Rose T. Zacks, Professor

Ph. D. 1967 University of California at Berkeley

Affiliations:  Cognitive Interest Group

Research Interests:

Attentional Inhibitory control over the Contents of Working Memory

        Interactions among Attentional, Memory, Language, and Perceptual Processes in Aging

Office: 119 Psychology Research Bldg

Phone: (517) 353-9069

E-mail: zacksr@msu.edu

Research Statement

I have broad interests in cognitive psychology with a focus on interactions between attention and other cognitive processes, especially as these interactions are impacted by normal aging. My theoretical framework assumes that inhibitory attentional mechanisms play a critical role in controlling the contents of working memory, and because of this, they have a wide impact on memory, language, and perception. Under the assumption of an aging-related decline in the efficiency of inhibitory mechanisms, the framework also provides an account of certain cognitive deficits in older adults.  Guided by this framework, my experimental work includes studies of attention, memory, language, and perception in younger and healthy older adults.  My research has been supported by NIH grants for more than 20 years.

Professional Activities

My professional activities include a considerable involvement in grant reviewing and in manuscript reviewing and editing.  In January 2003, I started a six-year term as editor of Psychology and Aging, which is arguably the premier publication outlet internationally for psychological research on aging. I have also held leadership roles in several professional organizations, including President of the Midwestern Psychological Association and Chair of the Governing Board of the Psychonomic Society. 

Recent Publications:

Hasher, L., Tonev, S. T., Lustig, C., & Zacks, R. T. (2001). Inhibitory control, environmental support, and self-initiated processing in aging. In M. Naveh-Benjamin, M. Moscovitch, & H. L. Roediger, III. (Eds.,) Perspectives on human memory and cognitive aging: Essays in honour of Fergus Craik (pp. 286-297). Philadelphia, PA: Psychology Press.

Persad, C. C., Abeles, N., Zacks, R. T., & Denberg, N. L. (2002). Inhibitory changes after age 60 and their relationship to measures of attention and memory. Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 57B, P223-P232.

Zacks, R. T., & Hasher, L. (2002). Frequency processing: A twenty-five year perspective. In P. Sedlmeier & T. Betsch (Eds.), Frequency processing and cognition (pp. 21-36). New York: Oxford University Press.

Davidson, D. J., Zacks, R. T., & Williams, C. C. (2003). Stroop interference, practice, and aging. Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition, 10, 85-98.

Davidson, D. J., Zacks, R. T. & Ferreira, F. (2003). Age preservation of the syntactic processor in production. Journal of Psycholinguistic Research, 32, 541-566 .

Hasher, L., Zacks, R. T., & Lustig, C. (in press). Variation in working memory due to aging and circadian arousal. In A. Conway, C. Jarrold, M. Kane, A. Miyake, A., & J. Towse (Eds.), Variation in working memory. Oxford University Press.