My current avenues of research are briefly summarized below. The role of the hippocampus in recognition memory . Currently, researchers debate over the importance of the hippocampus in recognition memory. Some feel that the hippocampus is not involved in certain forms of recognition memory, such as judgements of familiarity. Another view, the view that we hold, is that the hippocampus is important for recognition memory just as it is for all other aspects of declarative memory.
Trace eyeblink classical conditioning and the role of awareness .
These results contrasted with the findings for delay eyeblink conditioning. In delay eyeblink conditioning, the extent of conditioning did not depend upon the integrity of the hippocampus or participants' awareness. We are following up on this initial study with several lines of investigation into eyeblink conditioning. This display of preference for the novel image after a delay requires that some information about the repeated picture remain in the person's brain. We are investigating the nature of the memory that this lingering of information represents.