Research Interests

My research program involves developing an understanding of the cognitive processes, and brain regions, involved in memory and language. I am interested in knowing how we encode new information, how it is organized and represented in the brain, and how we reactivate the information during retrieval. I am particularly interested in how these change as people age. I evaluate the ability of young adults and seniors to carry out a memory task under conditions in which there is another on-going task competing for their attention. The amount and type of interference observed allows one to infer the cognitive resources and components required for the two tasks, and can provide insight into human memory processing. I also use neuroimaging (fMRI) to identify the brain regions and networks (using PLS) mediating memory processing; these are used to determine how the strategy and brain regions contributing to memory change as we age. A related research interest lies in understanding how different types of information (words, numbers, symbols, spatial layouts) are represented and organized in the brain, through the use of behavioural paradigms, fMRI, and neural network models. My other line of research examines the relationship between neuropsychological and neuroimaging methods of evaluation of language localization.

Click here if you are over the age of 60 years, and want to find out more about participating in Studies of Aging!
www.wrap.uwaterloo.ca

Publications

Books   

• Aizenstein, H., Fernandes, M.A., & Reynolds, III, C.F.  (Eds.) (2010). Neuroimaging Research in Geriatric Mental Health. Springer Publishing Company, New York, NY
• Galotti, K., Fernandes, M.A., Fugelsang, J., & Stolz, J. (2009). Cognitive Psychology In and Out of the Laboratory. 1st Canadian Edition. Thomson Nelson Publishing, Toronto, ON 

Chapters in Books

• Fernandes, M.A., and Moscovitch, M. (in press). Divided attention and memory. In H. Pashler (Ed.) Encyclopedia of the Mind. Sage Publications 
• Fernandes, M.A. (2010). Functional neuroanatomy of aging and cognition. In H. Aizenstein, M.A. Fernandes,  & C.F. Reynolds, III (Eds.), Neuroimaging Research in Geriatric Mental Health. Springer Publishing Company, New York, NY. pp. 125-148.

Articles in Refereed Journals

• Fernandes, M.A., Koji, S., Dixon, M.J., Aquino, J.M. (in press). Changing the Focus of Attention: The Interacting Effect of Valence and Arousal. Visual Cognition. 
• Tomaszczyck, J., & Fernandes, M.A. (in press). A positivity effect in autobiographical memory, but not phonemic fluency, in older adults. Aging, Neuropsychology, & Cognition.
• Ozen, L.J., & Fernandes, M.A. (in press). Slowing Down after a Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: A Strategy to Improve Cognitive Task Performance? Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology. 
• Schryer, E., Ross, M., St-Jaques, P., Levine, B., & Fernandes, M.A. (in press). Emotional Expressivity in Older and Younger Adults’ Descriptions of Personal Memories. Experimental Aging Research
• Danckert, S., MacLeod, C., & Fernandes, MA. (2011). Source-Constrained Retrieval Influences the Encoding of New Information. Memory & Cognition, 39, 137
• Ozen, L.J., & Fernandes, M.A. (2011). Effects of "diagnosis threat" on cognitive and affective functioning long after mild head injury. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 17, 1-11.
• Skinner, E., Grady, C., & Fernandes, M.A. (2010) Reactivation of context-specific brain regions during retrieval. Neuropsychologia, 48, 156-164
• Koji, S., & Fernandes, M.A. (2010) Does it matter where we meet? The Role of Emotional Context in Evaluative First Impressions. Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology, 64(2), 107-116.
• Ozen, L.J., Skinner, E.I., & Fernandes, M.A. (2010). Rejecting familiar distractors during recognition in young adults with traumatic brain injury and in healthy older adults. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 16, 556-565.
• Skinner, E. & Fernandes, M.A. (2010) Effect of study context on item recollection. The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 63(7), 1318-1334
• Skinner, E., Fernandes, M.A., & Grady, C. (2009). Memory networks supporting retrieval effort and retrieval success under conditions of full and divided attention. Experimental Psychology, 56, 386-396
• Fernandes, M.A., & Guild, E. (2009). Process-specific interference effects during recognition of spatial patterns and words. Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology, 63, 24-32.
• Skinner, E., & Fernandes, M.A. (2009). Age-related changes in the use of study context to increase recollection Aging, Neuropsychology & Cognition, 16, 377-400.
• Skinner, E., & Fernandes, M.A. (2009b). Illusory recollection in older adults and young under divided attention. Psychology & Aging, 24, 211-216.
• Fernandes, M.A., Ross, M., Wiegand, M., & Schryer, E. (2008). Are the memories of older adults positively biased? Psychology & Aging, 23, 297-306.
• Fernandes, M.A. & Grady, C. (2008). Effect of divided attention on recall of related and unrelated words in young and old adults. Experimental Aging Research, 34, 297-322.
• Tomaszczyk, J.C., Fernandes, M.A., & MacLeod, C.M. (2008). Personal relevance modulates the positivity bias in recall of emotional pictures in older adults. Psych Bulletin & Review, 15, 191-196.
• Skinner, E., & Fernandes, M.A. (2008). Interfering with remembering and knowing: Effects of divided attention at retrieval. Acta Psychologica, 127, 211-221.
• Reinke, K., Fernandes, M.A., Schwindt, G., O’Craven, K., & Grady, C. (2008). Functional specificity of the visual word form area: general activation for words and symbols but specific network activation for words.  Brain & Language, 104, 180-189.
• Fernandes, M.A., Craik. F.I.M., Bialystok, E., & Kreuger, S. (2007).  Effect of bilingualism, aging, and semantic relatedness on memory under divided attention Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology 61, 128-141.
• Skinner, E., & Fernandes, M.A. (2007). Neural correlates of remembering and knowing at Retrieval: a Review of neuroimaging and patient data. Neuropsychologia, 45, 2163-2179.
• Fernandes, M.A., Pacurar, A., Moscovitch, M., & Grady, C. (2006). Neural correlates of auditory recognition under full and divided attention in young and old adults, Neuropsychologia, 44, 2452-2464.
• Andres, A., & Fernandes, M.A. (2006). Effect of short and long exposure duration and dual-tasking on a global-local task, Acta Psychologica, 122, 247-266.
• Fernandes, M.A., McAndrews, M.P., Smith, M.L., Logan, W., Crawley, A., & Mikulus, D. (2006). Comparing language lateralization determined by dichotic listening and fMRI activation in frontal and temporal lobes in children.  Brain & Language, 96, 106-114.
• Fernandes, M.A., Moscovitch, M., Ziegler, M., & Grady, C. (2005). Brain regions associated with successful and unsuccessful retrieval of verbal episodic memory under divided attention.  Neuropsychologia, 43, 1115-1127.
• Fernandes, M.A., Davidson, P., Glisky, E., & Moscovitch, M. (2004). Level of frontal and temporal lobe function and susceptibility to divided attention effects at retrieval in older adults. Neuropsychology, 18, 514-525.
• Fernandes, M.A., & Moscovitch, M. (2003). Interference effects from divided attention during retrieval in younger and older adults. Psychology & Aging, 18, 219-230.
• Fernandes, M.A., & Moscovitch, M. (2002) Factors modulating the effect of divided attention during retrieval of words.  Memory & Cognition, 30, 731-744.
• Fernandes, M.A., & Moscovitch, M. (2000). Divided attention and memory: Evidence of substantial interference effects both at retrieval and encoding.  Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 129, 155-176
• Fernandes, M.A., & Smith, M.L. (2000). Comparing the fused dichotic words test and the intracarotid amobarbital procedure in children with epilepsy.  Neuropsychologia, 38, 1216-1228

• Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Discovery grant (2010-2015)
• Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) operating grant (2009-2012)
• Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation Early Researcher Award grant (2008-2013)
• Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) priority grant (2009)

• Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, & Cognition
• Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences
• Psychology & Aging

• Cognitive Neuroscience of Memory (Psych 461)
• Case Studies in Neuropsychology (Psych 461b; Psych 790)
• Research Methods in Memory (Psych 398)
• Introduction of Pshysiological Psychology (Psych 261)
• Introduction to Cognition (Psych 207)
• Cognitive Neuroscience of Memory & Aging (Psych 781)
• Fundamentals of Neuroscience (Psych 677A)

3rd or 4th year students with an interest in the area of memory / divided attention / computer modeling / memory loss / aging / amazing memory/ or language should contact me to talk about possible future projects!