Memory and Aging Lab
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Memory and Aging Lab

 Our research focus is on human memory.  Broadly, we examine the mechanisms that underlie memory malleability in young and older adults, as well as factors that predict memory performance in individual and social contexts.  Individuals frequently collaborate with others on memory tasks:  friends and families reminisce together about past events, students work together in the classroom, and older adults rely on each other to remember critical details.  Our research focuses on what impact such collaboration has on individual memory.
About Me  Our Team 
Publications  Contact Information 
PI

Principal Investigator

Dr. Michelle Meade is a Professor of Psychology at Montana State University. She received her BA from Grinnell College, and her MA and PhD from Washington University in St. Louis. She then completed a Beckman Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign. Her research focuses on human memory and how memory is influenced in both individual and social contexts.
Personal Website 

Current Research


 Recently, we have focused our research along two related lines of research that examine individual memory in social situations: collaborative inhibition and the social contagion of memory. Within collaborative inhibition, our research has focused on the role of collaborative process variables and age differences in the collaborative inhibition effect. We are also examining the role of working memory capacity differences on the collaborative inhibition effect, and how collaboration informs judgements of learning and other metacognitive judgments. Within social contagion, our research has focused on partner characteristics and age differences in social contagion, including both performance and perceptions of aging. Across both lines of research, we test young and older adults using behavioral research methods along with subjective judgments and neuropsychological assessment.

Picture of Memory and Aging Lab in 2022

 Graduate Students

Yunfeng"Barry" Wei

Barry's research interests concern how collaboration influence human memory and metacognition. Collaboration may improve or impair individuals' memory and learning under various circumstances, and he is interested in how individuals can better use collaboration in their daily life. Besides, he would like to examine how individuals evaluate and perceive the effect of collaboration on their memory and learning.
MSU Webpage  of Barry

Ninoo De Silva

Ninoo attended Montana State University - Bozeman where she earned her B.S. in psychology in 2020. As a graduate student in the Memory and Aging Lab, her current research focuses on the influence of working memory capacity in predicting collaborative inhibition across categorized and unrelated lists. Beyond the lab, Ninoo enjoys reading, hiking and swimming. 
MSU Webpage of Ninoo 

Konstadena Giannakopoulos

Dena came to us from the suburbs of Chicago. She completed her bachelor's degree at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where she studied psychology and researched the testing effect. Since coming to MSU, Dena alongside Dr. Michelle Meade has collaborated with Dr. Cara Palmer on a sleep and memory study. Through this research, Dena was able to successfully defend her Master's thesis in the spring of 2024. Currently, Dena is on a leave of absence to focus on family and is working as a survey researcher. 
MSU Webpage of Dena 

Publications

Book

  • Meade, M. L., Harris, C. B., Van Bergen, P., Sutton, J., & Barnier, A. J. (Eds.), (2018). Collaborative Remembering: Theories, Research, and Applications. Oxford University Press.

Research Articles and Chapters

(* denotes student co-author)

  • *Wei, Y., Soderstrom, N. C., & Meade, M. L. (in press). Making Judgments of Learning (JOLs) for Oneself Versus Others: A Review and Proposed Model. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review

  • *Wei, Y., Meade, M. L., & Soderstrom, N. C. (2025). Collaborative review enhances note-taking, especially after a longer delay, but does not boost test performance. Memory, 1–13. Advanced Online Publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/09658211.2025.2573272

  • *Wei, Y., *Charbonneau, B. Z., Meade, M. L., & Hutchison, K. A. (2025). Examining the time course of post collaborative benefits across word lists and prose passages. Memory & cognition, 53(3), 820–831. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13421-024-01609-5

  • *Wei, Y., Soderstrom, N. C., Meade, M. L., & Scott, B. G. (2024). Metacognition About Collaborative Learning: Students’ Beliefs Are Inconsistent with Their Learning Preferences. Behavioral Sciences, 14(11), 1104. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14111104

  • Meade, M. L., *Wei, Y., *Giannakopoulos, K. L., & *De Silva, N. N. (2023). Social contagion: Remembering with others can distort memory. In L. M. Bietti & M. Pogačar (Eds.). The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Memory Studies. Palgrave/ Springer Nature Press.

  • *Hood, A. V. B., *Whillock, S. R., Meade, M. L., & Hutchison, K. A. (2023). Does collaboration help or hurt recall? The answer depends on working memory capacity. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory & Cognition, 49, 350-370.

  • *Hart, K. M., & Meade, M. L. (2021). Social contagion of memory and the role of self-initiated relative judgments. Acta Psychologica, 212, 103189.

  • *Whillock, S. R., Meade, M. L., Hutchison, K. A., & *Tsosie, M. D. (2020). Collaborative inhibition in same-age and mixed-age dyads. Psychology and Aging, 35, 963-973..

  • Meade, M. L., *Perga, V. A., & *Hart, K. M. (2020). Memory and aging in social contexts. In A. K. Thomas & A. Gutchess, A. (Eds.). Handbook of Cognitive Aging: A Life Course Perspective. Cambridge University Press.

  • Meade, M. L., *Whillock, S. R., & *Hart, K. M. (2019). Methodological considerations in collaborative memory and aging research. In N. Jones, M. Platt, K. Mize, & J. Hardin (Eds.), Conducting Research in Developmental Psychology: A Topical Guide for Research Methods Used Across the Lifespan (pp. 200-209). Routledge/Taylor-Francis Publishers.

  • *Numbers, K. T., Barnier, A. J., Harris, C. B., & Meade, M. L. (2019). Ageing stereotypes influence the transmission of false memories in the social contagion paradigm. Memory, 27 368-378.

  • Hutchison, K. A., Meade, M. L., *Williams, N. S. *Manley, K. D., & *McNabb, J. C. (2018). How do associative and phonemic overlap interact to boost illusory recollection? Memory, 26, 664-671.

  • Meade, M. L., Harris, C. B., Van Bergen, P., Sutton, J., & Barnier, A. J. (2018). Collaborative remembering: Background and approaches. In Meade, M. L., Harris, C. B., Van Bergen, P., Sutton, J., & Barnier, A. J. (Eds.), Collaborative Remembering: Theories, Research, and Applications. Oxford University Press.

  • Meade, M. L., Harris, C. B., Van Bergen, P., Sutton, J., & Barnier, A. J. (2018). Concluding remarks: Common themes and future directions. In Meade, M. L., Harris, C. B., Van Bergen, P., Sutton, J., & Barnier, A. J. (Eds.), Collaborative Remembering: Theories, Research, and Applications. Oxford University Press.

  • Meade, M. L., *McNabb, J. C., *Lindeman, M. I. H., & Smith, J. L. (2017). Discounting input from older adults: The role of age salience on partner age effects in the social contagion of memory. Memory, 25, 704-716.

  • *Numbers, K. T., Meade, M. L., & *Perga,V. (2014). The influence of partner accuracy and partner memory ability on social false memories. Memory & Cognition, 42, 1225-1238.

  • *McNabb, J. C., & Meade, M. L. (2014). Correcting socially introduced false memories: The effect of re-study. Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 3, 287-292.

  • Roediger, H. L., III, Meade, M. L., Gallo, D. A., & Olson, K. R. (2014). Bartlett revisited: Direct comparison of repeated reproduction and serial reproduction techniques. Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 3, 266-271.

  • *Davis, S. D., & Meade, M. L. (2013). Both young and older adults discount suggestions from older adults on a social memory test. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 20, 760-765.

  • *Huff, M. J., *Davis, S. D., & Meade, M. L. (2013). The effects of initial testing on false recall and false recognition in the social contagion of memory paradigm. Memory & Cognition, 41, 820-831.

  • Meade, M. L. (2013). The importance of group process variables on collaborative memory. Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 2, 120-121.

  • Meade, M. L., Geraci, L. D., & Roediger, H. L., III (2012). Neuropsychological status in older adults influences susceptibility to false memories. American Journal of Psychology, 125, 449-467.

  • Nokes-Malach, T. J., Meade, M. L., & Morrow, D. G. (2012). The effect of expertise on collaborative problem solving. Thinking & Reasoning, 18, 32-58.

  • Meade, M. L., & Gigone, D. (2011). The effect of information distribution on collaborative inhibition. Memory, 19, 417-428.

  • *Huff, M. J., Meade, M. L., & Hutchison, K. A. (2011). Age-related differences in guessing on free and forced recall tests. Memory, 19, 317-330.

  • Meade, M. L., Hutchison, K. A., & *Rand, K. M. (2010). Effects of delay and additivity on implicit activation for DRM critical items in Naming. Journal of Memory and Language, 62, 302-310.

  • Meade, M. L., & Roediger, H. L., III (2009). Age differences in collaborative memory: The role of retrieval manipulations. Memory & Cognition, 37, 962-975.

  • Meade, M. L., Nokes, T. J., & Morrow, D. G. (2009). Expertise promotes facilitation on a collaborative memory task. Memory, 17, 39-48.

  • Meade, M. L., & Park, D. P. (2009). Enhancing Cognitive Function in Older Adults. In Chodzko-Zajko, W., Kramer, A.F., & Poon, L. W. (Eds.), Enhancing Cognitive Functioning and Brain Plasticity (pp. 35-48). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

  • Meade, M. L., Watson, J. M., Balota, D. A., & Roediger, H. L., III (2007). Spreading Activation and False Memories in the DRM Paradigm: Retrieval Mode is Necessary. Journal of Memory and Language, 56, 305-320.

  • Park, D. C., Gutchess, A. H., Meade, M. L., & Stine-Morrow, E. A. L. (2007). Improving cognitive function in older adults: Nontraditional approaches. Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 62, 45-52.

  • Park, D. C., & Meade, M. L. (2007). A broad view of medical adherence: The importance of cognitive, social, and contextual factors. In L. L. Liu and D. C. Park (Eds.). Social and Cognitive Perspectives on Medical Adherence (pp. 3-21). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

  • Meade, M. L., & Roediger, H. L., III (2006). The effect of forced recall on illusory recollection in younger and older adults. American Journal of Psychology, 119, 433-462.

  • Park, D. C. & Meade, M. L. (2006). Everyday memory. In R. Schulz, L. Noelker, K. Rockwood, & R. Sprott (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Aging (pp. 744-747). New York: Springer Publishing Company.

  • Gibson, J. M., & Meade, M. L. (2004). Priming guesses on a forced-recall test. Journal of General Psychology, 131, 225-241.

  • Marsh, E. J., Meade, M. L., & Roediger, H. L., III. (2003). Learning facts from fiction. Journal of Memory and Language, 49, 519-536.

  • Roediger, H. L., III, & Meade, M. L. (2003). Retrieval processes in memory. In J. H. Byrne (Ed.), Learning and Memory, Second Edition. New York: Thomson Gale.

  • Meade, M. L., & Roediger, H. L., III. (2002). Explorations in the social contagion of memory. Memory & Cognition, 30, 995-1009.

  • Pilotti, M., Meade, M. L., & Gallo, D. A. (2002). Implicit and explicit measures of memory for perceptual information in young adults, healthy older adults, and patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Experimental Aging Research, 29, 15-32.

  • Roediger, H. L, III, Meade, M. L., & Bergman, E. T. (2001). Social contagion of memory. Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, 8, 365-371.

  • Roediger, H.L., & Meade, M.L. (2000). Learning: Cognitive approach: Human. In A. G. Kazdin (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Psychology. New York: Oxford University Press.

  • Roediger, H.L., & Meade, M.L. (2000). Memory processes. In K. Pawlik and M.R. Rosenzweig (Eds.), International Handbook of Psychology. London: SAGE Publications.

  • Roediger, H.L., Bergman, E.T., & Meade, M.L. (2000). Repeated reproduction from memory. In A. Saito (Ed.), Bartlett, Cognition, and Culture. London: Routledge.