Paula J. Waddill, Ph.D.

Why is it that what we remember reading or hearing isn't always what we actually read or heard? Why do we recall objects as having been in one location when they were actually in another? What makes some faces harder to recognize than others?

I conduct research in human learning and memory that seeks to answer questions like these. Current lines of investigation in my lab include episodic memory, memory representations, discourse processing, and encoding processes that enhance memory. My work also includes forensic and educational applications of memory research.

I welcome both undergraduate and graduate students into my lab either as research assistants on projects already underway or as investigators on their own individual research projects. Mentoring students in research is something I find enjoyable and rewarding. In 2007, I was honored to receive the university's Distinguished Mentor Award in recognition of my work with students.

In addition to the research listed in my vitae, here are some examples of student research projects and theses that I have directed:

Autobiographical memory patterns in older adults
Applying the material appropriate processing framework to learning through video and text
How cues, randomization, and interference interact in a domain of expertise
Game faces: Studying cross-race facial identification using a videotaped basketball game
Stereotypical and nonstereotypical emotions and the perceived credibility of a speaker in an interpersonal context
Impicit and explicit numerical rule learning

Curriculum vitae
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