Brain & Cognition Student Spotlight: Chloe Taylor
Chloe Taylor is a student in the Brain & Cognition Ph.D. program and a member of the Neuromodulation Lab with Dr. Christopher Warren. Chloe's research interests include attention and laterality difference, specifically how hemispheric laterality differences process differing emotional sensory stimuli and impact attention. Prior to pursuing graduate studies, she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology with a minor in Philosophy at Washburn University.
Why did you choose to come to USU?
I came to USU because I wanted to go somewhere with a fun landscape that was different than the midwest. Upon looking at multiple schools and programs, I found a potential supervisor and a beautiful landscape here at USU. When I contacted the supervisor, he requested a Zoom meeting, and we hit it off. When I came to USU for my visit, I fell in love with the mountains. Additionally, my supervisor and I continued to get along well, my labmates were all extremely kind and helpful, and my supervisor's wife taught me to moonwalk. It all felt so supportive and welcoming, and I still feel like that to this day. Within my lab, there is no competition, only support. We help each other out in every way that we can. I could not ask for a better lab or experience.
Why did you decide to pursue a degree in the Behavior Analysis specialization?
I became very fascinated in cognition when I took a Philosophy of Cognitive Science course in my undergrad. This course made me critically think about a lot of topics in cognition like the extended mind theory or embodied cogition and where the boundaries lay. As I continued to look into cognition within research, I got very interested in assessing information that gets attended to versus information that does not, and why or why not. I also enjoy empirical data gathered from technology like EEG and TMS, which I get to use! I love the research and the technology used within the research as a whole, so I went into this area.
Honestly, I do not know exactly. My plan right now is to complete my Masters thesis and comps in the spring and summer next year, and then I will be an instructor the following fall. This will help me decide if I enjoy teaching or if I just love to research. From there, I will decide if I am interested in industry/private research, academia, or my back up plan is to be an EEG tech at a hospital for a short period of time.
What advice do you have for other students in the Behavior Analysis specialization, or for those considering applying?
I say go for it! Just make sure that you like your supervisor and like your labmates because you will have to work with them quite closely and frequently. Take advantage of the visit day(s) here to get to know them and make sure you can tolerate them enough to work with for a few or a lot of years. Make sure your supervisor is the type of supervisor that you want. Some supervisors are completely hands off, others completely hold your hand through it all, while others have that middle ground. Try and figure out what type of supervising you want, and then find someone who likes your research and has that supervising style.
Anything else you would like to add about the Brain & Cognition program or about your experience in grad school?
I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at USU so far in the B&C program. I have met some amazingly talented people and friends. I actually have a ton of friends in the behavioral analysis and other programs, so you can break out from the B&C program when here and collaborate with other departments and make friends anywhere. Everyone here has such unique research that it really fosters a supportive, learning environment rather than a competitive, hostile environment at least in my experience.