Dr. Alison Preston

Biography

Alison R. Preston, Ph.D., leads the Preston Lab at the University of Texas at Austin, where she investigates how children, adolescents, and adults acquire and retain knowledge using advanced computational neuroscience techniques. Her research focuses on the interplay between behavioral and brain imaging techniques to understand the formation of new memories, the recall of past experiences, and how these memories influence decision-making in the present. The lab actively studies memory development across various age groups, exploring how brain changes impact learning and cognitive processes. Preston's work emphasizes age-related differences in sustained attention and associative memory, shedding light on the underlying mechanisms of memory-guided inference. She has also engaged in studies examining the role of the hippocampus in memory reinstatement and general knowledge retention. Preston and her team are particularly interested in the brain's functioning during developmental stages and are currently recruiting participants ranging from children to adults for studies in memory development and its impacts on reasoning and decision-making.

Research Interests

Experience