Jeremy Wilmer

Professor of Psychology

Contact
Phone:
+1 (781) 283-3775
Email:
jwilmer@wellesley.edu
Department
Psychology
Data Science

My research probes the individual human mind and establishes and disseminates best-practices in visual data communication. 

A longstanding aim of my lab has been to further the science of the individual human mind. Much of this work has involved a Citizen Science website called TestMyBrain.org. At TestMyBrain.org, we share high-quality tests to enable self-discovery and use the resulting data to further science. By studying thousands of individuals, we gain the context needed to more deeply appreciate each individual. Among other questions, we ask: (1) How do nature and nurture combine to shape individual minds? (2) Which aspects of our minds work independently versus jointly? (3) How do various cognitive skills or abilities contribute to everyday life?
A more recent thread of our research aims to establish best-practices for the visual communication of data. Check out our 2022 interview on NPR's Science Friday. A central thesis of this work is that well-meaning efforts to simplify graphs of human data by presenting only abstract statistics (averages, medians, standard deviations) frequently backfire. Indeed, we observe that such graphs cause a wide array of fallacies, misunderstandings, and disagreements. A key reason these graphs backfire, we believe, is because the human mind is not particularly built to think in abstract terms; it thinks better about concrete, tangible things like other humans. Consistent with this notion, we find that taking a graph of abstract statistics and simply adding data points from individual humans often dramatically improves thinking. Complementing our research in this domain is our website ShowMyData.org, which makes the creation of publication-quality graphs with individual datapoints as simple, accessible, and rapid as a 2-second copy-paste of data from a spreadsheet.
My recent teaching has included a 200-level course entitled Sensation and Perception, a seminar entitled Genes, Brains, and Human Variation, and an introductory data analysis course called Introduction to Data Analysis in the Psychological Sciences. I involve students at a high level in the ongoing research in my lab. An underlying belief in all of my teaching and research mentoring is that the skills students learn - to think critically about the source of information, to write elegantly and persuasively, to marshal and evaluate evidence, to apply knowledge to real-world problems, and to imagine what does not yet exist or what is not yet known - will be applicable to their future lives whatever directions they take personally, professionally, and as citizens.
When I am not teaching and researching, I enjoy playing traditional fiddle music and spending time outdoors with my family.

Education

  • B.A., Williams College
  • Ph.D., Harvard University

Current and upcoming courses

Seminar: Genes, Brains, and Human Variation

PSYC328

Why do some people have a keen memory for names or faces, a great sense of direction, or a remarkable ability to do two things at once? And why are some people only average (or even below average) in these areas? We will critically evaluate a broad range of perceptual and cognitive abilities (and disabilities) by drawing upon the fields of cognitive neuroscience, behavioral genetics, development, and human variation. We will address three kinds of questions: What broad combination of nature and nurture, and what specific genes and experiences, contribute to differing abilities? What are the neural and cognitive bases of such abilities? And how can we or should we apply such knowledge to ourselves, our families, our communities, and our countries?

More Info

  • Sensation and Perception

    PSYC218

    In a split-second, a curling of lips across a crowded room is registered by one's eyes and translated effortlessly into a vividly three-dimensional, full-color perception of a baby's smile. This and other sensory and perceptual feats, unmatched by any computer, are this course's focus. Topics include consciousness, attention and inattention, data visualization, perceptual learning and development, face perception, 3D depth, color, and brain bases of sensation/attention/perception. Emphasis is given to abnormal and illusory perception. Special topics may include communication via language, music, art, and graphic design. Frequent demonstrations and laboratory exercises will provide insights into class concepts.