The Memory & Decision Processes (MAD) Lab is housed in the Department of Psychology at Toronto Metropolitan University in downtown Toronto, and is directed by Dr. Julia Spaniol. Research in the MAD Lab uses behavioural and neuroscience techniques to study how motivation and emotion affect cognitive processes in younger and older adults.
Welcome to the Memory and Decision Processes Lab!
About Us
Recent News
September 2025: Congratulations to Dr. Pelin Tanberg, MAD lab postdoctoral fellow, who has received a 2-year NSERC postdoctoral fellowship!
September 2025: Farewell and congratulations to Dr. Lindsay Santacroce, MAD lab postdoctoral fellow, who is moving on to an industry job in the U.K.!
September 2025: Welcome to new MAD lab thesis students, Janka Meszaros and Emily Tran!
September 2025: Congratulations to Mane Kara-Yakoubian and Megan Vaziri on their new OGS scholarships!
August 2025: Congrats to Megan Vaziri on her successful MA defense! Way to go, Megan!
July 2025: New MAD Lab study, on prosociality and memory, in press at Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition! Congrats to first author Shadini Dematagoda!
July 2025: Aalim Makani and Lindsay Santacroce present MAD lab research at CSBBCS in Dundee, Scotland!
June 2025: Julia Spaniol receives a 2-year SSHRC Insight Development Grant ($75K) for a project entitled, “Advice from Algorithms: Adult Age Differences in Trust and Advice-Taking from Generative AI”
May 2025: Pelin Tanberg presents MAD lab research at the Toronto Area Memory Group meeting! Megan Vaziri serves as meeting Co-Chair this year.
May 2025: Congrats to Emily Tran on their new NSERC USRA!
April 2025: Julia Spaniol receives $312,200 in research funding from NSERC for a 5-year research program entitled, “Curiosity and information seeking across the adult lifespan.”
January 2025: Julia Spaniol and collaborators receive $75K in research funding from Bridging Divides for a 2-year project entitled, “Advanced Digital Technologies in Newcomer Employment Programs: Understanding the Role of Metacognitive Skills and other Individual Differences.”
January 2025: New MAD Lab study, on social presence effects in online learning, accepted at PLOS ONE. Congrats Lindsay Santacroce (first author) and coauthors!