Research

How does the organizational structure of memory affect recall?

Memories are thought to be formed in relation to one another—for example, when reflecting on a past experience, we may recall other related episodes that share similar spatial, temporal, conceptual, or emotional features. Here, I use behavioural experiments to investigate how these different types of associations may drive how we subsequently access and elaborate upon certain memories.

Can we develop evidence-informed interventions for those affected by memory loss?

Memory loss can have profound consequences on one's self-identity, independence, and social relationships. I aim to translate findings from cognitive psychology and neuroscience to inform the development of interventions for those affected by memory loss. For example, I have been working to develop HippoCamera, a smartphone-based tool that allows users to create and review personalized multimedia reiminiscence cues for real-world events using strategies from memory science.

I had the opportunity to share some of our work with HippoCamera on an episode of The Thread with Nam Kiwanuka about Alzheimer's disease and dementia, which you can watch here.

How can we better involve users into the development process?

The development of any intervention should be grounded in the perspectives and experiences of those who will be ultimately using them. I adopt a person-based approach to take a participatory approach towards intervention development, while also drawing from existing theory- and evidence-based research. I have extensive experience working with older adults to co-design, evaluate, deliver, and implement intervention programs that aim to promote healthy aging.

What is the function of autobiographical memory?

We remember our personal past for myriad reasons, such as connecting with others, directing future actions, and understanding ourselves. I am interested in studying how these various functions may change in different contexts and across the lifespan, and further, how these may shape how we recall a given past event.