Alex Cates

Background

About Alex Cates

It's the questions we can't answer that teach us the most. They teach us how to think. If you give a man an answer, all he gains is a little fact. But give him a question and he'll look for his own answers.” ~ Patrick Rothfuss Questions define us. Understand the question that drives someone and you will understand how they think. In that vein, here is a non-comprehensive list of questions that are currently consuming me: How does sensory information (visual, proprioceptive, auditory) information interact and combine during the motor learning process? In both healthy and clinical populations, what sensory information we need is tied to our motor skill level, but how do our sensory needs change as motor skill improves, and can we improve training and rehabilitation by understanding this interaction? How do you quantify skill in abstract environments? There are many environments where skill is taught through anecdotes rather than evidence. Think teaching or many different games (such as fantasy football or Settlers of Catan). In order to improve we have to understand what skilled performance looks like before we can train people how to be successful. How do we communicate scientific consensus? There are hundreds of scientific papers published every day. Staying on top of the literature is becoming impossible. That doesn’t mean the information isn’t important, it means we need better methods of combining and organizing information to communicate scientific support and understanding. If you want to discuss any of these questions or think I can help answer any of your own, email me at ac@alexcates.com Specialties: Research Design, Data Analysis, Participant Recruitment, EEG, Python, eye tracking, motion capture, teaching, neurostimulation, tDCS, MATLAB, Neuroscience, Psychology, Cognitive Research, Neuroimaging, motor learning, gait