Dr. Stansfield, a faculty member of the Department of Medical Education, is a cognitive psychologist interested in skill learning and skill assessment. His research addresses how practice and experience influence how students and experts understand their domains, how that understanding guides their behavior and decisions, and how best to measure and describe the resulting proficiency.

He has been studying medical students and expert clinicians for five years, first at the University of Iowa, and currently at the University of Michigan. His graduate UC Berkeley), pre-graduate (The Ohio State University), and undergraduate (Oberlin College) work addressed motor skill learning in novice and expert musicians.