Although much of the human mind remains a less-than-resolved puzzle, we've learned a lot through the scientific process. Cognitive psychology offers quite a bit of data and distilled information in not only how the mind works, but the conditions under which it can work best. I will present some key ideas and how they can be used to help people, especially Rubyists, be creative and effective.

Among the topics covered will be concept learning, the nature of expertise, limited capacity, types of attention, directed attention (including its fatigue and how to promote recovery), and cognitive clarity. Along the way I'll summarize interesting research and occasionally discuss what's happening in the brain during some of these processes.

About Eric Ivancich
Since the age of fourteen Eric has been using and programming computers. And since his high school days, he's been actively involved in teaching others how to create software.

Eric has a Ph.D. in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of Michigan. For his dissertation he researched neural models of learning and memory, and evaluated models through computer simulation. Along the way he immersed himself in cognitive psychology, and co-taught, with his faculty adviser, courses such as Cognitive Functioning (and Human Information Processing), Cognition and Environment, and Neural Models.

Eric provides both Ruby and Rails training through LearnRuby.com. He integrates his background in cognitive psychology in both designing courses and teaching them