used to support thematic analysis (TA). My research interests span cognitive neuroscience and its methods—such as EEG—as well as artificial intelligence and the intersection of cognition and computing. Outside of research, I enjoy playing piano, gaming, and baking.

Lucas Copp

I am a 4th year undergraduate at UVic completing a BSc in Biology & Psychology. My main areas of interest include affective neuroscience, personality psychology, and evolutionary neurobiology. Within these topics, I am particularly focused on understanding goal-directed perception, learning, and behaviour. Recently I have joined the DML where I have begun exploring the use of artificial stimuli to study individual differences in category learning. In my free time, I enjoy writing, playing the guitar, and practicing Brazilian jiu jitsu.

Isabel Davies-Stevenson

Hello! My name is Isabel. I am currently working on my Bachelor of Science in Psychology at UVic. I joined the Different Minds Lab in the summer of 2024 after an amazing seminar class taught by Dr. Tanaka. My main research interest is EEG, particularly the clinical applications of the topic. I also really enjoy neuroimaging and the effects of aging on the brain and body. In my spare time, you can find me reading, watching a movie, or weightlifting

Nastaran Khodaeian

Hello, This is Nas. I am in my third year of a BSc in Psychology with a minor in Data Science. My interest is primarily in neuroscience, positive psychology, and math of any kind or shape. One of the reasons whyI am really interested in research is because my main two interests in psychology are new sciences, and there are more to explore than to study. I have a rich background in biology since I wanted to become a neurosurgeon for the longest time, which led me to study 3 years of microbiology back home. I chose data science simply because I am so good at math and I wanted to keep using and nurturing it. Apart from books, I love playing piano, singing and dancing, playing tennis, and swimming.

Bennett King-Nyberg, MSc

Alice Zaric

Hi, my name is Alice, and I am Dr. Tanaka’s honours student for the 2025/2026 year. In the lab, I’m currently working on a new expertise project with PSiZ using dinosaurs as stimuli. Over the summer, I ran adult experts and novices to demonstrate the difference in mental category structures. We are currently working to expand this project to work with children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. I am also assisting with a sub-project of this research, looking at the language used by experts and novices. Broadly, my research interests in psychology lie at the intersection of cognitive and clinical psychology. I am interested in using cognitive theories to investigate clinical populations, such as children with ASD. After graduating with my bachelor’s, I am interested in pursuing graduate studies in cognitive or clinical psychology programs.

Grace Veugelers

Hi, I’m Grace! I am an undergraduate student working towards an honours in cognitive psychology supervised by Drs. Tarek Amer and Jordana Wynn. I joined the DML in summer 2024 to support EEG research and have since completed an independent study with Dr. Tanaka which investigated the role of the N400 ERP in visual perceptual learning of non-linguistic stimuli. In the future, I hope to continue pursuing cognitive psychology research, especially in the domains of implicit memory, attention, and language. When I’m not in the lab, I like to spend my time hiking, reading, baking, and bothering my sister.

Keeli Smith

Hello! My name is Keeli, and I am currently a 4th year undergraduate student completing a BSc in Psychology. I joined the Different Minds lab in January of 2025 after a growing interest in cognitive psychology. My primary research interests are clinical psychology, neuropsychology, and clinical neuropsychology. My goal is to continue in psychology and become a clinical psychologist. I enjoy spending my free time outside whether that’s paddle boarding, waterskiing, snowboarding, or skiing.

Jonathan Kiss

Hello, my name is Jonathan. I’m a fourth-year undergraduate working on my BSc in Psychology & Computer Science at the University of Victoria. I initially joined DML at the beginning of the Spring 2024 semester, and have worked on projects involving eye-tracking, EEG, thematic analysis, and LLMs. My main areas of interest are machine learning, cognitive psychology, cognitive neuroscience, and cognitive augmentation. In my spare time, some of my hobbies include playing guitar, playing tennis, photography, and hiking.

Sarah Albassam

Hi! My name is Sarah and I am currently in my final year of completing a combined BSc in Biology & Psychology. I first joined DML in the fall of 2025 after completing an intriguing seminar class on EEG recordings taught by Dr. Tanaka. Throughout the years, the topics I have been the most interested in are neurotransmission, developmental disorders, and the cognitive processes behind learning and memory (especially in those with ASD). In research, I hope to contribute to EEG studies focused on attention and resource allocation in the brain. Ultimately, I plan to one day attend medical school and pursue a career in child psychiatry, where I can help families better understand their children’s needs. When I’m not studying, you can find me hiking, painting, or spending time with the lovely people in my life.

ALUMNI

Kiera Ludlow

I’m Kiera Ludlow and I am currently completing my BSc Honours in Psychology at UVic. I am the DML lab coordinator! I joined the DML as a research assistant in my second year in the Spring of 2023 . I have worked in the lab on zoom participant study coordination, sourcing stimuli for PsiZ experiments, running in person experiments, and training undergraduate and graduate students in EEG data collection techniques. Presently, I am completing an honours thesis on implementing a video intervention to reduce implicit racial biases. My main psychological research interests relate to the development of cognitive and aging processes throughout an individual’s lifespan. An interest of mine is working and volunteering with organizations like Little Steps Therapy Services and Best Buddies. In my free time I will usually be going for a hike, cooking a new recipe, or taking care of my plants!

Katelyn Forner, BSc Honours

Katelyn Forner graduated from the University of Victoria with a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Psychology. Katelyn started in the DML as a research assistant in the second year of her undergraduate degree in 2019, and quickly began working on her own project that examined whole person perception. Her honours thesis was an extension of this work and involved three different experiments that aimed to determine how both the face and body components influence perception of the other when presented in whole-person contexts. As of September 2023, Katelyn will be at McGill University pursuing her MA in Kinesiology & Physical Education, specializing in Sport & Exercise Psychology.

Amy vanWell, MSc

Amy has been an active member of the DML since starting as an undergraduate RA in 2018. Since she joined, she has graduated with a BSc in combined CSC/Psyc in 2021, and more recently with a MSc in 2023 with her thesis “The Viability of Web-based Eye Tracking”. During her time with the DML, she focused on expanding and developing tools used to conduct experimental psychology, notably through the development of the Gazer program for web-based eye tracking.

Alison Campbell, PhD

Alison Campbell received her PhD from the University of Victoria, where her dissertation focused on electrophysiological and psychophysical techniques to examine implicit face categorization and identity recognition. Much of this research involved tracking the emergence of identity recognition after real-world interaction and personal familiarization. She is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the Boston Attention and Learning Lab at the Boston VA Medical Center and Boston University. Her current work focuses on understanding both the perceptual and memory mechanisms that underlie the impressive human capacity to learn faces by examining the patterns of abnormalities in developmental prosopagnosiacs – a special population of individuals with pervasive face recognition deficits.

Xiaoyi Liu, BSc Honours

A broad topic that interests me is the relationship between brain functional architecture and perceptual outcomes and how this relationship is shaped by experience. The face network of our brain, for example, has allowed us to perceive human faces very differently from other non-face objects (i.e., holistic face perception) and is being consistently shaped by developmental and cultural experiences (e.g., the other-race effect of face perception). I am currently doing my honours project in the lab with a focus on measuring the threshold of holistic face perception and the lateralization of holistic face perception using primarily psychophysical methods.

Juan Vassallo, MA

Juan Vassallo completed his Masters at the University of Victoria in the Interdisciplinary Studies department (music and psychology). His research interests included the assessment of musical capacities such as pitch perception, rhythmic entrainment and timbre discrimination, and how these abilities change over time due to musical training to better understand the link between brain and behaviour in musical perceptual expertise. In May 2020, Juan was accepted for a PhD position at the University of Bergen’s Grieg Academy for musical composition.
juansv2k2@hotmail.com // www.juanvassallo.com

Simen Hagen, PhD

I started in Jim’s lab as a research assistant during the end of my undergraduate degree at UVic. I subsequently completed an honour degree under his supervision, before joining as a graduate student. The focus of my graduate work was on how “expertise” in real-world object categorization influences the organization of cognitive and neural processes. For example, what cognitive and neural aspects can explain how a bird watcher can instantly name a bird as a “song sparrow” despite its similarity to other sparrows? I have subsequently worked as a post-doctoral researcher in the lab of B. Rossion at CHRU, Nancy (France), where I studied the brain circuitry involved in generating visual perceptions of human faces. Currently, I work as a post-doctoral researcher in the lab of M. Peelen at Donder’s Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behavior (Nijmegen, Netherlands), where I study the neural organization of visual sensory areas.

Buyun Xu, PhD

I did my PhD (2010-2013) and postdoc (2013-2018) in the Different Minds Lab. My research focused on using behavior, eye tracking and EEG methods to study the behavior and underlying brain mechanisms of how people recognize visual things, such as faces, facial expressions, melanoma, birds, etc. I also participated in the design, development and dissemination of training tools that teach people to recognize faces and facial expressions, make good facial expressions, detect melanoma, identify birds, etc., with the help of the state-of-the-art science and technology in machine learning. I am currently working as a senior researcher in the public safety sector of the government of BC. I am responsible for program evaluation and data extraction and analysis. I am still working with the Different Minds Lab on a project that looks for early signs of aging related cognitive decline from visual category training data.

Connect with me on buyunxu.xyz