Stankiewicz's laboratory is interested in understanding human cognition using both behavioral and computational modeling. More specifically, my laboratory focuses on how people recognize objects (object recognition) and how people perceive and navigate through three-dimensional spaces (spatial navigation). Object Recognition: Try this experiment when you get a chance. Turn off the sound on your television and turn the television to a random station. Quickly open and close your eyes. Under most circumstances you will be able to recognize the scene and the objects on the television within that rapid blink (approximately 100 ms). You are able to do this despite the fact that most likely you have not seen this particular image before. But how does the visual system interpret scenes and recognize objects with such remarkable speed and accuracy. My laboratory focuses on how the human visual system does this by running psychophysical experiments (behavioral experiments) and developing computational models of human object recognition. Spatial Navigation: Everyday we are able to navigate from one location in our home to another, or from our house to the University. But how is this accomplished? Do you carry a "mental map" of Austin in your head that can easily be referenced? If so, how complete is that map? Do you know what the corner of Guadalupe and 35th Street looks like or do you simply remember something like a road map? Using computational modeling and virtual reality technology my laboratory is interested in understanding how people learn about new environments and what information they use during spatial navigation.