Prof. Orly Rubinsten
A cognitive neuropsychologist studies the cognitive, emotional, and physiological infrastructures of learning and emotion.
My research examines the neurocognitive factors that promote or inhibit effective learning. In this framework, I investigate how mechanisms such as cognitive effort, metacognition, attention, and emotional resilience affect knowledge acquisition, and, equally, how factors such as anxiety and individual differences in emotion regulation create overload and inhibit learning.
A central line of my research focuses on strategies for emotional regulation, such as reappraisal versus emotional suppression. I examine how choosing these strategies shapes performance, motivation, and perseverance during problem-solving that poses cognitive and emotional challenges.
From the lab: How do we research?
In my lab, we combine classical behavioral methodologies (such as accuracy and reaction times) with advanced high-resolution physiological measures. These include recording of brain electrical activity (ERP), eye-tracking, and pupillometry.
This combination of metrics allows us to identify dynamic changes in real-time in the levels of arousal, stress, and effort invested in the task.
For example, in studies dealing with anxiety, we do not suffice with examining the final grade of the task but draw a “temporary neurocognitive map” of the learner’s cognitive and emotional efforts. To study this, we continuously monitor physiological measures. We aim to determine whether a person solving a complex problem and experiencing stress and/or anxiety exhibits an early physiological alarm response that leads to maladaptive management of cognitive effort during the preparation phase (before exposure to the task’s complexity).
Through a connection between psychology, neuroscience, and education, my goal is to promote a theoretical understanding of the dynamic interface between thought and emotion. My ambition is to translate these insights into educational practices and evidence-based pedagogical policies that foster resilience, perseverance, and equal opportunity among male and female students.
Main Research Areas
Strategies for Emotional Regulation: The Effect of Reappraisal and Suppression on Cognitive Processes.
Learning and Problem Solving in Conditions of Uncertainty: How the Neurocognitive System Assesses Attention Requirements and Allocates Resources under Stress and Uncertainty Conditions.
Anxiety and Learning: The physiological and cognitive mechanisms by which anxiety disrupts effective learning and problem-solving.
Measures of Cognitive and Emotional Effort: Mapping the timing of the mobilization of cognitive resources, such as attention, using physiological measures.
Collaborations at the University of Haifa:
The Brain and Behavior Center in Haifa
Edmond J. Safra Center for Brain Research for Learning Disabilities