Chris Forgaard

Chris Forgaard chrisforgaard@gmail.com

Supervisor: Dr. Ian Franks
Current Program: PhD
Research Area: Human Motor Control: My research program involves using startling acoustic stimuli and single-joint mechanical perturbations to investigate the nature of movement preparation.

I was born in Trail, BC and have lived in a number of different cities around the Pacific Northwest. I moved to Vancouver in September 2007 and completed my Undergraduate Degree in Human Kinetics at UBC. During that time, I spent my summers working as a research assistant in the Motor Control and Learning Lab. My interest in understanding how humans control movement grew over that time period and influenced my decision to pursue graduate studies in Human Motor Control. I completed my MSc in Kinesiology in August 2013 and started my PhD in September 2013. Outside of research, my interests include mountain biking, kickboxing, skiing, and protecting the kinesiology labs from thieves.

Publications:

Forgaard, C.J., Maslovat, D., Carlsen, A.N., Chua, R., and Franks, I.M. (2013). “Startle reveals independent preparation and initiation of the triphasic EMG burst components in targeted ballistic movements.” Journal of Neurophysiology, (in press).

Maslovat, D., Chua, R., Spencer, H.C., Forgaard, C.J., Carlsen, A.N., and Franks, I.M. (2013). “Evidence for a response preparation bottleneck during dual-task performance: Effect of a startling acoustic stimulus on the psychological refractory period.” Acta Psychologica, 144(3), 481-487. doi: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2013.08.005.

Maslovat, D., Kennedy, P.M., Forgaard, C.J., Chua, R., and Franks, I.M. (2012). “The effects of prepulse inhibition timing on the startle reflex and reaction time.” Neuroscience Letters, 513(2), 243-247. doi: 10.1016/j.neulet.2012.02.052.

Forgaard, C.J., Maslovat, D., Carlsen, A.N., and Franks, I.M. (2011). “Default motor preparation under conditions of response uncertainty.” Experimental Brain Research, 215(3-4), 235-245. doi: 10.1007/s00221-011-2893-7.