Psychology Professor Kathy Pezdek helps launch new journal

Monday, October 10, 2011

Kathy Pezdek, professor of psychology at Claremont Graduate University's School of Behavioral and Organizational Sciences, has helped launch a new research journal focusing on memory and cognition.

The Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition (JARMAC) will publish its first issue in January.

The journal is a publication of the Society for Applied Research in Memory and Cognition (SARMAC), a group with which Pezdek has been involved for more than 20 years. JARMAC is intended as an accessible resource for researchers, academics, and individuals who apply the science of memory and cognition.

Each issue will have two sections. The first features peer-reviewed empirical research articles. The second includes an invited target piece that explores a special topic in the field of applied memory and cognition. The first issue of the journal will include a target piece on the effects of memory training on the elderly.

Pezdek, chair of the society's publications committee, worked for two years to bring the journal to life. She drafted a proposal for the journal and submitting it to major publishers. The winning offer was from Elsevier, the leading publisher of scientific research across all academic disciplines.

Pezdek is a cognitive psychologist and expert in how eyewitness evidence is utilized by law enforcement and the courts. She frequently testifies as an expert witness on eyewitness identification and memory. Her research has focused on a range of topics, including face memory, suggestibility of memory, line-up techniques, and detecting deception.