Mara Mather Wins Award from the American Psychological Association

Dr. Mather receives award for her work in the field of cognition and human learning.

by Dylan Campbell and Nicholas Slayton

LOS ANGELES (January 20, 2009) Mara Mather, Ph.D, Associate Professor of Gerontology and Psychology at the University of Southern California’s

Davis School of Gerontology will receive the Distinguished Scientific Award for Early Career Contribution to Psychology from the American Psychological Association for her work in the field of cognition and human learning.

The award, which recognizes "excellent psychologists who are at early stages of their research careers," is one of the highest honors the APA gives and has been awarded only sixteen times in the field of human cognition and learning since its inception in 1974.

Winning awards is nothing new for Mather. Most recently she received the prestigious Independent Scientist award from the National Institute of Health and also has several teaching commendations to her name.

“We are very proud of Mara’s accomplishments, “said Gerald C. Davison, Dean of the USC Davis School of Gerontology and Executive Director of the Andrus Gerontology Center. “She is already well-known in the field of cognition and aging. We expect to see Mara’s career soar in the coming years as she continues to make significant scientific contributions to the field of aging,” said Davison.
 
Mather’s research centers around the study of emotional memory, the effects of stress on decision making, and the effects of age on both topics. As head of the Emotion and Cognition Lab - a joint research program between USC’s Davis School of Gerontology, Department of Psychology, and the Program in  Neuroscience - she has explored how emotional images affect our memory and how stress affects risk-taking behavior in older adults.
 
“I’m thrilled to receive the award,” said Mather. “I was floored to get the e-mail; I wondered if it was for real. I am very honored.”
 
The award will be presented on August 12 at the American Psychological Association Convention in San Diego, California

For more information please contact Maria Henke at (213) 740-1363 or email mhenke@usc.edu.