Alan Castel

How do we remember and why do we forget, and how does this change across the adult lifespan? In general, my research interests focus on human memory, attention and cognitive aging. In a world where we are often overwhelmed with information, my research focuses on how people can selectively remember important information. This includes the strategic control over memory and attentional processes, how value influences memory, expertise, visual attention, memory for numerical information, neuropsychological and behavioral models of associative memory and aging, metacognition and decision making, and how various memory disorders influence performance. In addition, I am interested in applied aspects of learning, memory, and cognition, such as eyewitness memory, consumer decision making, and scams and financial fraud that target younger and older adults.

Castel. A. D. (2024). Memory selectivity in older age. Current Opinion in Psychology, 55, 101744. Murphy, D. H., Schwartz, S. T., Alberts, K., Siegel, A. L. M., Carone, B. J., Castel, A. D., & Drolet, A. (2023). Clinically studied or clinically proven? Memory for claims in print advertisements. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 37, 1085-1093 Silaj, K. M., Agadzhanyan, K., & Castel, A. D. (2023). Value-directed learning: Schematic reward structure facilitates learning. Memory & Cognition, 51, 1527-1546. Han, L. T., Cohen, M. S., He, L. K., Green, L. M., Knowlton, B. J., Castel, A. D., & Rissman, J. (2023). Establishing a causal role for left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex in value-directed memory encoding with high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation. Neuropsychologia, 181, 1084