B.A. (Psychology), Drew University (Madison, NJ) – 2002
M.A. (Psychology), American University (Washington, DC) – 2005
Ph.D. (Experimental Psychology) Kent State University (Kent, OH) – 2010

My program of research is focused on understanding how memory and cognition operate in complex real world situations.  Specifically, I am interested in distortions in memory, the mechanisms that underlie these errors (e.g., source monitoring) and the application of such mechanisms to situations that involve the suggestibility of eyewitness testimony.  Most recently, my research has begun to explore the notion that the nature of the relationship between witnessed and suggested/fabricated events may contribute to the false memory development.  In addition, I have an interest in how basic memory processes are influenced by emotion and stress.   

Currently Teaching:  Cognitive Psychology, General Psychology, Sensation and Perception

Recent Publications:

Chrobak, Q.M. & Zaragoza, M.S. (2009). The cognitive consequences of                         forced confabulation: Evidence from studies of eyewitness suggestibility.                    In W. Hirstein (Ed.). Confabulation: Views from Neuroscience, Psychiatry, Psychology, and Philosophy (pp. 67-90). New York: Oxford.

Chrobak, Q.M. & Zaragoza, M.S. (2008). Inventing stories: Forcing witnesses to
fabricate entire fictitious events leads to freely reported false memories. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 15(6), 1190-1195.

Recent Conference Presentations:

Chrobak, Q.M. & Zaragoza, M.S. (2010, November).  Sentence Complexity Predicts False Assents to Previously Fabricated Entire Fictitious Events.  Poster presented to the Psychonomic Society, St. Louis, Missouri. 

Chrobak, Q.M. & Zaragoza, M.S. (2009, November).  Causal Connections and
the Development of False Memories for Entire Fabricated Events:  The Role of Alternative Explanations.  Poster presented to the Psychonomic Society, Boston, Massachusetts. 
 
Chrobak, Q.M., Gartner, R.L., & Zaragoza, M.S. (2009, May). False Memories
for Entire Fabricated Events:  The Role of Causality. Paper presented to the Midwestern Psychological Association, Chicago, Illinois.

Zaragoza, M.S., Blanche, J., Chrobak, Q.M. Mitchell, K.J., & Palmeri, P. (2007,
November).  Memory Binding Deficits in College Students with Trauma Histories.  Poster presented to the Psychonomic Society, Long Beach, California. 

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