Rajal G. Cohen
College of Letters, Arts & Social Sciences
Campus Locations: Moscow
Psychology & Communication Studies
With UI Since 2012
Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University, Psychology (with minor in Kinesiology), 2008
M.S., Pennsylvania State University, Psychology, 2005
B.A., Wesleyan University (Connecticut), Psychology, 2002
Cognitive and neural factors underlying control of posture and action
Changes in mobility due to age, experience, training, neurological disease, and expertise
The role of executive function (especially inhibition) in motor planning
The Alexander Technique
What fundamental systems and principles underlie cognitive control of action? How are posture and motor performance influenced by psychological factors such as body schema, habit, and inhibitory control? How can all this knowledge be used to help people with pain or dysfunction? These are the kinds of questions that drive my research.
I believe that studying action and posture can yield important insights about cognition, and that cognitive factors are important for understanding how action and posture are controlled.
My work is translational, in that a better understanding of the role of the mind in action may lead to novel treatments for movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and also for cognitive deficits such as those associated with aging. It is also interdisciplinary, connecting psychology with neurology, physical therapy, exercise science, engineering, and neuroscience.
- OHSU post-doc paper of the year, runner-up, 2011
- OHSU Post-Doctoral Training Fellowships in Neuroscience, 2008-2011
- Penn State College of Liberal Arts Dissertation Award, 2008
- Penn State University Graduate Fellowship, 2002-2005
- National Merit Scholar, 1987