This laboratory engages in the scientific study of human memory.  There are many ways to study human memory. In our laboratory, we conduct experiments aimed at investigating various human memory processes.  In a typical experimental session, a research participant sits down at a computer and is first presented with a list of items (such as pictures or words) to remember.  Then, his or her memory for these items is tested with a computerized test.  This particular method is useful for examining many aspects of memory, such as how people recognize that something was experienced recently, or what sorts of activities lead memory to be better or worse. In this laboratory, the list learning method is primarily aimed at studying familiarity-based recognition: We are interested in the feelings of familiarity that can allow a person to recognize something as having been experienced previously. A classic example of familiarity-based recognition is when a person recognizes another person's face as familiar, but cannot recollect the details of when or where the face was seen before.  Much of the research in this lab attempts to address what features of an event or situation can give rise to feelings of familiarity, and what types of mental processes underlie the sense that something is familiar.

For detailed descriptions of the kind of research coming out of this lab, please see the list of recent publications on Anne Cleary's webpage.