Kaoru Nashiro

Emotion & Cognition Lab

Address: 3715 McClintock Ave.

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA 90089

Email: nashiro@usc.edu

Curriculum Vitae: pdf

Research Description:

My research focuses on how emotion influences attention, memory and learning in older and younger and adults. For my dissertation, I am using behavioral and fMRI methods to examine age-related similarities and differences in the effects of emotion on cognitive functions (e.g., associative memory, memory updating, reversal learning). My goal is to identify general strategies for improving older adults’ cognitive performance by understanding how the aging brain processes information during various learning and memory paradigms.

Publications:

Nashiro, K., Sakaki, M., Nga, L., & Mather, M. (2012). Differential brain activity during emotional vs. non-emotional reversal learning. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 24, 1794-1805. pdf

Nashiro, K., Sakaki, M., Huffman, D., & Mather, M. (2012). Both younger and older adults have difficulty updating emotional memories. Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences. pdf

Nashiro, K., Sakaki, M., & Mather, M. (2012). Age differences in brain activity during emotion processing: Reflections of age-related decline or increased emotion regulation? Gerontology, 58, 156-163. pdf

Nashiro, K., & Mather, M. (2011). The effect of emotional arousal on memory binding in normal aging and Alzheimer’s disease. American Journal of Psychology, 124, 301-312. pdf

Nashiro, K., Mather, M, Gorlick, M., & Nga, L. (2011). Negative emotional outcomes impair older adults’ reversal learning. Cognition and Emotion, 25, 1014-1028. pdf

Nashiro, K., & Mather, M. (2011). How arousal affects younger and older adults' memory binding. Experimental Aging Research, 37, 108-128. pdf

Presentations:

Nashiro, K., Sakaki, M., Nga, L., & Mather, M. (2011, November). Differential neural activity during emotional vs. non-emotional reversal learning. Poster presented at the Annual Meeting of the Psychonomic Society, Seattle, WA.

Nashiro, K., Sakaki, M., Nga, L., & Mather, M. (2011, August). Differential neural activity during emotional vs. non-emotional reversal learning. Paper presented at Bay Area Memory Meeting (BAMM), Berkeley, CA.

Nashiro, K., Nga, L., & Mather, M. (2011, April). Differential neural activity during emotional vs. non-emotional reversal learning. Poster presented at the Cognitive Neuroscience Society Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA.

Nashiro, K., Mather, M, Gorlick, M., & Nga, L. (2010, November). Negative emotional outcomes impair older adults’ reversal learning? Paper presented at a symposium chaired by Nashiro, K. at the Gerontological Society of America Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA.

Nashiro, K., & Mather, M. (2009, May). Emotional vs. non-emotional reversal learning in Alzheimer’s disease. Poster presented at the Association for Psychological Science Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA.

Nashiro, K., & Mather, M. (2009, November). Does emotional content enhance older adults’ and Alzheimer’s disease patients’ memory binding? Paper presented “Cognitive Issues In Dementia Session” chaired by Nashiro, K. at the Gerontological Society of America Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA.

Nashiro, K., & Mather, M. (2008, November). Does emotional content help Alzheimer’s disease patients learn more effectively? Paper presented at the Gerontological Society of America Annual Meeting, National Harbor, MD.

Nashiro K., & Mather, M. (2008, June). Emotional vs. logical learning in Alzheimer’s disease: Positive emotional content helps AD patients learn effectively. Poster presented at Alzheimer's Disease Research Update Day, Los Angeles, CA

Awards and Honors:

2012 Heinz Osterburg Prize link

2010 - 2012 National Institute on Aging (NIA), Multidisciplinary Research Training Fellowship link

2010 American Psychological Association Div 20 Award for Completed Research link

2007 David Peterson Fellowship

2006 NIA - MERIT Underrepresented Diversity Supplement Program Scholarship

2005 SUMMA CUM LAUDE from CSU East Bay

2003 Robert Stenger Scholarship

2002 Rourke Family Foundation Scholarship

2002 American Association of University Women Scholarship