Ron Skelton

Building on my background in the neural basis of learning and memory, I am presently studying the cognition of spatial navigation.  I am interested in the effects of stress, gender and traumatic brain injury. This research uses a simulation of the Morris water maze in virtual space.

I am also working with CanAssist on the development and evaluation of a smartphone app to make it easier (or in some cases, possible) for survivors of traumatic brain injury to take public transit.

I am no longer accepting new graduate students.

Interests

• Cognitive neuroscience
• Spatial navigation
• Recovery of function after brain damage

Faces of UVic Research video

In this video, Ron talks about his research on spatial navigation and how his work has lead him to develop an app for people with brain injuries.

Recent publications

Livingstone-Lee, S.A.,  Skelton, R.W., & Livingston, N.J. (2014) “Transit Apps for People with Brain Injury and Other Cognitive Disabilities: The State of the Art.” Assistive Technology,26:4, 209-218 DOI: 10.1080/10400435.2014.930076 PDF

Livingstone-Lee, Sharon A., Philip M. Zeman, Susan T. Gillingham, and Ronald W. Skelton (2014) . “Navigational Strategy May Be More a Matter of Environment and Experience Than Gender.” Learning and Motivation.  Volume 45, February 2014, Pages 30–43 doi:10.1016/j.lmot.2013.09.003. PDF

van Gerven, D.J.H., Schneider, A.N., Wuitchik, D.M., & Skelton, R.W. (2012). Direct measurement of spontaneous strategy selection in a virtual Morris water maze shows females choose an allocentric strategy at least as often as males do.  Behavioural Neuroscience, Vol 126(3), 2012, 465-478. doi: 10.1037/a0027992. PDF

Livingstone-Lee, S.A., Murchison, S.C., Zeman, P.M., Gandhi, M.M., van Gerven, D.J., Stewart, L., Livingston, N.J., & Skelton, R.W. (2011) Simple Gaze Analysis and Special Design of a Virtual Morris Water Maze Provides a New Method for Differentiating Egocentric and Allocentric Navigational Strategy Choice. Behavioural Brain Research, 225, 117-125. PDF

Goodrich-Hunsaker, N.J., Livingstone, S.A., Skelton, R.W. & Hopkins, R.O. (2010) Spatial Deficits in a Virtual Morris Water Maze Navigation Task in Amnesic Participants with Hippocampal Damage, Hippocampus, 20, 481-491.
(published online DOI 10.1002/hipo.20651April, 2009) PDF