Bryan Matlen

Overview

Bryan Matlen is a national expert in learning and cognition. As a Senior Researcher with the Learning and Technology group, he explores how strategies based on cognitive science can be applied to support learning and inform instructional decision-making. 

He is the Principal Investigator (PI) of the IES-funded “Spatial Alignment” and “Interleaved Replication” projects, and co-PI of the NSF-funded “Analogy Training” and “Programming Transfer” projects. This work collectively has resulted in publications and materials that bridge the science of learning with learning and teaching in formal educational contexts.  

Dr. Matlen also leads both formative and summative evaluations of early-stage educational technology products to improve their readiness for classrooms and is a senior methodologist for several large-scale efficacy studies at WestEd.  

Education

• Ph.D. in cognitive psychology, Carnegie Mellon University 
• M.S. in cognitive psychology,  Carnegie Mellon University 
• B.A. in psychology, University of California, Davis 

Select Publications

Zheng, Y., Matlen, B. J., & Gentner, D. (2022). Spatial alignment facilitates visual comparison in children. Cognitive Science, 46: e13182. https://doi.org/10.1111/cogs.13182   

Jee, B. D., Matlen, B. J., Greenlaw, M., Simms, N., & Gentner, D. (2022). Visual supports for comparison in educational science images. Instructional Science 50, 807–827. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-022-09599-0  

Matlen, B. J., Gentner, D., & Franconeri, S. L. (2020). Spatial alignment facilitates visual comparison. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 46(5), 443–457. https://doi.org/10.1037/xhp0000726 

Tipton, E., & Matlen, B. J. (2019). Improved generalization through improved recruitment: Lessons learned from a large-scale randomized trial. American Journal of Evaluation, 40(3), 414–430. https://doi.org/10.1177/1098214018810519  

Davenport, J., Kao, Y., Matlen, B. J., Thomas, L., & Schneider, S. (2019). Cognition research in practice: Engineering and evaluating a middle school math curriculum. The Journal of Experimental Education, 88(4), 516–535.https://doi.org/10.1080/00220973.2019.1619067 

Matlen, B. J., & Klahr, D. (2013). Order effects of high and low guidance on children’s acquisition of experimentation skills: Is it all in the timing? Instructional Science, 41(3), 621–634. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11251-012-9248-z  

Honors, Awards, and Affiliations

Board member for the International Mind, Brain, and Education Society (IMBES) 

What Works Clearinghouse Reviewer (Group Design 5.0)