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Assistant Professor Office: Evaristus 423 Phone: (902) 457-6667 E-Mail: angela.birt@msvu.ca |
Education
- M.A. and Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology, the University of British Columbia
- B.A. Honours in Psychology, the University of Prince Edward Island
Research Interests
My primary area of research is human memory. I conduct both basic and applied research, and a number of my research interest fall within the domain of forensic psychology. I am currently conductiong reserach on the effects of emotion on memory I am particularly interested in how people encode, and later remember, specific details about distressing and traumatic events. In order to carry out this research I have developed, and continue to develop, emotionally evocative stimuli ( videos, photographs) to use in laboratory experiemnts. I am also interested in the relationship between subjective (self-report, individual differences characteristics) and objective (psychophysiological data, facial expressions) measures of emotional experience as subjective experience does not always match physiological response.
On a basic level I am seeking to understand the mechanisms by which emotion influences memory as well as specific patterns of effects. On an applied level, this research is relevant to situations in real life in which individuals experience distress and trauma. such as being a victim or eyewitness of a crime.
I am also planning to conduct research on the effects of forgiveness on memory ( e.g., is the old saying “to forgive is to forget” true?). The scientific investigation of forgiveness is relatively new. Therefore, the first steps in this line of research will involve the development and validation of an experimental research paradigm for eliciting transgression-related feelings and techniques for measuring forgiveness.
In addition, I have conducted research on a number of other topics. These include:
- False memory
- Prospective memory
- Implicit and explicit memory
- Memory and aging (both normal aging and dementia)
- Deception detection
- Criminal behaviour – psychopathology, sex offenders, sexual violence.
Student Supervision/Mentoring:
I am dedicated to teaching students how to conduct research in psychological science. I work one-on-one with students in variety of ways, including:
- Honours research supervision: I supervise honours students every year. Students are welcome to conduct research in one of my areas of interest or to develop an idea of their own.
- Directed study supervision: This is an opportunity for students to complete a project on a subject that interests them. It can also be good preparation for honors research.
- Research assistant supervision: I have several paid positions in my lab for students to work as research assisitants on my research projects. I also offer paid summer assistantships.
- Research volunteer supervision: Students wishing to get some research experience usally begin by volunteering in my lab. These positions have the potential to turn into paid positions.