Who are the people behind the lectern? Did they appear one day to discuss t-tests and theories, and then disappear into the ether? It turns out that faculty are people too! The Department of Psychology strives to create a culture replete with high quality research and teaching. To foster that culture, the “meet the faculty” series is designed to give people an idea of what leads one to pursue a career aligned with this culture.
Let’s meet one of our newest faculty members, Dr. Eric Fields. Dr. Fields joined the Department of Psychology in the Fall 2025 semester and is aligned with the cognitive psychology area. Hailing from Tennessee, he doubled majored in psychology and philosophy at Middle Tennessee State University and earned his Ph.D. at Tufts University.
Research Background and Interests
What inspired you to become a psychology professor?
I had never thought about being a psychologist until I was in college. I took Introduction to Psychology during my first semester and found it very interesting. So I took some more psychology classes, and I found myself really interested in the methods that psychologists had developed to answer questions about the mind and behavior. This was the first indication that I might want to go into research in psychology. From there, I got involved in research and pursued my interests in psychology until I ended up as a professor specializing in cognitive neuroscience.
Can you describe your research area and interests?
I am a cognitive neuroscientist. I study primarily human memory. A lot of my research deals with the ways in which we remember emotional experiences and information differently than neutral information or how we remember negative and positive things differently. I try to understand the neural basis of memory by using electroencephalography (EEG) to record brain activity while people are completing memory tasks. I also do research on statistical methods and statistical philosophy. You can learn more about my research on my lab website: https://www.cogelectrophyslab.com/
Are there any publications or work of which you’re particularly proud?
I think my most important contribution to the field is a paper on statistical analysis for EEG data: https://doi.org/10.1111/psyp.13468. We showed that some specialized methods could maximize sensitivity and flexibility in the analysis of EEG data while controlling for false positives. This is important, because it addresses issues that have led to problems replicating past research: We need methods that can detect real effects while effectively guarding against being fooled by noise in the data, and this can be particularly difficult with large, multi-dimensional data like EEG.
Working and Teaching at UNCG
What drew you to joining the Psychology Department at UNCG?
At UNCG I get to teach at a school that serves a diverse population and is (relatively) affordable for students while also working closely with Ph.D. students and great colleagues. Greensboro is also not too far from where I grew up in East Tennessee. After spending years in Boston and Pittsburgh, it’s nice to be closer to home and away from all the snow up North.
Do you have a favorite course that you teach?
My favorite thing to teach is statistics. I am deeply interested in statistics, and I think that good statistical practice is crucial to doing good science. More generally, I think that learning to interpret data and think in terms of probabilities are among the most important skills to learn for anyone living in a complex society where data and research play such an important role in so many decisions. And I like teaching statistics because it is very hands on (it’s all about solving problems and applying what we learn to actual examples).
What advice would you give to students aspiring to a career in your area?
I think the most important trait for anyone who wants to be a scientist is curiosity. Science is all about trying to find the answer to questions that haven’t been answered yet. What drives me as a scientist is that I really enjoy trying to figure out how to answer these questions. It’s very cool that I get to do that and that I get to follow my curiosity in terms of what I study.
More practically, I wish someone had told me when I was an undergraduate student to take more math classes and to learn some computer programming. In cognitive neuroscience, we analyze large, complex datasets and use a wide variety of signal processing and analysis approaches with these datasets. Knowing some math beyond the basics and being able to write code to implement novel analyses really expands what you can do as a researcher and helps you to properly interpret data.
Fun Facts!
What do you like to do outside of work?
I enjoy seeing live music in a wide range of genres. I’m also a basketball and baseball fan.
What’s something most people don’t know about you?
I think students are often surprised to learn that I used to go to a lot of punk rock shows.
Could you share a favorite movie, book, or band that you would recommend to others?
I’m new to living in North Carolina, but two of the musicians that have played the biggest role in my life are from right here in the Piedmont Triad: Ben Folds (from Winston-Salem) and John Coltrane (from High Point). If you want to check them out, I recommend the albums Whatever and Ever Amen by Ben Folds Five and A Love Supreme by Coltrane.
