Biography
Dawn Sarno is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Central Florida. She received her B.S. in Psychology from Bridgewater State University. She also holds a M.A. in Applied Experimental Human Factors Psychology and Ph.D. in Human Factors and Cognitive Psychology from the University of Central Florida. After completing her doctorate, Dr. Sarno spent five years as an Assistant Professor at Clemson University. Dr. Sarno’s research focuses on the cognitive processes underlying human performance in real world tasks, such as baggage screening, radiology, and digital deception (e.g., phishing). By integrating cognitive theory with modern tools – like eye-tracking, artificial intelligence and virtual reality – her research aims to both advance our understanding of human cognition and develop interventions than can enhance user performance.
Recent Publications
Sarno, D.M., Solorio, J., Ballar, S., Chadwick, S., Harris, K., Moss, D., Lyu, S. (2026) The modern frame of deception: Comparing user detection of AI-generated images to conventional scam methods, Acta Psychologica, 262, 105995. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2025.105995
Sarno, D.M., & Allan, J. (2025) Untangling the web of deceit: Examining shared user susceptibility across five types of digital deceptions. Human Factors: The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society. https://doi.org/10.1177/0018720825136340
Sarno, D. M., Gendron, C., & Volante, W. G. (2024). Filtering out the user?: Are users complacent with phishing emails due to automated filters? International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2024.2429759
Venkatakrishnan, R., Venkatakrishnan, R., Raveendranath, B., Canales, R., Sarno, D. M., Robb, A. C., Lin, W., & Babu, S. V. (2024). The effects of secondary task demands on cybersickness in active exploration virtual reality experiences. IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics, 30(5), 2745–2755. https://doi.org/10.1109/TVCG.2024.3372080
Venkatakrishnan, R., Venkatakrishnan, R., Raveendranath, B., Sarno, D. M., Robb, A. C., Lin, W.-C., & Babu, S. V. (2024). The effects of auditory, visual, and cognitive distractions on cybersickness in virtual reality. IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics, 30(8), 5350–5369. https://doi.org/10.1109/TVCG.2023.3293405
Sarno, D. M., & Black, J. (2024). Who gets caught in the web of lies?: Understanding susceptibility to phishing emails, fake news headlines, and scam text messages. Human Factors: The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, 66(6), 1742–1753. https://doi.org/10.1177/00187208231173263