Roxanne
Thorn, Ph.D. 
privately employed
Phone: not listed
Email:rthorn@prodigy net
Education
- Ph.D.,
Developmental Psychology, University of Florida, 2002.
Dissertation title: Motivation and Training Effects on Older Adults'
Recall and Strategy Use.
- M.S., Developmental Psychology,
University of Florida, December, 1997.
Thesis Advisor: Robin L. West.
Thesis Title: Goal-Setting, Memory Performance and Self-Efficacy in
Younger and Older Adults.
- B.A., Psychology, Cum Laude with
Honors in Psychology, University of Richmond, May, 1993.
Research Interests
Long-term
improvement of adults' daily memory activities.
August, 2000 - May, 2001. Principal investigator: Robin L. West.
Collaborated on research into the roles of assigned goals and strategy
instruction in older and younger adults' recall and memory beliefs.
Designed and prepared research materials, interviewed older and younger
adult participants, and trained and supervised research assistants.
Will assist with extensive memory training classes for older adults in
the Spring of 2001.
Personality and
experimental social psychology: Personality-trait structure-process
interactions.
September, 2000 - May, 2001. Principal investigator: Manfred Diehl.
Assisting with a study relating personality traits, personal goals and
goal commitment, and psychological well-being. Recruited older,
middle-aged, and younger participants, conducted group testing
sessions, and supervised research assistants.
Memory and aging
Self-efficacy and memory beliefs
Metamemory and aging
Goals and motivation in adulthood
Mnemonic strategy use and strategy training
Strategy utilization deficiencies
Personality development in adulthood
My research on
memory aging has emphasized the role of social-cognitive and
self-regulatory variables, particularly goal-setting, self-efficacy,
and strategic behaviors. In my master's thesis, I examined effects of
goal-setting, performance feedback, and success in meeting goals on
older and younger adults' recall, memory self-efficacy, task-directed
effort, and strategy use. I have collaborated with Robin West on a
series of studies on the effects of self-set and assigned goals on
memory beliefs (attributions, control beliefs, and self-efficacy) and
memory performance. Some of this research has suggested that goals may
fail to motivate older adults who experience memory failures or initial
memory gains that are more modest than expected. My dissertation
research examined the combined effect of assigned memory goals and
mnemonic training on recall and strategic behaviors, and the
relationship of strategy use to memory performance. I am interested in
the development of longer-term memory instruction programs for older
adults which incorporate motivational and skill-training components. In
addition to my primary interest in memory, I have been actively
involved in research on personality structure and personal goals across
the lifespan.
Graduate Profile
Roxanne became
interested in aging, memory, and self-evaluations as an undergraduate
at the University of Richmond (Virginia). She has continued this
interest as a graduate student, and has co-authored two professional
publications which are among the first to examine older adults'
performance goals for memory tasks. Her master's thesis was supported
by an award from the American Psychological Association Division 20 and
the Retirement Research Foundation. She has also served as an advisor
to graduate and undergraduate students at the University of Florida
Center for Gerontological Studies, and has taught university courses in
lifespan development.
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