Academic History
Ph.D., University of Trier (Germany), 2000
Diplom, University of Trier (Germany), 1996
Research Interests
For
decades, memory was characterized as a stable entity, and children’s cognitive
systems were regarded as largely inflexible. Recent findings in the behavioral neuroscience and cognitive development
field, however, cast doubt on these long-held assumptions. These exciting developments provide the
background for my own research program, in which I address questions about the
nature of flexible learning processes and memory change in children and adults. Specifically, my research focuses on
how new knowledge gets incorporated into existing memory representations
(memory reconsolidation). How do humans
maintain a stable core set of mnemonic representations, while at the same time
certain parts are updated? What are the
developmental differences in these updating processes and in the kind of
information that is considered for incorporation? How are abstract rules extracted from
specific inputs? What role does sleep
play in memory updating and rule extraction? I study these questions in a variety of age groups (from infancy to adulthood) and tasks (spatial
orientation, episodic memory, artificial grammar learning).
Teaching Interests
Cognitive Psychology
Cognitive Development
Memory
Statistics
Research Methods
Selected Publication
Hupbach, A., Gomez, R., & Nadel, L. (2009). Episodic memory reconsolidation: updating or
source confusion? Memory, 17, 502-510.
Hupbach, A., Gomez, R., Nadel, L., & Bootzin, R. (2009). Nap-dependent learning in infants.
Developmental Science.
Hardt, O., Hupbach, A., & Nadel, L. (2009). Factors moderating blocking in human place learning:
The role of task instructions. Learning & Behavior, 37, 42-59.
Hupbach, A., Hardt, O., Gomez, R., & Nadel, L. (2008). The Dynamics of Memory: Context-Dependent
Updating. Learning & Memory, 15. 574-579.
Hupbach, A., Hardt, O., Nadel, L., & Bohbot, V. (2007). Spatial reorientation: Effects of verbal and
spatial shadowing. Spatial Cognition & Computation, 7 (2), 213-226.
Hupbach, A., Gomez, R., Hardt, O., & Nadel, L. (2007). Reconsolidation of episodic memories:
A subtle reminder triggers integration of new information. Learning & Memory, 14, 47-53.
Hupbach, A., Melzer, A., & Hardt, O. (2006). The mere exposure effect is sensitive to color information:
Evidence for color effects in a perceptual implicit memory test. Experimental Psychology ,53, 233-245.
Hupbach, A., & Nadel, L. (2005). Reorientation in a rhombic environment: No evidence for an
encapsulated geometric module. Cognitive Development, 20, 279-302.
