First-Year Project — Complete!

Psychology, UC San Diego, Wixted Lab

This year, I was the opener for our department’s year-end “Little APS” event. It went well!

I presented a new type of lineup procedure that some argued could be the new “future” lineup. Our analyses showed that it is *not* a superior lineup. However, we received great feedback from audience members about an alternate model we could fit to the data as well as alternative conditions worth running that may aid in confirming our initial findings.

Q&A with Emerald Alumni Sami Edge

Daily Emerald, University of Oregon

Former Emerald editor-in-chief Sami Edge participated in an alumni spotlight. In it, she talked about two memories that were formative during my time on the sports desk: the sexual assault allegations that came out against three men’s basketball players, and the multimedia “innovation” pieces such as my one on the University of Oregon hockey team. (She also gave me a little shout-out by name, which I’ll include after the substantive content because I think it’s cute!) 

Sami on the sexual assault case:

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Welcome

Personal Blog

 

 

 

 

My name is Anne Yilmaz and I’m a researcher at UC San Diego doing basic memory science in the Wixted Lab. I hold a Ph.D in Experimental Psychology with Specialization in Anthropogeny, an M.A. in Experimental Psychology, and a B.S. in Psychology. 

This site is meant to chronicle professional milestones. It is (admittedly) infrequently updated, but you can access my CV from the menu above, and can see my most recent posts below.

If you’re looking for something specific, there is a navigation menu at the bottom of this page. Click the “+” to view it. From there, you have the option of perusing content by category (e.g. Psychology, CARTA, Univ. of Oregon, etc.) or using the search bar to find a post. The site is not optimized for mobile, but I hope you find your way regardless.

Thanks for visiting!

-A.Y.

 

Graduate School

Psychology, UC San Diego, Wixted Lab

UC San Diego

Wixted Lab

I’ve officially committed to the University of California, San Diego in the fall for a doctoral program in experimental cognitive psychology.

Excited, grateful and incredibly inspired are only a few of the many emotions I’m feeling at this moment in time. Thank you SO much to Dr. John Wixted who offered me a position in his memory laboratory. Every time I step on the UCSD campus, I feel like I’m at home. I know this is the place I am meant to be and that I will produce excellent work in this program. Even though I didn’t verbalize this during my interviews: I have been eyeing this program at UCSD since 2013.

Furthermore, thank you so much to UC Santa Cruz and UC Riverside for extending admission offers as well. As a first-generation college student, the privilege of being offered the opportunity to earn a Ph.D at such prestigious research programs is not lost on me.

Once again, thank you. I’m humbled, but ready to put in the work.

Joining the Wixted Lab at UCSD

Psychology, UC San Diego, Wixted Lab

I am immensely happy to report that this month I will be joining the Wixted Lab as a post-baccalaureate research assistant! Even though this is a volunteer position, I am thrilled to continue studying eyewitness memory. My undergraduate thesis only scratched the surface; now it’s time to reexamine the same material through the lens of basic recognition memory science and the theories popularized within that field. 

Thank you, Dr. John Wixted for this opportunity!

Eyewitness Memory: How Stress and Situational Factors Affect Eyewitness Recall

Psychology, University of Oregon, UO Psychology

I successfully defended my undergraduate thesis!

The thesis was presented to the Department of Psychology and the Clark Honors College of the University of Oregon in partial fulfillment of the requirements for degree of Bachelor of Science, Fall 2016.

Defended with Honors.

Adviser: Dr. Robert Mauro.

 

Abstract: As eyewitness memory and its current admissibility as evidence in courts have come under scrutiny, numerous studies have examined variables that affect eyewitness memory. These variables are divided into system and estimator variables. System variables are factors that can be controlled by the criminal justice system; estimator variables are those which cannot be controlled by the justice system. Considerable research has demonstrated that stress can either inhibit or enhance memory depending on the level of arousal. This literature review will examine the role and effect of stress in general and in regard to other estimator variables (e.g., seriousness, weapons focus, and victim vs. bystander). Both field and laboratory studies will be examined. General trends, important caveats, and limitations will be reported. Despite the breadth of research in both eyewitness research and stress and memory, there is no recent comprehensive review of the effect of stress on eyewitness memory. This literature review will serve to bridge that gap and provide resources for those looking to continue research in the area of stress and eyewitness memory.

Link to download the paper (PDF). Link to the UO Scholars’ Bank where it is originally hosted.

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Presenting: Stanford Undergraduate Psychology Conference

Psychology, University of Oregon, UO Psychology

A day after presenting my research at the University of Oregon’s Undergraduate Research Symposium, I’m heading off to Stanford to present my honors thesis research. I’m exhausted, but excited to share what I’ve learned over the past year. Unlike yesterday’s presentation, this will be a poster presentation! Stop by the main amphitheater at 1pm to chat with me about sequential vs. simultaneous lineups!