Post-Doctoral Fellows

Yoed KenettYoed Kenett
Hebrew University; B.A. & M.A. Cognitive Science, 2007 & 2009
Bar-Ilan University; Ph.D. Neuroscience, 2015

Research Interests: I examine how semantic memory structure enables and constrains high level cognitive processes, such as memory retrieval and creative thinking, in typical and clinical populations (such as persons with autism). To achieve this, I use computational methods to represent semantic memory structure and empirical neurocognitive methods to directly examine these computational findings.

Email: yoedk@sas.upenn.edu

Alexa TomparyAlexa Tompary
University of Chicago; B.A. Psychology, 2010
New York University; Ph.D. Psychology, 2017

Research Interests: I’m interested in the how episodic memories are altered with consolidation, and how this process is related to the acquisition of semantic and conceptual knowledge. As a graduate student, I used behavioral and neuroimaging methods to examine how episodic memories with overlapping information come to be represented over time.

Email: atompary@sas.upenn.eduWebsite »

Cybelle SmithCybelle Smith
Stanford University; B.A. Linguistics, 2011
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; M.S. Applied Statistics, 2018, Ph.D. Psychology, 2018

Research Interests: I am interested in the role of executive function in accessing, maintaining and manipulating semantic memories in the processing of both verbal and non-verbal input streams. For example, predictive processing may play a role in our ability to understand rapid linguistic input. Prediction may also contribute to our ability to rapidly identify objects and recall relevant information about them as we move through the visual world. However, open questions remain regarding the extent to which predictive processing in the verbal and non-verbal domains relies on shared neural and cognitive mechanisms, and the extent to which differences across domains can be explained by general principles of neural organization. Similar questions arise in comparing working memory function and the broader class of contextual facilitation effects across the verbal and non-verbal domains.

Email: cybelle@sas.upenn.edu