Memory, Cognition, & Aging (personal website)
Dr Ward joined Middlesex University in September 2013. Prior to this she was based at the University of York (2012-2013), and completed her PhD on the distinction between explicit and implicit memory at University College London (2009-2012).
Qualifications:
BSc, MSc, PhD, PGCHE
PhD Supervision:
I welcome enquires from prospective PhD students with an interest in undertaking research on memory or cognitive aging. Of particular interest are topics around explicit (conscious, declarative) and implicit (unsoncsious, nondeclarative) memory, including changes in these forms of memory with age. I'm also interested in memory processing, and the effects of attention, processing style, context, and temporal expectation. I traditionally use experimental behavioural measures but have conducted studies using EEG in collaboration with colleagues in the department.
MSc by Research in Cognitve Neuroscience:
Operated through the Jones & Silas Lab, we welcome enquiries from prospective students. Broad staff expertise and techniques mean that a range of topics are possible. Further information here.
Current & Past Research Students:
Maryam Al-Abdulla (PhD, Effects of aging and processing style on priming and recognition)
Petter Moller (MSc by Research, Effects of temporal structure on recognition in aging) (Completed 2021)
Nicola Lloyd (MSc by Research, Effects of temporal structure on item and source recognition)
Other teaching:
PSY3036 Fundamentals of Cognition: Human Memory
PSY2013 Biological and Cognitive Psychology
PSY3330 Psychology Dissertation
Personal website: Memory, Cognition, & Aging
My research surrounds human memory and cognitive aging. I am particularly interested in the relationship between explicit (e.g., recognition) and implicit (e.g., priming) memory, and the effect of aging on these forms of memory.
I am also interested in factors that affect memory processing, including incidental versus intentional encoding, attention, processing style, context reinstatement, and temporal expectation. I primarily use experimental behavioural methods to address mechanistic questions about the operations of memory, but have recently begun to employ EEG in collaboration with colleagues in the department to examine the neural basis of the beneficial effect of rhythm on memory.
Enquiries from potential PhD or MSc by research applicants who wish to undertake research in one of these areas are welcome.
Current and recent projects:
Other roles:
UoA4 REF Working Group, Middlesex Uiversity
Department Leadership Team: Director of Research Funding, Psychology Department, Middlesex University
External Examiner, Second Year BSc Psychology, UCL, 2019-2022
Member of the Experimental Psychology Society (EPS)
Member of the European Cognitive Aging Society (EUCAS)
Specialist journal reviewer: Psychology and Aging; Memory; Journal of Alzheimer's disease; Memory and Cognition; Frontiers in Psychology; Journal of Memory and Language; Nature Scientific Reports
Associate Editor, Frontiers in Cognition
Peer reviewed journal articles:
Ward, E.V. (2021). Age and processing effects on perceptual and conceptual priming. Stage 1 Registered Report, Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology.
Jones, A. J., Silas, J., & Ward, E.V. (2020). How does temporal structure improve memory? Stage 1 Registered Report, Cortex.
Ward, E.V., Berry, C.J., Shanks, D.R., Moller, P.L., Czsiser, E.L. (2020). Aging predicts parallel decline in explicit and implicit memory: A lifespan study. Psychological Science, 39, 1071-1083.
Ward, E.V., Isac, A., Donnelley, M., Van Puyvelde, M., & Franco, F. (2020). Memory improvement as a function of mood-matching music. Acta Psychologica, 212,103216.
Jones, A.J., & Ward, E.V. (2019). Rhythmic temporal structure at encoding enhances recognition memory. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 1-14
Sutton, J.L., Gould, R.L., Coulson, M.C., Ward, E.V., Butler, A.M., Smith, M., Lavell, G., Rosa, A., Langridge, M., & Howard, R.J. (2019). Multi-component frailty assessment tools for older people with functional mental illness: A systematic review. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 67, 1085-1095
Ward, E.V., & Shanks, D.R. (2019). Implicit Memory and Cognitive Aging. Oxford Research Encyclopaedia. Oxford University Press.
Ward, E.V. (2018). Reduced recognition and priming in older relative to young adults for incidental and intentional information. Consciousness and Cognition, 57, 62-73.
Tunvirachaisakul, C., Gould, R.L., Coulson, M.C., Ward, E.V., Reynolds, G. Gathercole, R.L., Grocott, H., Supasitthumrong, T., Tunvirachaisakul, A., Kimona, K. Howard, R.L. (2017). Predictors of treatment outcome in depression in later life: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders, 227, 164-182.
Berry, C.J., Ward, E.V., & Shanks, D.R. (2017). Does study duration have opposite effects on recognition and repetition priming? Journal of Memory and Language, 97, 154-174.
Ward, E.V., Maylor, E.A.M., Poirier, M., Korko, M., & Ruud, J.C.M. (2016). A benefit of context reinstatement to memory in aging: The role of familiarity processes. Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition, 24.
Ward, E.V., & Dhami, M.K. (2016). Editorial: The aging decision-maker: Advances in understanding the impact of cognitive change on decision-making. Frontiers in Cognition, 7, 1622.
Sutton, J.L., Gould, R.L., Daley, S., Coulson, M.C., Ward, E.V., Butler, A.M., Nunn, S.P., & Howard, R.J. (2016). Psychometric properties of multicomponent tools to assess frailty in older adults: A systematic review. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 29, 16-55.
Liu, K., Gould, R., Coulson, M.C., Ward, E.V., & Howard, R.J. (2016). Tests of pattern separation and pattern completion in humans – a systematic review. Hippocampus, 26, 705-717.
Ward, E.V., de Mornay Davies, P., & Politimou, N. (2015). Greater priming for previously distracting information in young than older adults when suppression is ruled out. Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition, 22, 1-19.
Ward, E.V., Berry, C.J., & Shanks, D.R. (2013). Age effects on explicit and implicit memory. Frontiers in Cognition, 4, 639.
Ward, E.V., & Berry, C.J., & Shanks, D.R. (2013). An effect of age on implicit memory that is not due to explicit contamination: Implications for single and multiple-systems theories. Psychology and Aging, 28, 429-442.
Conference Presentations:
Szymczak, J.K., Ward, E.V. Csiszer, E.L., & Jones, A.J. (2019). Temporal and Spatial expectancy improve recognition memory. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the British Association for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, September.
Mangiacotti, A., Cipriani, G., Ward, E.V., Franco, F., Biasutti, M. (2019). The Music Cognitive Test: A new music-based cognitive test. Talk presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference, July.
Ward, E.V., Berry, C.J., & Shanks, D.R. (2019). Explicit and implicit memory in aging: Effects of attention and processing style. Poster presented at the 5th International Conference on Cognitive Aging, Zurich, April. (winner of the Presidential Poster Award)
Jones, A.J., & Ward, E.V. (2019). Rhythmic temporal structure at encoding enhances recognition memory. Poster presented at the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Neuroscience Society, San Francisco, March.
Jones, A.J., & Ward, E.V. (2018). Rhythmic encoding improves recognition memory. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the British Association for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Glasgow, September.
Franco, F., Ward, E.V., Mangiacotti, A. (2018). Memory improvement in aging as a function of mood-matching music. Poster presented at the Music, Selves, and Societies workshop, Faculty of Music, Cambridge University, June.
Ward, E.V. (2017). Memory matters: Aspects of preservation and enhancement. Invited talk at the University of the Third Age (U3A), October.
Ward, E.V. (2017). How does context reinstatement facilitate memory in ageing? Invited talk at the University of Warwick, January.
Ward, E.V. (2016). Where did I see that? Age difference in source memory and response bias lead to differential retrieval of previously task irrelevant information. Poster presented at the 6th International Conference on Memory, Budapest, July
Ruud, J.C., & Ward, E.V. (2015). How does context reinstatement facilitate memory in ageing? Poster presented at the BPS General Annual Conference, Liverpool, May
Ward, E.V., de Mornay Davies, P., Politimou, N. (2014). Ageing and implicit memory: A benefit of distraction? Poster presented at the Cognitive Aging Conference, Atlanta, April.
Ward, E. V. (2012). Is implicit memory impaired in normal ageing? Talk presented at the General York Memory Meeting, University of York, December.
Shanks, D. R., Ward, E. V., & Berry, C. J. (2012). The utility of the explicit/implicit distinction for understanding age-related decline in learning and memory. Invited presentation at the Symposium on Lifespan Perspectives on Implicit and Explicit Learning, Université Libre de Bruxelles, September.
Ward, E.V. (2012). The organisation of memory: Effects of age on explicit and implicit memory. Invited talk at the Memory Research Unit, City University, June.
Ward, E.V., & Shanks, D.R. (2012). An age effect on implicit memory that is not due to explicit contamination. Poster presented at the UCL Neuroscience Symposium, June.
Ward, E. V., & Shanks, D. R. (2012). An age effect on implicit memory that is not due to explicit contamination. Poster presented at the Cognitive Aging Conference 2012, Atlanta, April.
Ward, E. V., & Shanks, D. R. (2012). The relationship between explicit and implicit memory in normal aging. Talk presented at the EPS London Meeting, UCL, January.
Ward, E. V., & Shanks, D. R. (2011). An examination of the dissociation of explicit and implicit memory in normal aging. Talk presented at the BPS Cognitive Section Conference, Keele University, September.
Ward, E. V., & Shanks, D. R. (2011). Can recognition and priming be dissociated in normal aging and delayed testing when measured concurrently? Talk presented at the 5th International Conference on Memory (ICOM5), University of York, July-August.
Jones, Alexander and Ward, Emma V. and Csiszer, Enida and Szymczak, Joanna (2022) Temporal expectation improves recognition memory for spatially attended objects. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience . ISSN 0898-929X (Accepted/In press)
Ali, Murad and Augusto, Juan Carlos and Windridge, David and Ward, Emma V. (2022) A user-guided personalization methodology to facilitate new smart home occupancy. Universal Access in the Information Society . ISSN 1615-5289 (Accepted/In press)
Ward, Emma V. (2022) Age and processing effects on perceptual and conceptual priming. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology . ISSN 1747-0218 (Published online first)
Mangiacotti, Anthony and Cipriani, Giovanna and Ward, Emma V. and Franco, Fabia and Biasutti, Michele (2022) Development and validation of the Music Cognitive Test: a music-based cognitive screening test. Psychology of Music . ISSN 0305-7356 (Accepted/In press)
Pearce, Danielle and Gould, Rebecca L. and Roughley, Matthew and Reynolds, Gemma and Ward, Emma V. and Bhome, Rohan and Reeves, Suzanne J. (2022) Paranoid and misidentification subtypes of psychosis in dementia. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews , 134 . pp. 1-11. ISSN 0149-7634
External Funding:
£10k (PI: Ward, E.V.). 2020-2021. Experimental Psychology Society. Effects of aging and temporal expectation on memory: An EEG study.
£48.5k (PI: Ward, E.V.). 2020-2021. Leverhulme Trust, Leverhulme Research Fellowship. Does explicit memory decline in normal aging?
€48,000 (PI: Ward, E.V., Co-I’s: Jones, A., Silas, J.). 2019-2021. BIAL Foundation. Does rhythm enhance recognition memory? Evidence from behaviour and electroencephalography.
£3,500 (PI: Ward, E.V.). 2018. Experimental Psychology Society, Small Grants Scheme. Explicit and implicit memory across the lifespan.
£2,821 (PI: Mangiacotti, A. Padua; Co-I’s: Franco, F., Ward, E.V.). 2018. SEMPRE. The Musical Cognitive Test.
£1,800 (PI: Ward, E.V.). 2016. Experimental Psychology Society, Research Bursary Scheme. Effects of attention and processing style on explicit and implicit memory in normal aging.
2008-2012: ESRC 1+3 Studentship. Effects of age on implicit memory: Implications for single and multiple-systems theories.
Public engagement:
I am a keen advocate of science communication, open science and public engagement. I have an ongoing partnership with the University of the Third Age (U3A), for which I regularly deliver public lectures and workshops, and recently won a competitive 6-week research residency at the Science Museum, London, gaining covering in the Guardian and on the BBC.
Public lectures/workshops: Ward, E.V. (2019). Memory preservation and enhancement over the lifespan. Workshop with the U3A. Ward, E.V. (2017). Memory matters: Aspects of preservation and enhancement. Invited public lecture at the U3A. https://tinyurl.com/y35rnxpe.
Media Coverage: The Guardian: https://tinyurl.com/y6ar9ltr; BBC Turkey: https://tinyurl.com/y4gzovem
Residency at the Science Museum, London (Oct-Nov 2018): How much of what we see do we remember?’ PI: Ward, E.V., Co-I: Shanks, D.R. (UCL); Berry, C.J. (Plymouth). https://tinyurl.com/y8kzoxmv