Christy Marshuetz



Assistant Professor (Ph.D., 2000, University of Michigan)
 
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My research focuses on memory, and in particular, verbal working memory. Working memory can be defined as a system used for the temporary storage and manipulation of information. This type of system is needed for many acts of human thought, and seems to be particularly crucial for functions such as reasoning, reading, and problem-solving. Furthermore, as we age, changes in the working memory system are thought to be at least in part responsible for declines in higher-order cognitive skills.

To date my research has focused on three related topics: 1) the processing subcomponents of the verbal working memory system, 2) "executive" processes (the manipulation of information) in working memory, and 3) age-related changes in working memory.

My approach to studying working memory is highly interdisciplinary. I use traditional behavioral experiments coupled with evidence from aging populations, statistical modeling, and functional neuroimaging (fMRI, PET) to bring converging evidence from brain and behavior to bear on questions of working memory's structure and function.

Marshuetz, C., Smith, E.E., Jonides, J., Degutis, J., & Chenevert, T. L. (2000). Order information in working memory: fMRI evidence for parietal and prefrontal mechanisms. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 12: Supplement 2, 130 - 144.

Jonides, J. Marshuetz, C., Smith, E. E., Reuter-Lorenz, P. A. Koeppe, R.A., & Hartley, A. (2000). Age differences in behavior and PET activation reveal differences in interference resolution in verbal working memory. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 12, 188-196.

Jonides, J. Smith, E. E., Marshuetz, C., Koeppe, R.A. & Reuter-Lorenz, P.A. (1998). Inhibition in verbal working memory revealed by brain activation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, USA, 95, 8410-8413.