Cynthia Erickson

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Cynthia Erickson

Professor of Psychological Sciences

Psychological Sciences

Bio

After earning my Ph.D. in Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of Arizona, I conducted research from at the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, MD and the University of California at Davis and Berkeley. My research focuses on the neurobiology of visual memory and perception. Currently, this work translates into better student learning.

Degree

PhD in Psychology & Neuroscience

University of Arizona

MS in Psychology

Emporia State University

BS in Psychology

Nebraska Wesleyan University

Published Works

  • Erickson, C., Hobbs, S., Slaski, M. . Matching learning style to study materials does not improve retention of course materials. Teaching of Psychology.
  • Erickson, C. . Everybody Learns: Transforming Statistics for Social and Behavioral Sciences . (). Oxford.
  • Kerbert, P. M., le Jeune, S. S., Philips, L. K., Shaw, L. K., Erickson, A. C., Espinosa-Mur, P. (2025). Radiographic abnormalities of thoracolumbar spinous process is not associated with decreased performance in 102 warmblood jumping horse in active competition.. Journal of Equine Veterinary Sciencehttps://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/journal-of-equine-veterinary-science.
  • Erickson, A. C., Hernandez, O. J., Hoekstra, J. S., Jordan, A., Hill, G. K. (2024). Self-disclosures during Lecture Affect Students’ Perceptions of Professor but not Student Learning Outcomes. Teaching of Psychologyhttps://doi.org/10.1177/00986283241295372.
  • Gruidel, A. K., Hernandez, J., Erickson, C. . Changes in attitudes towards online therapy post COVID-19 Pandemic: Follow up to Knechtel & Erickson (2020) . Journal of Technology in Human Serviceshttps://www.tandfonline.com/toc/wths20/current.
  • Erickson, C. (2024). A Little to the Left: A Demonstration of the Role of Feedback in Learning. [Manuscript in preparation]. Journal of Undergraduate Neuroscience Educationhttps://www.funjournal.org/.
  • Lyons, K., Erickson, C. . Risk/reward decisions in adults. https://journals.sagepub.com/description/EAX.
  • le Jeune, S. S., Philips, L. K., Shaw, L. K., Erickson, A. C., Espinosa-Mur, P. . Radiographic abnormalities and interobserver repeatability of thoracolumbar spinous processes in Irish Sport horses. Equine Veterinary Journalhttps://beva.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/20423306.
  • Lundstrom, T., Rocheleau, C., Flores Guerra, N., Erickson, C. (2021). Participation in a Yoga Study Decreases Stress and Depression Scores for Incarcerated Women. International Journal of Yoga Therapy, 31-11. https://doi.org/10.17761/2021-D-19-00064.
  • Hill, G. K., Martichewsky, J. M., Erickson, A. C. (2021). Information Type Influences Student Perceptions of Faculty Self-Disclosures. Teaching of Psychology, 48(3), 215-220. https://doi.org/10.1177/0098628320952408.
  • Knechtel, L., Erickson, C. (2020). Who’s Logging on? Differing Attitudes About Online Therapy. Journal of Technology in Human Services, 39(1), 24-42. https://doi.org/10.1080/15228835.2020.1833810 .
  • Thomé, A., Gray, T. D., Erickson, C., Lipa, P., Barnes, A. C. (2016). Memory impairment in aged primates is associated with region-specific network dysfunction.. Molecular psychiatry, 21257–1262. https://doi.org/10.1038/mp.2015.160.
  • Walters, B. C., Hill, G. K., Zavilla, R. A., Erickson, C. (2014). Students Apply Research Methods to Consumer Decisions About Cognitive Enhancing Drinks. Journal of Undergraduate Neuroscience Education, 13(1), A21-A28. http://www.funjournal.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/june-13-21.pdf.
  • Thome, A., Erickson, C., Lipa, P., Barnes, A. C. (2012). Differential effects of experience on tuning properties of macaque MTL neurons in a passive viewing task.. Hippocampus, 22(10), 2000-2011. https://doi.org/10.1002/hipo.22070.
  • Insel, N., Ruiz-Luna, Mar'ia Luisa., Permenter, M., Vogt, J., Erickson, C., Barnes, A. C. (2008). Aging in rhesus macaques is associated with changes in novelty preference and altered saccade dynamics.. Behavioral neuroscience, 122(6), 1328. .
  • Gothard, M. K., Battaglia, P. F., Erickson, C., Spitler, M. K., Amaral, G. D. (2007). Neural responses to facial expression and face identity in the monkey amygdala.. Journal of neurophysiology, 97(2), 1671-83. https://doi.org/10.1152/jn.00714.2006.
  • Gothard, M. K., Erickson, C., Amaral, G. D. (2004). How do rhesus monkeys ( Macaca mulatta) scan faces in a visual paired comparison task?. Animal cognition, 7(1), 25-36. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-003-0179-6.
  • Erickson, C., Barnes, A. C. (2003). The neurobiology of memory changes in normal aging.. Experimental gerontology, 38(1-2), 61-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0531-5565(02)00160-2.
  • Erickson, C., Jagadeesh, B., Desimone, R. (2000). Clustering of perirhinal neurons with similar properties following visual experience in adult monkeys.. Nature Neuroscience/Nature, 3(11), 1143-8. https://doi.org/10.1038/80664.
  • Erickson, C., Desimone, R. (1999). Responses of macaque perirhinal neurons during and after visual stimulus association learning.. The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience, 19(23), 10404-16. .
  • Miller, K. E., Erickson, C., Desimone, R. (1996). Neural mechanisms of visual working memory in prefrontal cortex of the macaque.. The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience, 16(16), 5154-67. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.16-16-05154.1996.
  • Erickson, C., Jung, W. M., McNaughton, L. B., Barnes, A. C. (1996). Contribution of single-unit spike waveform changes to temperature-induced alterations in hippocampal population spikes.. Experimental brain research, 107(3), 348-60. .
  • Barnes, A. C., Erickson, C., Davis, S., McNaughton, B. (1995). Hippocampal synaptic enhancement as a basis for learning and memory: a selected review of current evidence from behaving animals. (pp 259--276). Oxford University Press New York.
  • Erickson, C. (1993). Brain and behavior: Searching for the biological basis of learning.. The University of Arizona.,
  • Worley, F. P., Bhat, V. R., Baraban, M. J., Erickson, C., McNaughton, L. B., Barnes, A. C. (1993). Thresholds for synaptic activation of transcription factors in hippocampus: correlation with long-term enhancement. Journal of Neuroscience, 13(11), 4776--4786. .
  • Erickson, C., McNaughton, L. B., Barnes, A. C. (1993). Comparison of long-term enhancement and short-term exploratory modulation of perforant path synaptic transmission.. Brain research, 615(2), 275-80. .
  • Barnes, A. C., McNaughton, L. B., Erickson, C. (1991). Behaviorally Induced Synaptic Changes. (1, pp 247). Long-term Potentiation: A Debate of Current Issues.
  • Becker, H. A., Davis, F. S., Grover, A. C., Erickson, C. (1990). Effects of a protein-and tryptophan-deficient diet upon complex maze performance. Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society, 28(2), 126--128. .
  • Becker, H. A., Davis, F. S., Grover, A. C., Erickson, C. (1989). The effects of a tryptophan-and protein-deficient diet upon growth in rats. Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society, 27(4), 345--347. .
  • Erickson, C. (1988). The nature of associative conditioning in taste-mediated environmental potentiation.. ,
  • Grover, A. C., Kixmiller, S. J., Erickson, C., Becker, H. A., Davis, F. S., Nallan, B. G. (1988). The social transmission of information concerning aversively conditioned liquids. The Psychological Record, 38(4), 557--566. .
  • Davis, F. S., Grover, A. C., Erickson, C. (1987). A comparison of the aversiveness of denatonium saccharide and quinine in humans. Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society, 25(6), 462--463. .
  • Davis, F. S., Grover, A. C., Erickson, C., Miller, A. L., Bowman, A. J. (1987). Analyzing aversiveness of denatonium saccharide and quinine in rats. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 64(3_suppl), 1215--1222. .

Research Interests

One of the brain’s most fascinating abilities is the capacity to quickly and accurately identify previously seen visual images. The ease with which we store and recognize pictures relative to words has been known for over a century. The neural underpinnings of this ability are less well known. Most of my research involves studying how the brain changes with learning and subsequently how the aging process alters this ability.

Teaching Interests

My teaching interests range from social issues such as multicultural psychology to cellular and molecular neurobiology. I am particularly interested in helping students develop strategies for learning complex and difficult concepts regardless of the specific topic.