Publications

Publications, preprints, and paper summaries.

Publications

Publications appear in reverse chronological order.

Exploring Brain Activity in Novice Athletes During Closed and Open Skills in Table Tennis

Zack Murphy, Jennifer Kemp, and David Vandenheever. Journal of Motor Behavior, 1–12, 2026.
Free publisher access | DOI | Download accepted manuscript (PDF) | BibTeX

This study used EEG to compare preparatory brain activity during closed-skill serves and open-skill returns in novice table tennis players. Task- and performance-related differences in alpha, beta, and theta power suggest distinct neural demands across the two skills and potential targets for motor-skill training.

Exploring facial expression processing with fast periodic visual stimulation and diverse stimuli

David Vandenheever, Haleigh Davidson, Jennifer Kemp, Zack Murphy, Autumn Kujawa, Jingyi Shi, Michael R. Nadorff, Kayla Bates-Brantley, and MacKenzie Sidwell. Brain and Cognition, 189, 106338, 2025.
DOI | ScienceDirect

This study used FPVS and EEG to examine facial expression processing with diverse, naturalistic stimuli. Robust expression-related neural responses were observed with brief recordings and limited preprocessing, supporting FPVS as a sensitive framework for studying emotional face processing in both typical and clinical populations.

Preliminary evidence for anxiety-linked neural sensitivity to emotional faces using fast periodic visual stimulation

David Vandenheever, Haleigh Davidson, Jennifer Kemp, Zack Murphy, Autumn Kujawa, Jingyi Shi, Michael R. Nadorff, Kayla Bates-Brantley, and MacKenzie Sidwell. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 2025.
DOI | ScienceDirect | OSF data and analysis scripts

This study used Fast Periodic Visual Stimulation (FPVS) and EEG to test whether anxiety-linked characteristics are associated with differences in neural responses to emotional facial expressions. Participants with anxiety-related characteristics showed stronger occipital responses to angry and sad faces, providing preliminary evidence that FPVS may capture trait-level differences in emotional face processing with short, high signal-to-noise recordings.

Preprints

Exploring Category Change Neural Responses Using Semantically Similar Stimuli With Fast Periodic Visual Stimulation

Zack Murphy & David Vandenheever. DOI