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Dr. Nichols’s work focuses on the cognitive, developmental, perceptual, and physical human factors issues relating to accidents and injuries. Her work includes the evaluation and development of warnings and safety information and analysis of its effectiveness. She is involved in the scientific study of human behavior in response to audible alarms, such as people’s response to smoke alarms. She has investigated human factors that affect one’s ability to escape from fires. She uses a wide range of large-scale databases and analytical techniques to investigate safety-related behaviors, injuries and accident patterns, such as those associated with recreational and sports activities, health and fitness equipment, other consumer products, and motor vehicles. She provides technical assistance in the review and analysis of consumers’ reports of incidents submitted to government agencies (CPSC, FDA, etc.) and to manufacturers. Dr. Nichols has conducted product usability studies to examine the physical and cognitive abilities of children and adults as they interact with particular products and environments. Prior to joining Exponent, Dr. Nichols completed a Ph.D. in experimental psychology with a focus in neuroscience at Stanford University and worked as a research associate at SAM Technology and the San Francisco Brain Research Institute. During that time she used a variety of experimental methods, including behavioral, neuroimaging, electrophysiological, and patient case studies, to investigate the brain mechanisms that support memory.
Sala JB, Nichols EA, Muhammad R, Lakhiani SD, Rauschenberger R, Wood CT. Government, warnings, safety information: A comparison of inter-agency regulations and guidance. In: Advances in Human Factors, Ergonomics, and Safety in Manufacturing and Service Industries. Karwowski W, Salvendy G (eds), pp. 1047–1056, CRC Press, 2010.
Olsen RK, Nichols EA, Chen J, Hunt JF, Glover GH, Gabrieli JDE, Wagner AD. Performance-related sustained and anticipatory activity in human medial temporal lobe during delayed match-to-sample. Journal of Neuroscience 2009; 29(38):11880–11890.
Nichols EA, Kao YC, Verfaellie M, Gabrieli JDE. Working memory and long-term memory for faces: Evidence from fMRI and global amnesia for involvement of the medial temporal lobes. Hippocampus 2006; 16(7):604–616.
Presentations and Published Abstracts
Olsen RK, Nichols EA, Chen J, Gabrieli JDE, Wagner AD. High-resolution fMRI of the medial temporal lobe during delayed-match-to-sample. Annual Meeting of Society for Neuroscience Conference, San Diego, CA, October 2007.
Nichols EA, Kao YC, Verfaellie M, Gabrieli JDE. Involvement of the medial temporal lobes in working memory: Evidence from fMRI and amnesic patients. Annual Meeting of Society for Neuroscience Conference, San Diego, CA, October 2004.
Nichols EA, Kao YC, Gabrieli JDE. Incedental long-term memory during a working memory task: An fMRI study. Annual Meeting of Cognitive Neuroscience Society Conference, San Francisco, CA, April 2004.
Nichols EA, Kao YC, Preston AR, Ghahremani DG, Gabrieli JDE. The relationship between the neural bases of working memory and long-term memory. Annual Meeting of Society for Neuroscience Conference, New Orleans, LA, November 2003.
Ilan AB, Nichols EA, Smith ME, Gevins A. Acute effects of marijuana on neurophysiological signals of memory and focused attention. Annual Meeting of Cognitive Neuroscience Society Conference, San Francisco, CA, April 2002.
McEvoy L, Nichols EA, Page B, Smith ME, Gevins A. Impact of an antihistaminic/anticholernergic on neurophysiological measures of working and episodic memory in elderly subjects. Annual Meeting of Cognitive Neuroscience Society Conference, San Francisco, CA, April 2002.
Nichols EA, Ilan AB, Smith ME, Gevins A. Effects of marijuana on neurophysiological correlates of working memory and intermediate-term memory. Annual Meeting of Society for Neuroscience Conference, San Diego, CA, November 2001.
- Summer Session Instructor, Stanford University, 2004–2006
- Research Associate, SAM Technology and the San Francisco Brain Research Institute, 2000–2002
- Lab Assistant, Dept. of Anesthesiology at the University of California, San Diego, 1999
- Human Factors and Ergonomics Society
- American Psychological Association
- ASTM Technical Committee on Sports Equipment and Facilities
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- Ph.D., Psychology, Stanford University, 2007
- M.A., Psychology, Stanford University, 2006
- B.S., Cognitive Science, University of California, San Diego (with honors), 2000
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