Fangzheng Zhao

Graduate Student

Advisor

Research Area

Cognition, Perception, and Cognitive Neuroscience

Biography

Fangzheng Zhao completed her BS in Developmental Psychology and Cognitive Science with a Specialization of Machine Learning at the University of California, San Diego. After graduating from UCSD, she started at UCSB in 2020 working with Dr. Richard Mayer. She is interested in improving students’ learning experience and outcomes by applying cognitive psychology basic theories into various multimedia platforms.

Research

My research interest is to explore different learning methods and strategies by applying cognitive psychology theories into multimedia learning platforms and their effectiveness in students' learning performance. In addition, I am interested in the effect of affective content and emotional designs (e.g., emotional tones of the voice) on the multimedia learning process, and how multimedia technologies (e.g., video, cartoon, video games, virtual reality, and other multimedia lessons) might influence the learners’ cognitive/affective processes and the learning outcomes. In addition, I am also interested in understanding the individual difference when learning multimedia lessons.