Members of the AD&D Lab have long been committed to meaningful community engagement, using research as a tool to address the real-world needs of aging populations. Through active participation in community outreach events—such as at the “Science Café” event hosted by the UCF Disability, Aging, and Technology Faculty Cluster, the […]
We are thrilled to congratulate Dr. Lighthall on her new role as the Interim Associate Dean for Research in the College of Sciences! You can read Dr. Lighthall’s welcome message to the College of Sciences in her new role here.
Congratulations to Christian Yam and Nanisa Goyal on their selection for the 2025 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship program by the UCF Office of Undergraduate Research! The fellowship allows the two students to continue their research at the ADD lab over the summer while receiving a $2,000 stipend. Additionally, the students […]
The Florida Consortium on the Neurobiology of Cognition (FCNC) is an annual conference hosted to provide opportunities for researchers of Florida at all stages of their career to present their work, and network. Cognition researchers from across Florida gathered at University of Central Florida on May 8th and 9th. The […]
Congratulations to three of our undergraduate AD&D research assistants for winning Judges’ Choice Awards for their posters, presented at the 2025 UCF Student Scholar Symposium. Awardees and poster info (left to right): Kazi Salsabil (undergrad RA), Shayna Soares, Nichole Lighthall: “Fake or Real? Unmasking the Role of Personality, Cognitive Reflection, and […]
Congratulations to ADDL postdoc Shensheng Wang who was awarded the Richard Tucker Gerontology research grant from LIFE@UCF. His project, entitled: Humanness in the Eye of the Beholder: Perception of Humanoid Robots in Aging, investigates how aging shapes the perception of humanoid robots. The aim of the study is to understand […]
The paper addresses the role of age related changes to memory in social judgment and decision making involving artificial social agents. As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly humanlike—through social robots, deepfakes, and chatbots—our ability to discern what’s real and whom to trust is increasingly scrutinized. In a recent invited review in […]
Dr. Nichole Lighthall, interviewed by AARP, shared insights into how aging affects decision-making—and how older adults can use their life experience to their advantage. While cognitive processing may slow with age, older adults often draw on accumulated wisdom and emotional insight to make meaningful, values-driven choices. Lighthall emphasizes taking time […]
ADDL PhD student Margaret Doheny was awarded the Richard Tucker Gerontology research grant from LIFE@UCF. Her project, entitled: The Effects of Digitally-mediated Communication on Social Decisions across Adulthood, investigates how social decisions differ through remote communication. The study will compare results from a group of older adults to a group […]
Congratulations to Dr. Lighthall, on her selection for a 2024 Research Incentive Award (RIA) by UCF Faculty Excellence! The Research Incentive award recognizes outstanding research, scholarly, or creative activity that advances the body of knowledge in a particular field, including interdisciplinary research and collaborations. Faculty awards further acknowledge employee contributions […]
Read the Springer Nature “Behind the Paper” story on our recent paper in Scientific Reports. The blog post entitled, “Facing wolves in sheep’s clothing: How younger and older adults differ in trust-related decision-making and learning” can be found here.
This month, the University of Southern California Davis School of Gerontology Alumni Stories series highlights Dr. Lighthall’s work on vulnerability to deception and fraud in aging. In the story, Dr. Lighthall also describes the value of a multi-disciplinary gerontology education for addressing complex scientific questions and societal problems that relate […]
A new collaborative paper in Scientific Reports by Ebner Lab (UF) and Lighthall Lab members describes age differences in trust-related decision making and learning. Using a novel adaptation of the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), facial cues of trustworthiness were paired with IGT card decks such that they were either congruent […]
In their new publication in Activities, Adaptation & Aging, recent AD&D Lab Ph.D. student, Xiaoqing Wan, Dr. Lighthall, and Penn State colleague, Dr. Nelson Roque, found that markers of successful aging predicted elite-levels of tech use in older age. These markers included better cognition, socioeconomics, and self-efficacy. The study also […]
The Marketplace at Avalon Park hosted Maggie Doheny’s informative talk on maintaining brain health while aging. An enthusiastic crowd drawn from communities all around the Orlando area enjoyed hearing the latest research and learning practical strategies they can implement in their own lives.
Dr. Lighthall partnered with One Senior Place on September 8th to provide the center’s members with practical advice on how to stay safe online. She presented current research on trust-based decision making. This background provided context to help seniors more effectively and safely manage their online activities.
Congratulations to AD&D Lab postdoc, Shensheng Wang, on his selection for the UCF Preeminent Postdoctoral Program (P3) Fellowship! With this funding support, Shensheng will continue his work on the lab’s grant-funded studies and develop new projects that build on his interests in humanness perception.
The AD&D Lab will begin a new funded project, thanks to a new award to Dr. Lighthall from the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). The project entitled, “Measuring uncertainty mechanisms with fNIRS”, will support research and student training under the AFRL’s Minority Leaders Research Collaboration Program (ML-RCP). This study seeks […]
In their new publication in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, AD&D Lab Ph.D. student, Maggie Doheny and Dr. Lighthall describe new challenges and perspectives in cognitive neuroscience, with a focus on social cognitive neuroscience in the digital age. The paper reviews our current understanding of the social-cognitive neural network and summarizes […]
Congrats to our three AD&D Lab members who were selected for Judge’s Choice awards at the 2023 UCF Student Scholar Symposium! The studies presented include one 2nd year Ph.D. student project and two Honors Undergraduate Thesis projects. Awardees and poster info (left to right): Jordan Schotz (Ph.D. student), Nichole […]