Research
In
our research group, there are two main areas of interest – emotion and
memory. Whilst most of this research investigates these constructs in
the context of normal adult ageing, we are also broadly interested in
the effects of neurodegenerative and psychiatric disease, particularly
dementia and schizophrenia. In conducting these studies we use a
multi-methods approach by combining a range of convergent measures,
including self-report, behavioural observation, neuropsychological
assessment, facial electromyography and experience sampling.
In the
emotion research program the focus is on identifying whether
important aspects of emotion processing such as the experience,
expression and regulation of emotion and recognition of emotion in
others are disrupted in various populations, and where difficulties are
identified, clarifying the underlying mechanisms. Of particular interest
in these studies is to understand how abnormalities in emotion
processing relate to deficits in executive control (higher order
cognitive operations, such as inhibition and mental flexibility) and
social cognition (the ability to process social information, such as
mental state decoding). We have also recently extended this work to
focus on the interplay between emotion, executive control, social
cognition and self-regulation.
In the memory
research program the focus is on clarifying the extent, scope and
implications of memory difficulties in various groups, as well as the
conditions under which these difficulties are most likely to occur. Of
particular interest in these studies is prospective memory (PM), a type
of memory that is crucial for maintaining healthy and safe independent
living, referring to memory for future intentions such as remembering to
take medication and turning off appliances. Our research indicates that
in laboratory settings PM is typically impaired in older adulthood and
is also often one of the most sensitive cognitive markers of
neurodegenerative and psychiatric disease. Ongoing research is focused
on clarifying the interplay between PM, emotion, and other cognitive
operations known to be implicated in PM test performance.
Each of these
research programmes involves many
people at UNSW and
collaborators.
