Professor Dr. Daniel Pearson

Biography

Daniel Pearson is a cognitive psychologist with a strong interest in understanding how learned experiences influence perception, selective attention, and cognitive control. His research explores the factors that affect overall behavior. After completing a Bachelor of Advanced Science in Psychology at UNSW Sydney in 2011, Daniel pursued a Master of Psychology (Clinical) and a PhD in Psychology at the same institution, finishing in 2019. His doctoral studies were furthered through post-doctoral positions at UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience from 2019 to 2020 and UNSW from 2020 to 2022. In 2023, he joined the faculty at the University of Sydney. His current projects focus on understanding how reward-related stimuli, such as those related to money, drugs, and desirable food, capture attention and influence behavior. These projects employ behavioral, eye-tracking, and electrophysiological techniques to explore the cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying visual cognition, with an emphasis on applying findings to real-world contexts, such as the design of alerts and warnings to rapidly capture attention and enhance understanding of psychopathology. His research aligns with the Faculty of Science's strengths in Brain, Behavior, and Cognition, as well as in Preventing and Treating Disease & Disorder.

Research Interests

Awards