challenge metacognition and perception champ lab

Welcome to the Challenge, Metacognition, and Perception (ChaMP) Lab at the University of Alabama in Huntsville!

We are a dedicated group of researchers in the field of human factors and engineering psychology who study metacognition and theory of mind within the context of human factors psychology. Specifically, we study human-technology interaction as it relates to humans’ mental representations of autonomous and artificially intelligent (AS/AIS) tools and teammates. We use a variety of self-report, behavioral, and UX approaches in our research and strive to communicate our findings to the general public.

Members of the ChaMP Lab have a curiosity and enthusiasm for discovering truths about the world. We work in interdisciplinary teams where trainees of all levels meaningfully contribute and grow as researchers and professionals. Meet our team and apply to work with us!

What is Human Factors Psychology?

The American Psychological Association (APA) defines human factors and engineering psychology as the study of how people interact with machines and technology (2025). Human factors experts collaborate with interdisciplinary teams to design products, technologies, and environments with human abilities and limitations in mind (HFES, 2025). Human factors experts improve computer interfaces, issue recommendations to aircraft manufacturers, and make space travel safer for astronauts (to name just a few). If you’ve ever seamlessly navigated a new smartphone, biked safely down the street, or driven comfortably on a road trip, you have a human factors specialist to thank!

What is Metacognition?

Metacognition is the awareness and knowledge of one’s own cognition (Flavell, 1979), which is maintained through monitoring and control. Metacognitive monitoring involves continually updating the representation of one’s own mental state (Nelson & Narens, 1990) in response to changes in oneself and the task environment. Metacognitive control takes place when this representation is used to inform one’s subsequent actions (Metcalf, 2009). Let’s imagine you’re driving with your family to the grocery store. Your ability to pay attention to the roadway is a function of what’s happening in the car (e.g., talking, fighting) and on the street (e.g., traffic, construction). As you notice your mental state deteriorating, you may ask the passengers to be quiet so that you can focus. Monitoring your metacognitive state allows you to choose actions that best control your metacognitive state.

What is Theory of Mind?

Theory of mind commonly refers to how people represent and make judgments about other people and animals (Röska-Hardy, 2009), although increasingly this definition is expanded to encompass technological systems (Williams, Fiore, & Jentsch, 2022). Those who exhibit theory of mind can perform complex tasks, such as understanding others’ perspectives as different from or incompatible with their own (Rakoczy, 2022). This is accomplished by inferring others’ state of mind from their words, actions, and outward appearance.

Our Research

The Challenge, Metacognition, and Perception (ChaMP) Lab specializes in the study of metacognition and theory of mind - the processes by which humans understand themselves, their human teammates, and the technologies they work with. Our active research projects involve human-technology interaction within the context of autonomous and artificially intelligent systems (AS/AIS), specifically as it relates to humans’ mental representations of AS/AIS tools and teammates. Our work is embedded in a community setting: we engage in outreach efforts and work to involve the public in all stages of the research process. This approach allows us to share our expertise with the greatest impact: we identify opportunities for product improvement and offer recommendations and tools to address their underlying cause. You can learn more about our active research projects:

  • AI Cognition
  • Graphics for Explainable AI
  • Metacognition of Human-AI Teams
  • The Linguistic Fingerprint ™ 

To learn more about the ChaMP Lab, please contact Lisa Vangsness at lisa.vangsness@uah.edu. 

Apply Now

Our Publications and Conference Presentations

Coming soon

 

Dr. Lisa Vangsness

Assistant Professor, Psychology

Contact

1310 Ben Graves Drive
Morton Hall
Room 210
Huntsville, AL 35899
Campus Map

lisa.vangsness@uah.edu

Biography

Dr. Vangsness grew up in the Chicagoland area and pursued her undergraduate degree at the University of Iowa. She spent two years working in the private sector before returning to pursue her MS and Ph.D. in Psychology from Kansas State University. When she isn’t researching or playing with data, Dr. Vangsness enjoys spending time outdoors, sewing, and listening to records with her dog.

Curriculum Vitae

Challenge, Metacognition, and Perception (ChaMP Lab)

Education

  • PhD, Psychology, Kansas State University
  • MS, Psychology, Kansas State University
  • BS, Psychology, University of Iowa
  • BA, Linguistics, University of Iowa

Affiliations

  • Challenge Metacognition and Perception (ChaMP) Lab
  • Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES)

Expertise

  • Metacognition
  • Trust in Automation
  • Mathematical Modeling of Dynamic Processes

Recent Publications

  • Driggs, J.* & Vangsness, L. (2024). Automated Systems Lend Partial Support to the Unique Agent Hypothesis. Human Factors. (3.17)

  • Granados, J.*, Canare, D.*, & Vangsness, L. (2024). Level-Up! Comparing accessibility features based on gameplay performance. ICM Transactions on Accessible Computing (1.54)Journal of Accessibility and Design for All.

  • Tenhundfeld, N., Forsyth, J., Sprague, N., El-Tawab, S., Cotter, J.*, & Vangsness, L. (2023). In the rough: Evaluation of convergence across trust assessment techniques using an autonomous golf cart. Journal of Cognitive Engineering and Decision Making (2.41)

  • Connelly, M.*, Vangsness, L., & Suss, J. (2023). Using Biological Motion to Investigate Perceptual-Cognitive Expertise in Law Enforcement Use-of-Force Decisions. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, 38(3), 567-583. (1.94)

  • Koehl, D. * & Vangsness, L. (2024). Toward a Linguistic FingerprintTM of Trust. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.

  • Sullivan, V.*, Atchley, J.*, Vangsness, L., & Tenhundfeld, N. (2024). Graphical Features & Perceptions of Reliability. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.

  • Koehl, D.* & Vangsness, L. (2023). Measuring latent trust patterns in language models in the context of Human-AI teaming. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.

  • Sutton, R. * & Vangsness, L. (2022). Decision-making at intersections. IEEE International Conference on Human-Machine Systems.

  • Driggs, J.* & Vangsness, L. (2022). Changes in Trust in Automation (TiA) after performing a visual search task with an automated system. IEEE International Conference on Human-Machine Systems.

  • Vangsness, L. & Driggs, J.* (2022). Cue use is unaffected by covertly performing a task. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.