CURRENT RESEARCH
Our research focuses on the intersection of three topics: Memory & metacognition, culture, and neuropsychology. Click below to learn more
CULTURE & COGNITION
Our ability to reflect on our own cognitive abilities (i.e. metacognition) is important in everyday life. Having an accurate estimate of our cognitive abilities is important for judging whether we think there has been a change in our cognition. However, we are not always accurate in judging our own cognitive skills in general, and we can also be inaccurate in predicting how well we will perform on a given cognitive task (e.g. a memory test).
We are currently researching:
1) How cultural factors influence metacognitive judgments on experimental memory tasks
2) Different cultural beliefs regarding changes in cognition with age, using qualitative research methods
CULTURE & DIVERSITY IN NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL PRACTICE
Despite being a multiculturally-diverse nation, Canada has large disparities in terms of conducting health research with visible minorities. Racialized and other minoritized populations have often been excluded in basic and clinical research related to cognitive health, aging, and neurodegenerative disorders. Our lab is beginning to explore a) how to improve neuropsychological services for racialized and linguistic minority communities (i.e. les communautés francophones en situation minoritaire). Current projects include:
1) How cross-cultural factors influence subjective concerns in older adults who are worried about cognitive decline
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MEMORY & METACOGNITION IN NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT
An important part of receiving timely cognitive assessment is realizing that there may be a change in your thinking skills so that you can bring this up with your doctor. However, there is only a loose association between an individual's subjective cognitive complaints (SCC), and their actual performance on cognitive tests. We are currently researching:
1) cognitive factors that underlie SCC and metacognitive judgments of memory.
2) The association between SCC and cognition in Canadian older adults, using the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA)
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OTHER RESEARCH PROJECTS
The lab is involved in other projects, which include:
1) Exploring how rumination impacts prospective memory and executive functioning
2) The psychological experiences and vocational outcomes of Filipino nurses in Canada
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Funding Sources
