Dr David Harris

About me:

I am a researcher in Psychology interested in skill acquisition, cognitive training and performance states (ranging from breakdowns under pressure to peak flow experiences). In particular, I am interested in the role of eye movements and visual attention in these areas. I have applied my research to a range on environments, including surgery, the military and gaming. My current work focuses on virtual reality and the impact that imparied, uncertain, or missing sensory information has on perception and action in virtual spaces.

Research Specialisms

• Predictive Processing theories of perception and action
• Virtual reality
• Eye tracking and computational modelling of eye movements
• Cognitive training
• Observational learning
• Quiet eye
• Flow states

Contact details and links to web pages

• I am a member of the Human Movement Science and Virtual Reality research groups.
• Google scholar
• Twitter: @David_J_Harris

Invited Talks

• CONCAWE Novel Technologies in Refinery Safety Meeting. Brussels, May 2018. The role of virtual reality technologies in safety critical training (Keynote talk).
• Meeting of Royal College of Surgeons. Exeter, March 2019. Accelerating motor skill acquisition in minimal-access surgery – lessons from eye-tracking and performance under pressure.
• University of Hertfordshire School of Psychology seminar series. Hertfordshire, April 2019. The role of attention control in flow (Keynote talk).
• Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics Flow Symposium. Frankfurt, June 2019. Examining attentional processes in flow.
• UK Immersive Computing for Defence and Security. DSTL, St Albans, June 2019. Using Virtual Reality for training cognitive skills in counter terror policing.
• University of St Mark and St John seminar series. Plymouth, October 2019. Examining attentional processes in flow.
• International Policing Association conference on virtual reality. Cologne, October, 2019. Developing and testing virtual reality training for cognitive skills (Keynote talk).

Media coverage of my research

Choking in sport: https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2021/09/11/pressure-driven-meltdowns-are-surprisingly-common-in-elite-tennis

Choking in sport: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2021/sep/27/how-emma-raducanu-prevents-one-mistake-from-leading-to-another

PhD, Psychology, University of Exeter 2014-2017 (Thesis - The role of attentional control in flow states)

MSc, Psychological Research Methods, University of Exeter, 2011-2012 (Distinction)

PGCE, Post-Compulsory Education, Oxford Brookes University, 2008-2009

BSc(Hons), Psychology, University of Nottingham, 2005-2008

I completed my PhD in 2017 under the supervision of Prof Mark Wilson and Dr Sam Vine at Exeter, where I examined the state of flow and how visual attention contributes to peak performance states. Since then I have worked as a Research Associate with Dr Gavin Buckingham on a project examining observational learning in robotic surgery (2017) and held subsequent post-doctoral positions working on eye movement and cognitive training for the military (2018) and eye movement training for children with DCD (2018) with Prof Wilson and Dr Vine. In 2018 I was awarded a Royal Academy of Engineering Post-doctoral Fellowship to examine the effectiveness of virtual reality for training cognitive skills in defence and counter-terror personnel. From 2020-2022 I worked across several applied projects funded by the UK Ministry of Defence and since May 2022 I have been funded by a Leverhulme Early Career fellowship to examine the unusual perceptual effects of virtual reality and their impact on perception and action.