A lasting influence of stories on spontaneous thought
- Date
- March 04, 2022
- Time
- 3:00 PM EST - 4:30 PM EST
Abstract: Stories have an ability to transport us into alternate worlds. Whether it be in the form of a novel, a movie, or a vivid anecdote from conversation, this immersive quality is a central feature of how we engage with stories. Interestingly, stories also tend to persist in our minds. Most of us can easily think of a story that has stuck with us – one we could not shake for hours or even days – however, to date little empirical work exists on this phenomenon. If narratives can elicit a persistent influence on thought, how can we measure it in the laboratory? What are its cognitive properties? What are its consequences for our understanding of memory? In this talk, I will present the results of a series of experiments using a free association paradigm and techniques from natural language processing to begin unpacking the lasting influence of stories on spontaneous thought.
Bio: I am an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at York University, Glendon Campus. My research examines (i) how we remember and (ii) how past experiences affect ongoing cognition. Recently, my work has been using stories as tools to probe these cognitive processes. Given our affinity for narratives, the ease with which we understand and remember stories may provide useful insights into the fundamental architecture of human memory and cognition.
I completed my Ph.D. in Psychology at the University of Toronto, with Drs. Morris Moscovitch and Cheryl Grady. Subsequently, I completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences at Johns Hopkins University, with Drs. Janice Chen and Christopher Honey.
Topic: ACN Speaker Series: Dr. Buddhika Bellana, PhD
Time: Mar 4, 2022 03:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
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