OSU’s Cognitive Performance Lab advances high-stakes decision-making research
Thursday, May 22, 2025
Media Contact: Desa James | Communications Coordinator | 405-744-2669 | desa.james@okstate.edu
The Cognitive Performance (CoPe) Lab at Oklahoma State University, directed by Dr. Pratima Saravanan, assistant professor at The School of Industrial Engineering and Management, is transforming how professionals operate under pressure in fields such as health care, firefighting and rural public health.
Focused on decision-making, attention, skill acquisition and stress response, the CoPe Lab supports professionals who regularly encounter high-stakes environments. One of the lab’s ongoing projects, funded by the Southwest Center for Occupational and Environmental Health, explores how firefighters process complex information during emergencies and shift changes. By analyzing both physiological and behavioral responses, researchers are working to develop tools that enhance accuracy and safety during critical decision-making moments for both responders and the communities they serve.
Among the systems in development is a virtual reality-based firefighter training tool designed to replicate real-world fire incidents. The tool draws on insights from expert firefighters to help users practice evaluating multiple decisions and outcomes under pressure.
In addition to research on emergency services, the CoPe Lab is investigating how engineering students interact with generative AI tools. With the rapid adoption of AI in academic settings, researchers are studying the effects of reliance on AI technologies on students’ working memory and problem-solving skills. The findings aim to inform evidence-based policies for AI integration in higher education.
The lab’s work also extends into community health initiatives. In collaboration with the MAAX Lab, led by Dr. Bree Baker, the CoPe Lab is helping implement the Stay Strong, Stay Healthy program for older adults in rural Oklahoma. The eight-week intervention focuses on resistance training and community-driven solutions for long-term health support. The project is supported by the Rural Renewal Initiative and an InSPIRE grant from the College of Education and Human Sciences.
Another collaborative effort, led by Associate Dean Ed Kirtley and supported by the Rural Renewal Initiative, aims to improve health outcomes in rural Oklahoma through a community paramedicine model. This program provides person-centered care to reduce hospitalizations, improve chronic disease management and strengthen connections to local services.
Lab members, including both undergraduate and graduate students, conduct a wide range of analyses — spanning machine learning, cognitive task analysis and qualitative coding — to develop systems-based approaches to problem-solving. “Our goal is to put science to work where it matters most,” Saravanan said. “Whether it’s improving how surgical residents acquire surgical skills or how firefighters make decisions in the field, we’re committed to supporting the people who support us.”
The lab is home to two doctoral students, one master’s student and four undergraduate researchers.
Through interdisciplinary partnerships and student-driven inquiry, the CoPe Lab bridges academic research and practical solutions that strengthen individual and community performance.
More information is available at thecopelab.org.