Derek J. Huffman
Assistant Professor
Education
Ph.D. in Neurobiology and Behavior, 2010-2016
University of California, Irvine
Dissertation: A functional, behavioral, and model-based investigation of human visual memory
B.S. in Psychology, with emphasis in Cognitive Psychology, 2006-2008
University of California, San Diego
Minor: Chemistry
Associate of Arts, 2004-2006
Orange Coast College
University of California, Irvine
Dissertation: A functional, behavioral, and model-based investigation of human visual memory
B.S. in Psychology, with emphasis in Cognitive Psychology, 2006-2008
University of California, San Diego
Minor: Chemistry
Associate of Arts, 2004-2006
Orange Coast College
Areas of Expertise
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Spatial Cognition
- Navigation
- Memory
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
- Electroencephalography (EEG)
- Virtual Reality (VR)
Courses Currently Teaching
| Course | Course Title |
|---|---|
| PS233 A | Biological Basis of Behavior |
| PS244 A | Cognitive Neuroscience |
| PS358 A | Seminar in Cognitive Neuropsychology |
| PS359 A | Collaborative Research in Cognitive Neuropsychology |
Professional Information
Postdoctoral Scholar, 2016-2020
Center for Neuroscience, University of California, Davis
Research Assistant, 2009-2010
University of Southern California
Center for Neuroscience, University of California, Davis
Research Assistant, 2009-2010
University of Southern California
Current Research
My research program is focused on studying the ways in which we learn and remember information about the world around us, with an emphasis on spatial cognition. My lab will aim to find converging evidence across a variety of approaches, including real-world behavioral tasks, virtual reality, EEG, and fMRI. We are also interested in using computational techniques (e.g., machine learning, multivariate analysis, modeling) to analyze the human brain and behavior.
Publications
Starrett, MJ, McAvan, AS, Huffman, DJ, Stokes, JD, Kyle, CT, Smuda, DN, Kolarik, BS, Laczko, J, and Ekstrom, AD (2020). Landmarks: A solution for spatial navigation and memory experiments in virtual reality. Behavior Research Methods.
Ekstrom, AD, Harootonian, S, and Huffman, DJ (2020). Grid coding, spatial representation, and behavior: Should we assume an isomorphism? Hippocampus, 30(4):422-432.
Huffman, DJ and Ekstrom, AD (2019). A modality-independent network underlies the retrieval of large-scale spatial environments in the human brain. Neuron, 104(3):611-622.e7.
Huffman, DJ and Ekstrom, AD (2019). Which way is the bookstore? A closer look at the judgments of relative directions task. Spatial Cognition and Computation, 19(2):93-129.
Starrett, MJ, Stokes, JD, Huffman, DJ, Ferrer, E, and Ekstrom, AD (2019). Learning-dependent evolution of spatial representations for large-scale virtual environments. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 45(3):497-514.
White, AO, Javier, LK, Goldberg, NR, Boucquey, V, Overman, J, Ochaba, J, Marsh, S, Huffman, D, and Nicholas, A (2017). Front and back flipping for neurobiology! Developing a hybrid upper-division lab course. Journal of Undergraduate Neuroscience Education, 16(1):A95-A101.
Ekstrom, A, Huffman, DJ, and Starrett, M (2017). Interacting networks of brain regions underlie human spatial navigation: A review and novel synthesis of the literature. Journal of Neurophysiology, 118(6):3328-3344.
Huffman, DJ and Stark, CEL (2017). The influence of low-level stimulus features on the representation of contexts, items, and their mnemonic associations. NeuroImage, 155:513-
529.
Huffman, DJ and Stark, CEL (2017). Age-related impairment on a forced-choice version of the Mnemonic Similarity Task. Behavioral Neuroscience, 131(1):55-67.
Bennett, IJ, Huffman, DJ, and Stark, CEL (2015). Limbic tract integrity contributes to pattern separation performance across the lifespan. Cerebral Cortex, 25(9):2988-2999.
Huffman, DJ and Stark, CEL (2014). Multivariate pattern analysis of the human medial temporal lobe revealed representationally categorical cortex and representationally agnostic hippocampus. Hippocampus, 24(11):1394-1403.
Nashiro, K, Sakaki, M, Huffman, D, and Mather, M (2013). Both younger and older adults have diffculty updating emotional memories. The Journal of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 68(2):224-227.
Ekstrom, AD, Harootonian, S, and Huffman, DJ (2020). Grid coding, spatial representation, and behavior: Should we assume an isomorphism? Hippocampus, 30(4):422-432.
Huffman, DJ and Ekstrom, AD (2019). A modality-independent network underlies the retrieval of large-scale spatial environments in the human brain. Neuron, 104(3):611-622.e7.
Huffman, DJ and Ekstrom, AD (2019). Which way is the bookstore? A closer look at the judgments of relative directions task. Spatial Cognition and Computation, 19(2):93-129.
Starrett, MJ, Stokes, JD, Huffman, DJ, Ferrer, E, and Ekstrom, AD (2019). Learning-dependent evolution of spatial representations for large-scale virtual environments. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 45(3):497-514.
White, AO, Javier, LK, Goldberg, NR, Boucquey, V, Overman, J, Ochaba, J, Marsh, S, Huffman, D, and Nicholas, A (2017). Front and back flipping for neurobiology! Developing a hybrid upper-division lab course. Journal of Undergraduate Neuroscience Education, 16(1):A95-A101.
Ekstrom, A, Huffman, DJ, and Starrett, M (2017). Interacting networks of brain regions underlie human spatial navigation: A review and novel synthesis of the literature. Journal of Neurophysiology, 118(6):3328-3344.
Huffman, DJ and Stark, CEL (2017). The influence of low-level stimulus features on the representation of contexts, items, and their mnemonic associations. NeuroImage, 155:513-
529.
Huffman, DJ and Stark, CEL (2017). Age-related impairment on a forced-choice version of the Mnemonic Similarity Task. Behavioral Neuroscience, 131(1):55-67.
Bennett, IJ, Huffman, DJ, and Stark, CEL (2015). Limbic tract integrity contributes to pattern separation performance across the lifespan. Cerebral Cortex, 25(9):2988-2999.
Huffman, DJ and Stark, CEL (2014). Multivariate pattern analysis of the human medial temporal lobe revealed representationally categorical cortex and representationally agnostic hippocampus. Hippocampus, 24(11):1394-1403.
Nashiro, K, Sakaki, M, Huffman, D, and Mather, M (2013). Both younger and older adults have diffculty updating emotional memories. The Journal of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 68(2):224-227.
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