Marc Coutanche

Associate Professor, University of Pittsburgh Department of Psychology

Research Scientist, Learning Research & Development Center

Lab

http://www.mcoutanche.com/

Education and Training

PhD, University of Pennsylvania

Research Interests

My lab has two core areas of research. First, we draw on the methods of cognitive neuroscience to understand how the human brain learns and stores knowledge, and how new knowledge influences other cognitive systems. One of the lab's main approaches is to combine neuroimaging experiments with advanced computational techniques. These analysis approaches can help us identify and -just as importantly- understand how information is being represented in the complex activity patterns of human cortex. Another key approach is using behavioral investigations to research how new knowledge becomes integrated into our memory systems.

A second focus is the development and use of new analytical approaches to probe functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data. One of the biggest challenges of the recent growth in 'big data' is identifying meaningful patterns from the immense amount of data that is available to us. We are working on approaches to understand how the information in the brain's networks is successfully integrated across different regions and brain systems.

Cognitive Neuroscience Imaging Methods Learning & Memory Memory

Related Research Areas

Cognitive & Neural Foundations of Learning

Recent Publications

Koch, G. E., & Coutanche, M. N. (2024). Context reinstatement requires a schema relevant virtual environment to benefit object recall. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review.

Koch, G. E., Libertus, M. E., Fiez, J. A., & Coutanche, M. N. (2023). Representations within the Intraparietal Sulcus Distinguish Numerical Tasks and Formats. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 35(2), 226–240.

Cooper, H. (Ed.-in-Chief), Coutanche, M.N., McMullen, L.M., Panter, A.T., Rindskopf, D., & Sher, K.J. (Assoc. Eds.). (2023). APA handbook of research methods in psychology (2nd ed., Vols. 1-3). American Psychological Association.

Coutanche, M.N., Sauter, J., Akpan, E., Buckser, R., Vincent, A., & Caulfield, M.K. (2023). Novel approaches to functional lateralization: Assessing information in activity patterns across hemispheres and more accurately identifying structural homologues. Neuropsychologia.

Koch, G. E., & Coutanche, M. N. (2023). Unpacking how Context Reinstatement aids Memory using Virtual Reality. Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, 45(45).

Marc Coutanche's Google Scholar profile

News and Awards

LRDC Senior Scientist Marc Coutanche, Psychology, was quoted in a Trib Live article on how aging affects the brain.

February 16, 2024

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Marc Coutanche has received a secondary appointment in the Department of Neuroscience.

May 8, 2023

Kudos to Marc Coutanche and the students enrolled in a new learning sciences course who presented their work at the inaugural Learning Sciences Poster Session on April 26.

May 1, 2023

Marc Coutanche was featured in the Pittwire article "Ace Finals Using These Memory Tricks." Pittwire re-published this April 2022 article in its this April 2023 edition.

April 24, 2023

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Marc Coutanche was featured in April 18 Pittwire Article "Ace Finals Using these Memory Tricks."

April 25, 2022

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[Person photo]

Contact

525 MURDC

marc.coutanche@pitt.edu

(412) 624-7458

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