Matthew Wisniewski, Ph.D.

Contact Information

Office: BH 412

Research Interests

My research program examines the processes that underlie experience related changes in auditory acuities (i.e., auditory perceptual learning), and the roles of attention and memory in listening performance. This research serves the applied realm by informing the design of training regimens intended to mitigate auditory problems.

My approach is interdisciplinary, using methods from psychoacoustics/psychology, cognitive neuroscience, and neural network modeling. In behavioral experiments, auditory abilities are tested using psychoacoustic methods. With the electroencephalogram (EEG), I explore how auditory performances correlate with human brain dynamics. Finally, artificial neural networks are used to generate testable hypotheses regarding learning processes. This interdisciplinary approach fosters a productive loop of hypothesis generation and testing that is advancing our understanding of auditory and learning processes.

For a recent profile of my research interests and the story of my academic path, you can check out the February 2024 issue of the EEGLAB newsletter (https://sccn.ucsd.edu/eeglab/eeglab_news/17/Wisniewski.php)

Representative Publications (for full publication list, see CV)

Wisniewski, M.G., Joyner, C.J., Zakrzewski, A.C., & Makeig, S. (2024). Finding tau rhythms in EEG: an independent component analysis (ICA) approach. Human Brain Mapping, 45, e26572.

Wisniewski, M.G., Joyner, C.J., Zakrzewski, A.C., & Anguiano, A. (2023). Learning to detect sounds in noise: active top-down selection and stable change in signal representations. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 49, 428-440.

Wisniewski, M.G., Zakrzewski, A.C., Bell, D.R., & Wheeler, K. (2021). EEG spectral dynamics associated with listening in adverse conditions. Psychophysiology, 58, e13877.

Wisniewski, M.G., Church, B.A., Mercado, E., III, & Zakrzewski, A.C. (2019). Easy-to-hard effects in perceptual learning depend upon the degree to which initial trials are “easy”. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 26, 1889-1895.

Hansen, N.E., Harel, A., Iyer, N., Simpson, B.D., & Wisniewski, M.G. (2019). Pre-stimulus brain state predicts auditory pattern identification accuracy. Neuroimage, 199, 512-520.