Skip to main content

Appalachian Today

News and events at Appalachian State University
  • Subscribe
  • For the media
  • Contact
  • Events
  • Webcams
  • Podcasts
  • In the News
  • Research & Arts
  • Awards
  • Experts
  • All News
  • Topics
  • Accolades
  • Alumni
  • Arts and Humanities
  • Athletics
  • Awards and Honors
  • Community Engagement
  • Diversity
  • Events
  • Faculty and Staff
  • Gifts and Grants
  • Global
  • Health and Wellness
  • Publications
  • Research and Creative Works
  • Safety
  • Scholarships
  • Students
  • Sustainability
☰ Menu
  • Events
  • Webcams
  • Podcasts
  • In the News
  • Research & Arts
  • Awards
  • Experts
  • All News
  • Topics
  • Subscribe
  • For the media
  • Contact

Professor receives NIH grant to study the relationships between mood and memory

View larger image
Posted Sep. 24, 2015 at 9:54 a.m.

BOONE—A little memory loss as you age might be a good thing.

Lisa Emery, an associate professor in Appalachian State University’s Department of Psychology, has received a three-year, $270,375 Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA) from the National Institutes of Health to better understand relationships between mood and memory.

In addition to supporting research, AREA grants help universities build their capacity to conduct health-related research and encourage students to pursue health-related careers or careers that include health care research.

“On average, people get happier as they get older,” Emery said. “My hypothesis is one of the reasons is that as people age, they forget a lot of the specific negative details about bad things that have happened to them and learn to reframe some those negative experiences in a more positive light.”

Older people also are less likely to have a mental illness than young adults and they report fewer negative moods than younger people do, she said.

“Part of the reason may be that older people don’t spend as much time dwelling on negative things that happened in the past, which might improve their mood and decrease their memory for the event,” Emery said.

To test her hypothesis, Emery and her graduate and undergraduate research assistants will conduct three different experiments, interviewing 100 to 150 volunteers for each study. Participants will range from those in their 20s to adults more than 65 years old.

The research participants will be asked to tell interviewers stories about events that have happened to them – either events of their choice or they will be given cue words to trigger a memory. In another study, participants will be asked to recall a specific time when they had an argument with someone. Other activities will test basic memory, such as recalling list of words.

Emery and her students will take that information to look at episodic and semantic memories. Episodic memories are those that include sensory and perceptual details specific to an event. Semantic memories are more structured memories that focus on the meaning of an event and how it ties into daily life.

“As people get older, they tend not to be able to remember a lot of episodic details but tend to report more semantic details and more information about the meaning of events,” Emery said.

Emery became interested in memory and aging research after working for a time with Alzheimer’s patients. “I became really interested in why they could remember certain things and not others,” she said.

Later in graduate school, she studied recall memory, but felt that experience didn’t provide a complete understanding of memory loss related to aging.

She hopes her research will help provide a more complete understanding of the strengths and benefits of memory changes as people age and ways to improve older adults’ memories or reduce deterioration of their memory.

The work she and others conduct on memory is important, Emery said, because researchers and health professionals need to be able to distinguish normal and healthy memory changes from what is abnormal and unhealthy.

“It’s normal as we get older to experience what’s called the tip of the tongue state where you know that you know something, but you can’t quite get it out,” she said. “With abnormal memory aging like Alzheimer’s disease, you don’t even realize that you are forgetting something.”

About Appalachian State University

As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, affordable education for all. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.

What do you think?

Share your feedback on this story.

Share

Topics

  • Faculty and Staff
  • Gifts and Grants
  • Research and Creative Works

What do you think?

Share your feedback on this story.

Archives

Appalachian Today is an online publication of Appalachian State University. This website consolidates university news, feature stories, events, photo galleries, videos and podcasts.

If you cannot find what you're looking for here, please refer to the following sources:

  • Podcasts may be found at Appalachian State University Podcasts
  • Stories and press releases published prior to Jan. 1, 2015 may be found in University Communications Records at the Special Collections Research Center.
  • A university-wide Google Calendar may be found at Events at Appalachian

What do you think?

Share your feedback on this story.

Share

Topics

  • Faculty and Staff
  • Gifts and Grants
  • Research and Creative Works

Other Recent Posts

  • Student research and creative projects spotlighted at App State’s annual showcase
    Student research and creative projects spotlighted at App State’s annual showcase
  • Will Sears appointed vice chancellor of university advancement at App State
    Will Sears appointed vice chancellor of university advancement at App State
  • N.C. Governor Josh Stein to address graduates at App State commencement
    N.C. Governor Josh Stein to address graduates at App State commencement
  • App State honors 29 students, faculty and staff with 2025 Awards of Distinction
    App State honors 29 students, faculty and staff with 2025 Awards of Distinction
  • App State to offer AI concentration in master’s programs [faculty featured]
    App State to offer AI concentration in master’s programs [faculty featured]
    WFDD
  • Campus emergency siren test to be conducted May 7
    Campus emergency siren test to be conducted May 7
  • App State students help restore national wildlife refuge as part of Alternative Service Experience
    App State students help restore national wildlife refuge as part of Alternative Service Experience
  • Dr. Neva J. Specht appointed App State executive vice chancellor and provost
    Dr. Neva J. Specht appointed App State executive vice chancellor and provost
  • $2 million grant funds scholarships, supports STEM education for over 50 App State students
    $2 million grant funds scholarships, supports STEM education for over 50 App State students
  • App State named Military Friendly School for 16th consecutive year, ranked a top 10 institution for 2025–26
    App State named Military Friendly School for 16th consecutive year, ranked a top 10 institution for 2025–26
  • Explore the future of business with new AI master’s degree tracks at App State
    Explore the future of business with new AI master’s degree tracks at App State
  • 12th annual iBackAPP Day of Giving draws over 3,100 App State supporters worldwide
    12th annual iBackAPP Day of Giving draws over 3,100 App State supporters worldwide

Archives

Appalachian Today is an online publication of Appalachian State University. This website consolidates university news, feature stories, events, photo galleries, videos and podcasts.

If you cannot find what you're looking for here, please refer to the following sources:

  • Podcasts may be found at Appalachian State University Podcasts
  • Stories and press releases published prior to Jan. 1, 2015 may be found in University Communications Records at the Special Collections Research Center.
  • A university-wide Google Calendar may be found at Events at Appalachian
  • Events
  • Videos
  • Galleries
  • In the News
  • Research & Arts
  • Awards
  • Experts
  • All News
  • Topics
  • Subscribe
  • For the media
  • COVID updates
  • Contact

App State

Copyright 2025 Appalachian State University. All rights reserved.

University Communications
ASU Box 32153
Boone, NC 28608
828-262-6156
[email protected]

Abouts

Disclaimer | EO Policy | Accessibility | Website manager: montaldipa (beltmr) .. | Website Feedback

Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram LinkedIn Snapchat