Education and Postdoctoral Training

Degrees

Ph.D., Psychology; Neuroscience Concentration, Temple University, 2007-2012

B.A., Psychology; Neuroscience Concentration, Colby College, 2003-2007

Post-doctoral Training

University of Miami, 2012-2017

Overview of Research Interests

My research interests surround attention and working memory as mental processes that guide thought and action during daily life. At times, these processes support us as we navigate to a new place, hold an emotionally challenging conversation, or make a consequential decision. However, at other times, the limited capacity and error-prone nature of attention and working memory impede our success through mind wandering, forgetting, or other cognitive failures. My research focuses both on characterizing the limitations of attention and working memory, and investigating training programs or other strategies that may benefit mental performance.

Key words: attention, working memory, mind wandering, strategy use, cognitive training

Courses I Teach

PSYC 110: Cognitive Psychology

PSYC 9: Statistics for Psychology

PSYC 241: Seminar in Cognitive Psychology

Publications

A full list of my publications can be found at my Google Scholar Page

Witkin, J. E., Denkova, E., Zanesco, A. P., Morrison, A. B., Rooks, J., Carpenter, J., ... & Jha, A. P. (2022). Does Intensive Mindfulness Training Strengthen Sustained Attention? Examining Individual Differences in Mind Wandering during the Sustained Attention to Response Task. OBM Integrative and Complementary Medicine, 7(2), 1-1.

Samper, J. R., Morrison, A.B., & Chein, J. (2021). Doubts about the role of rehearsal in the irrelevant sound effect. Experimental Psychology, 68(5), 229–242. https://doi.org/10.1027/1618-3169/a000527

Richmond, L. L., Burnett, L. B., Morrison, A. B., & Ball, B. H. (2021). Performance on the processing portion of complex working memory span tasks is related to working memory capacity estimates. Behavior Research Methods. 

Morrison, A. B.*, & Richmond, L.* (2020). Offloading items from memory: individual differences in cognitive offloading in a short-term memory task. Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications, 5(1), 1.

Zanesco, A. P., Witkin, J. E., Morrison, A. B., Denkova, E., & Jha, A. P. (2020). Memory load, distracter interference, and dynamic adjustments in cognitive control influence working memory performance across the lifespan. Psychology and Aging, 35(5), 614.

Jha, A. P., Zanesco, A. P., Denkova, E., Morrison, A. B., Ramos, N., Chichester, K., ... & Rogers, S. L. (2020). Bolstering Cognitive Resilience via Train-the-Trainer Delivery of Mindfulness Training in Applied High-Demand Settings. Mindfulness, 11(3), 683-697.

Jha, A. P., Zanesco, A. P., Denkova, E., Rooks, J., Morrison, A. B., & Stanley, E. A. (2020). Comparing Mindfulness and Positivity Trainings in High-Demand Cohorts. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 44(2), 311-326.

Weimers, E., Redick, T., & Morrison, A. B. (2019). The influence of individual differences in cognitive ability on working memory training gains

Jha, A. P., Witkin, J. E., Morrison, A. B., Rostrup, N., & Stanley, E. (2017).  Mindfulness Training Protects Against Working Memory Degradation over High-Demand Intervals. Journal of Cognitive Enhancement, 1(2), 154-171. doi:10.1007/s41465-017-0035-2

Rooks, J., Morrison, A. B., Goolsarran, M., Rogers, S. L., & Jha, A. P. (2017). “We Are Talking About Practice”: The influence of mindfulness vs. relaxation training on athletes’ attention and well-being over high-demand intervals. Journal of Cognitive Enhancement, 1(2), 141-153. doi:10.1007/s41465-017-0016-5.

Morrison, A. B.^*, Rosenbaum, G.M.^*, Fair, D., & Chein, J.M. (2016). Variation in strategy use across measures of verbal working memory, Memory & Cognition, 44(6), 922-936. doi:10.3758/s13421-016-0608-9

Jha, A. P., Morrison, A. B., Parker, S. C., & Stanley, E. A. (2016). Practice is protective: Mindfulness training promotes cognitive resilience in high-stress cohorts. Mindfulness, 7(1), 1-13. doi: 10.1007/s12671-015-0465-9

Moreau, D., Morrison, A. B., & Conway, A. R. A. (2015). An ecological approach to cognitive enhancement: Complex motor training. Acta Psychologica, 157, 44-55. doi:10.1016/j.actpsy.2015.02.007

Jha, A. P., Morrison, A. B., Dainer-Best, J., Parker, S., Rostrup, N., & Stanley, E. (2015). Minds “At Attention”: Mindfulness training curbs attentional lapses in military cohorts. PLoS ONE, 10(2). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0116889 

Morrison, A. B., Conway, A. R. A., & Chein, J. M. (2014). Primacy and recency effects as indices of the focus of attention. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 8:6. doi:  10.3389/fnhum.2014.00006  

Morrison, A. B., Goolsarran, M., Rogers, S. L., & Jha, A.P. (2014). Taming a wandering attention: A study of short-form mindfulness training. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 7:987. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2013.00897

Morrison, A. B., & Chein, J. M. (2012). The controversy over Cogmed. Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 1(3), 208-210. doi:10.1016/j.jarmac.2012.07.005

Richmond, L., Morrison, A. B., Chein, J. M., & Olson, I. (2011). Working memory training and transfer in older adults. Psychology and Aging, 26(4), 813-822. doi: 10.1037/a0023631

Morrison, A. B., & Chein, J. M. (2011). Does working memory training work? The promise and challenges of enhancing cognition by training working memory. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 18(1), 46-60. doi: 10.3758/s13423-010-0034-0 

Chein, J. M. & Morrison, A. B. (2010). Expanding the mind's workspace: Training and transfer effects with a complex working memory span task. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 17(2), 193-199. doi: 10.3758/PBR.17.2.193