Research focus

My experimental and applied research focuses on individual differences in visual (object-spatial) processing and visual cognitive styles, assessment of individual differences in visual/spatial cognition, life-span development of visualization abilities, as well as visual imagery in members of different professions and gifted children.

Research experience

I have conducted studies with children (K-12), college students and members of different professions that involved group, individual, quantitative and qualitative assessment. I have conducted cross-cultural studies in Russia and the USA. Furthermore, I have experience in the development of educational learning and testing materials. In particular, I have experience working with autistic and cognitively impaired children, implementing and developing music and art therapy methods. Finally, I worked on projects that involved the use of learning technologies and ability assessment in immersive virtual reality. I also have experience in data management and advanced statistical analyses, including qualitative protocol analysis.

Education

I received my PhD in cognitive psychology at George Mason University Psychology/Human Factors and Applied Cognition program. My dissertation was entitled “Individual Differences in Object/Spatial Processing and Cognitive Style”. I received my MA in psychology at Rutgers State University, focusing on individual differences in visualization processing. I received my BS and MS in psychology at Moscow State University. During my education at Moscow State University my research focused on psycho-semantics of art, development of artistic representations, as well as cultural and historical differences in musical rhythm in relation to differences in mentality.

CV

I was born in the USSR. I graduated from Moscow State University in 1996, with BS and MS in Psychology. I received my MA in Psychology from Rutgers State University, NJ in 2005. I received her Ph.D. from George Mason University, VA in 2008. Currently, I am working as a postdoctoral research fellow in at National University of Singapore (Singapore). I also worked as a post doctoral research fellow at George Mason University (VA, USA) from 2008-2010. I was employed as a Research/Teaching Assistant at George Mason University from 2006-2008, at Rutgers University (NJ, USA) from 2003-2006, and at Moscow State University from 1997-1998 (Russia). In Russia (Moscow), I also worked as a psychologist and musical therapist at Charity Therapeutic Educational Center and Child Psychiatric Hospital #6 (1990-1995) , as a psychologist, teacher and director in a private group for early childhood development (1995-1997), and as a project manager and senior researcher at Comcon Research International (1999-2000). I volunteered as a psychology and music teacher for gifted children during wilderness retreats held by the Summer Ecological Schools in Russia in 1991, 1992, and 1993. I also volunteered as a research assistant at Simmons Market Research (NY) and at Columbia University (NY)(2001-2002).

Publications & Presentations

Research Papers:

Blazhenkova, O., Kozhevnikov, M., Becker, M. (2011). Object-Spatial Imagery and Verbal cognitive styles in children and adolescences. Learning and Individual Differences, 21 (3), 281-287.

Blazhenkova, O. & Kozhevnikov, M.  (2010). Visual-object ability: A new dimension of non-verbal intelligence. Cognition, 117 (3), 276-301.

Kozhevnikov, M., Blazhenkova, O., Becker, M. (2010). Trade-off in Object versus Spatial Visualization Abilities: Restriction in the Development of Visual Processing Resources. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 17, 29-35.

Blazhenkova, O. &   Kozhevnikov, M. (2009). The new object-spatial-verbal cognitive style model: Theory and measurement. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 23(5), 638-663.

Blajenkova, O., Kozhevnikov, M., & Motes, M. A. (2006). Object-spatial imagery: A new self-report imagery questionnaire. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 20, 239-263.

Kozhevnikov, M., Motes, M. Rasch, B. & Blajenkova, O. (2006). Perspective-taking vs. mental rotation transformations and how they predict spatial navigation performance. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 20, 397–417.

Blajenkova, O., Motes, M. & Kozhevnikov, M. (2005). Individual differences in the representations of novel environments.  Journal of Environmental Psychology, 25, 97-109.

Chapters:

Blazhenkova, O. & Kozhevnikov, M.  (2011). Cognitive Styles in Members of Different Professions. Handbook of Intellectual Styles: Preferences in Cognition, Learning, and Thinking.

Kozhevnikov, M., Blazhenkova, O., Royan, J., & Gorbunov, A.  (2008). The Role of Immersivity in Three-Dimensional Mental Rotation.  Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Design Computing and Cognition. Gero, John S.; Goel, Ashok K. (Eds.), 738p.

Conferences:

Kozhevnikov, M., Royan, J., Blazhenkova. O., & Gorbunov, A. (2008). The Role of Immersivity in Three-Dimensional Mental Rotation. Paper was presented at Third International Conference on design, Computing, and cognition (DCC’08), Atlanta, Georgia.

Kozhevnikov, M., Blazhenkova, O., Royan, J., & Gorbunov, A.  (2008). The Role of Immersion in Three-Dimensional Spatial Processing. Poster was presented at Visual Science Society meeting, Naples, Florida.

Blazhenkova, O. & Kozhevnikov, M. (2007). Individual differences in imagery: developmental studies. Poster was presented at the 48th Annual Meeting of the Psychonomic Society, Long Beach, California.

Gurlitt, J., Kozhevnikov, M., Kozhevnikov, M. & Blajenkoiva, O. (2006). Kann virtuelle Realität Lernende beim Verständnis der Relativität von Bewegung unterstützen? 45. Kongress der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Psychologie (DGPs). Nürnberg.

Gurlitt, J., Kozhevnikiv, M., Kozhevnikov M. & Blajenkoiva, O. (2006). Fostering students’ understanding of one- and two-dimensional relative motion using immersive virtual reality. Poster presented at the 5th Symposium of the EARLI-SIG (Special Interest Group) on Conceptual Change. Stockholm, Sweden.

Blajenkova, O., Kozhevnikov, M, Motes., M., A (2006). Individual differences in interpretations of abstract visual representations: visual art vs. kinematics graph, Perception, 35,  ECVP, Abstract Supplement. Paper was presented at Twenty-ninth European Conference on Visual Perception, St Petersburg, Russia.

Blajenkova, O., Kozhevnikov, M, Motes, M. A. (2006). Object and spatial imagery: distinctions between members of different professions. Cognitive Processing, 7, Supplement 1.

Blajenkova, O. & Kozhevnikov (2005). Do members of different professions have the same type of imagery? Poster was presented at the 46th Annual Meeting of the Psychonomic Society, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Motes, M., Blajenkova, O., & Kozhevnikov, M. Individual Differences in the Representations of Novel Environments (2004). Poster was presented at the annual meeting of the Psychonomic Society, Minneapolis, MN, USA.

Blajenkova, O., Finlay, C., & Kozhevnikov, M. (2003). Two Types оf Visualizers: Object And Spatial Imagers. Poster was presented at XIII Meeting of European Society for Cognitive Psychology, Granada, Spain.

Blajenkova, O. Kozhevnikov, M. (2003). Strategies in Spatial Navigation. Poster was presented at 25th Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Petkovic, M., Blajenkova, O., & Kozhevnikov, M.  (2003). Different Types of Visualizers: Visual Imagers Self-Report Questionnaire. Poster was presented at AERA Annual Meeting, Chicago, Illinois, USA.

Rasch, B.H., Blajenkova, O. & Kozhevnikov, M. (2002). Perspective-taking or Mental Rotation? Which One Predicts Real-Space Navigational Performance? Poster was presented at the 43th meeting of the Psychonomic Society, Kansas City, MO, USA.

Blajenkova, O., & Kozhevnikov, M. (2002). Two types of imagers:  The new self-report questionnaire. Poster was presented at the 43rd Annual Meeting of the Psychonomic Society, Kansas, MO, USA.