Robin Lea West

Professor of Psychology

Brief Biography

Dr. Robin West, Professor of Psychology, has been conducting research on memory and aging for over 30 years. Dr. West completed her M.A. and Ph.D. at Vanderbilt University and did postdoctoral work at the Aging and Development Program at Washington University in St. Louis. Dr. West has been in the Department of Psychology at the University of Florida since 1987 and is currently the department Graduate Coordinator. Formerly, she served as director of the Center for Gerontological Studies and associate director of the Institute on Aging. Dr. West is the author of over 50 academic papers, and a popular memory book, entitled MEMORY FITNESS OVER 40, which has been published in four countries. She has an extensive record of university and public service and has dedicated herself to the important task of explaining scientific findings to lay audiences through her writing and public appearances. Dr. West has won numerous awards, including a Fulbright Fellowship, a TIP Teaching Award, a Mentor award from the American Psychological Association Division 20 and a MindAlert award from the American Society on Aging for her Everyday Memory Clinic training program for seniors. She has served on the editorial boards of three national research journals, including Psychology and Aging. Dr. West's research on everyday memory and aging, and memory self-regulation, has been funded by the National Institute of Health, the Brookdale Foundation, and The Retirement Research Foundation.

Research Interests

Dr. West’s research career can be characterized as having two streams – the first is a theoretical path, devoted to testing constructs related to memory self-evaluation and social cognition, and the second is an applied path, focused on intervention methodologies for training older adults to improve their practical memory skills. In both arenas, the search for ways to maximize memory performance has been central: to find the key to why age declines vary under particular testing conditions and to understand the impact of negative self-perceptions on cognition. She investigates everyday memory performance, self-regulatory factors that influence memory performance, such as self-efficacy, goal setting, possible selves, control beliefs and strategies, and has designed highly effective memory interventions that lead to improved memory and increased memory self-efficacy and control in older adults.

Curriculum Vita

Memory Self-Efficacy Questionnaire

Dr. West developed the original version of the Memory Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (MSEQ) in 1983, as a postdoctoral student at Washington University. Since then, she has utilized a number of different versions of the MSEQ, and she developed a spatial memory self-efficacy measure with Duana Welch and a hearing aid self-efficacy questionnaire with Sherri Smith. In recent research, she has been using both the MSEQ-4 (using only four subscales from the original MSEQ) and a General Memory Efficacy measure. If you are interested in obtaining a copy of any of these measures, please contact Dr. West directly. Dr. West has used these measures of self-efficacy extensively in her research.

MAP Train-the-Trainer Workshops

Dr. West has been conducting research on memory training for many years. Her most recent program, funded by The Retirement Research Foundation, was the Everyday Memory Clinic founded in 2002. In 2007, the Everyday Memory Clinic won the MindAlert award from the American Society on Aging and the MetLife Foundation. This award honors educational programs focused on enhancing mental fitness for the general population of older adults. To further promote innovative practices in mental fitness programs, the MetLife Foundation has also established a MindAlert Trainer’s Bureau. Participating faculty teach professionals around the country how to implement cognitive stimulation programs for seniors. Dr. West is now serving as a faculty member in the MindAlert Trainer’s Bureau and is offering “Train-the-Trainer” workshops in Denver, New York, Miami, Los Angeles, and beyond. The goal of the workshop, entitled the Memory Action Program (MAP), is to provide a roadmap for offering memory improvement programs for older adults. The Memory Action Program workshop 1) presents the latest research on memory training for healthy seniors, 2) demonstrates a memory training session, 3) discusses important principles for delivering a successful community-based memory intervention for older adults, and 4) explains the use of educational materials, such as the Everyday Memory Clinic Workbook, to staff and volunteers who would like to offer memory training in their own communities.

Sample Syllabus for General Psychology, PSY2012

Sample Syllabus for Psychology of Aging, DEP 4404

Sample Syllabus for Social Cognition and Aging, DEP4930/6409

Contact Information:

Robin Lea West, Ph.D. Office: 15c Psychology Bldg

P O Box 112250–Psychology Phone: 352-392-0601 ext. 240

University of Florida FAX: 352-392-7985

Gainesville, FL 32611-2250 Email: west51@ufl.edu

Updated November, 2007