Assistant Professor OF PSYCHOLOGY
B.s., Virginia Tech; PH.D., Johns Hopkins university
Thomas Reppert is Assistant Professor of neuroscience and psychology in the Department of Psychology. He received a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Virginia Tech and a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University. He completed his postdoctoral training in Psychological Sciences at Vanderbilt University, supported by a research fellowship from the National Eye Institute.
Dr. Reppert’s research explores the link between control of movement and perceptual decision-making. A common aspect of individuality is our subjective preferences in evaluation of reward and effort. The neural circuits that evaluate these commodities influence circuits that control movement, raising the possibility that vigor differences between individuals may also be a trait of individuality, reflecting a willingness to expend effort. In contrast, classic theories in motor-control suggest that vigor differences reflect a speed-accuracy trade-off, predicting that those who move fast are sacrificing accuracy for speed. Dr. Reppert investigates properties of the oculo-motor system as a proxy for inter-individual differences in subjective preference and decision-making.
