Victoria Holec

Position

MSc Student under Dr. David Euston and Dr. Robert McDonald

Project Description

Victoria’s research concerns prefrontal cortex function with emphasis on decision-making, planning, attention, and behavioural flexibility. In addition, she examines the role of the rat prefrontal cortex in learning, memory, motivation, and emotion. Her MSc project investigates the role of rat medial prefrontal cortex in effort- and courage-based decision making. Other projects she is involved in include dimensional set-shift learning and stochastic learning. Further research interests of Victoria’s include effects of stress on executive function as well as circadian rhythms and sleep.

Previously Held Positions

09/2010 – 09/2011 Research Technician in Dr. David Euston's group, Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge.

Education

2010 – B.A. (Hons.) Cognitive Psychology, University of British Columbia Okanagan.

During Victoria’s undergraduate degree, her research was focused on the role of inhibition of return (IOR) in human attention. In particular, together with Dr. Janice Snyder, Victoria investigated attentional and oculomotor effects of multiple location IOR, and the effects of age, temporal expectancy, and framing effects on IOR.

Scholarly Contributions

• Snyder, J.J. & Holec, V. (2011, May). Temporal expectancy, framing effects, and the modulation of inhibition of return. Poster session presented at Vision Sciences Society (VSS) conference, Naples, FL.
• • Holec, V. & Snyder, J.J. (2010, May). Patterns of multiple location inhibition of return vary as a function of age. Poster session presented at North Western Cognition and Memory (NOWCAM), Bellingham, WA.