Aging Research Group at Binghamton University

Introduction

Hello! We're the Aging Research Group at Binghamton University. Our group consists of two research laboratories within the university's Department of Psychology: The CAMP (Cognition, Aging, and Memory Performance) Lab, led by Professor Michael Dulas, and the MAC2 (Memory, Aging, and Cognitive Control) Lab, led by Professor Ian McDonough.

Our work focuses on various aspects of memory, including how it changes throughout the lifespan and how it relates to the mind-body link. We conduct this research using a variety of techniques, many of which are described in our study list below. The results of these studies can improve memory-based education and contribute to research on memory declines that develop with brain aging.

We are looking for participants aged 18 and up from diverse backgrounds. Our studies are safe, and we offer compensation for your time. Discover how you can contribute to advancing our understanding of the brain!

If you have any questions for us, please reach out to bingucamplab@gmail.com or call (607)444-2864. Our general hours are 8:30am-4:30pm Monday-Friday, though we have availability outside of that as needed.

General Information

General Eligibility: These are requirements that apply to every study. Participants must:

• be 18 or older

• have normal or corrected-to-normal vision

and have none of the following:

• a history of neurological disease or brain damage

• a history of drug or substance abuse

• uncontrollable shaking

Certain studies will require additional eligibility.

For example, all imaging studies require participants to be right-handed.

Compensation: $20 per hour for community members, 1 research credit per hour for students from the Binghamton University SONA psychology pool

Study Information

Study 2: Spatial Memory, Attention, and Aging (CAMP Lab)

Purpose: A key facet of memory is remembering where things are, allowing us to navigate our lives. But sometimes it's easy to confuse the locations of two things, or to have only a general sense of where something belongs. Some of this may be due to changes in how we attend to that information as we learn it. This research is interested in how we learn spatial information, how precisely we can remember it, and how attention dictates that memory.

Additional Eligibility: Fluent English proficiency.

Study 4: Memory-Guided Eye Movements Across the Life-Span (CAMP Lab)

Purpose: Memory doesn't just allow us to say: "Oh, I remember that!" It also guides our eyes to attend to critical information, even if we don't realize it. This study is interested in how those memory-guided eye movements, as well as overt memory, change across the lifespan. This study will improve our understanding of the importance of these memory mechanisms and their unique roles in age-related memory changes.

Additional Eligibility: Fluent English proficiency.

Study 6: Brain Stimulation and Memory Consolidation (MAC2 Lab)

Purpose: To better understand how brain stimulation influences post-encoding neural consolidation and memory performance.

Additional Eligibility:

• Ages 18-40

• Must be right-handed

• Not pregnant

• No medical devices implanted in the head or neck

• Have no unremovable hair extensions or wigs

Sign Up for a Study!

Location of the Labs

The Aging Research Group laboratories are located on the Binghamton University campus, in Science 4 Room 121.

If you enter campus from the main entrance, use the first exit on the traffic circle to go right. Then, the parking lot for Science 4 will be the first left you come to. There is a designated space at the top of the lot (on the right, along the sidewalk) where you can park free of charge. Science 4 is the building immediately next to the parking lot (there are brains painted in the windows). We will meet you at the designated Psychology Department parking spot, located at the top of the lot. 

If you have any questions, please call (607)444-2864.

If you have any additional questions about our studies, feel free to contact us using the form above, by emailing bingucamplab@binghamton.edu, or by calling (607)444-2864.

MRI scanner cartoon, survey picture, & tablet picture courtesy of Freepik