Welcome to Irune and Enrique!

This week we're pleased to welcome two new researchers, Irune Fernandez-Prieto and Enrique Molina.

Enrique is a psychologist with a degree in Computing, a MSc in Neuroscience. He's also about to submit in PhD thesis in Neuroscience. He will be working with Fabrice Parmentier on his Bial-funded project on attention and mindfulness and assist with his research on auditory distraction.

Irune is a psychologist with a MSc in Evolution and Cognition, and a PhD in Experimental Psychology specializing in auditory and cross-modal cognition. She will be working with Fabrice Parmentier on his MINECO-funded project on auditory distraction by unexpected sounds.

New study on selective directed forgetting: inhibition rather than reduced rehearsal or context change

A new study by Aguirre, Gomez-Ariza, Andrés, Mazzoni, Bajo has been accepted for publication in Frontiers in Psychology. The study explores the cognitive mechanisms of directed forgetting, a phenomenon referring to impaired memory arising from an instruction to forget the unwanted material. In this study the authors suggest that neither verbal rehearsal nor context change are sufficient to account for the directed forgetting phenomenon and that the data are compatible with an inhibition account.

Abstract:

While some studies have shown that providing a cue to selectively forget one subset of previously learned facts may cause specific forgetting of this information, little is known about the mechanisms underlying this memory phenomenon. In three experiments we aimed to better understand the nature of the selective directed forgetting (SDF) effect. Participants studied a List 1 consisting of 18 sentences regarding two (or three) different characters and a List 2 consisting of sentences regarding an additional character. In Experiment 1, we explored the role of rehearsal as the mechanism producing SDF by examining the effect of articulatory suppression after List 1 and during List 2 presentation. In Experiment 2 and 3 we explored the role of attentional control mechanisms by introducing a concurrent updating task after List 1 and during List 2 (Experiment 2) and by manipulating the number of characters to be selectively forgotten (1 out of 3 vs. 2 out of 3). Results from the three experiments suggest that neither rehearsal nor context change seem to be the mechanisms underlying SDF, while the pattern of results is consistent with an inhibitory account. In addition, whatever the responsible mechanism is, SDF seems to rely on the available attentional resources and the demands of the task. Our results join other findings to show that SDF is a robust phenomenon and suggest boundary conditions for the effect to be observed.

Reference:
Aguirre, C., Gomez-Ariza, C. J., Andrés, P., Mazzoni, G., Bajo, T. (2017). Exploring mechanisms of selective directed forgetting. Frontiers in Psychology, 8:316. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00316

[Job offer] Programmer of online psychology experiments

Requirements

Applicants should have a degree in computer programming or in psychology with proven knowledge and experience of programming languages (especially Javascript). Knowledge of existing products or technologies to program online psychology experiments will be valued.

Applicants should be proficient in Spanish and English (comprehension and writing) as the experiments to be developed will be aimed at Spanish and English speakers.

Conditions

Duration: 12 months
Type of contract: Full-time
Starting date: March 1st, 2017
Reference number: 021/2017
Salary: Gross salary of 18.000 Euros/annum (net will vary depending on the applicant’s IRPF rate. As an indicative estimate only, the net salary for an IRPF rate of 16% may be around 1.260 Euros/month).

Description

A one-year full time contract is available within the Neuropsychology and Cognition Group at the University of the Balearic Islands, to work with Prof. Fabrice Parmentier on a research project exploring the links between attention and mindfulness sponsored by the Bial Foundation.

The job will involve developing web-based psychology experiments capable of controlling the presentation of auditory-visual information and record participants’ responses using Javascript programming or similar technology and interface with Qualtrics’ online survey service. The successful candidate may be required to learn to use new interfaces (e.g., Inquisit, jsPsych) depending on the project's needs, and to provide technical assistance in the Cognitive Psychology Laboratory.

More information & how to apply here

 

[Job offer] Post-doctoral research position available

Requirements

Applicants should have a PhD in Psychology, an excellent background in cognitive psychology (especially in the field of attention), should be proficient in English (comprehension and writing), and have good statistical and programming skills (e.g., E-Prime). Preference will be given to candidates who can demonstrate a good research track record. While the majority of the work will be behavioral, some experience or an interest in learning to use transcranial direct electric stimulation (tDCS) will be valued, as some of the research to be carried out will involve this technique.

The Neuropsychology and Cognition group at the University of the Balearic Islands is offering an 17 months post-doctoral contract (starting March 1st, 2017) to work with Prof. Fabrice Parmentier on a MINECO-funded project on auditory distraction by unexpected sounds.

The job will consist in carrying out laboratory experiments (e.g., help prepare materials and program tasks, recruit and test participants, manage and analyze data) and participate in the dissemination of the results (participation to the writing up of scientific articles, participation to conferences).

This job opportunity is ideal for a cognitive psychologist with a motivation for research and wanting to develop their CV to pursue a research career by working in a productive research group. While the research topic is set, the successful applicant will be encouraged to take an active role, and new initiatives fitting the project’s objectives will be welcomed.

Conditions

Duration: 17 months
Type of contract: Full-time postdoctoral
Starting date: March 1st, 2017
Reference number: 020/2017
Salary: Gross salary of 24.000 Euros/annum (net will vary depending on the applicant’s IRPF rate. As an indicative estimate only, the net salary for an IRPF rate of 16% would be around 1.680 Euros/month).

More information

Fabrice Parmentier's research trajectory rated outstanding by the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness

The State Program for Talent Promotion and Employment just announced the results of the 2016 competitive call for the integration of outstanding researchers into public universities and research centers and awarded four former Ramon y Cajal psychology researchers nationwide, among which features Fabrice Parmentier.

The award represents an injection of 100 000 Euros for the University of the Balearic Islands to support the employment of Fabrice Parmentier, who was recently made Full Professor of Experimental Psychology.