The community is invited to join Lander University and the Arts Center of Greenwood for the fifth installment of the 2023-24 Community Lecture Series Tuesday, March 12, at the Arts Center. Associate Professor of Psychology Dr. Shana Southard-Dobbs will give a talk titled “Forget What You Know: Mythbusting Memory.” The lecture begins at 6 p.m., with refreshments starting at 5:30 p.m. This event is free and open to the public.

Memory is an essential function of the human mind. Much of what we think and do throughout a day relies on our ability to successfully remember information and skills, and our most treasured personal memories can help us to know and understand ourselves, our families and our communities. Yet, the familiarity of our own memories can obscure our understanding of memory’s true complexity. Many of the go-to strategies students rely on to learn and remember information are ineffective. Memories of personal experiences can change in surprising ways over time, and a person’s confidence in their memory is sometimes a shockingly bad indicator of its accuracy. In this interactive talk, Southard-Dobbs will illustrate important, and sometimes surprising findings from the scientific research on memory that can impact the lives of every learner, educator and community member.

At Lander, Southard-Dobbs teaches courses on memory and cognitive psychology for the Department of Psychological Sciences and Human Services. She also mentors student researchers in her Stress and Cognition Lab. She earned a B.A. in Psychology from Hendrix College, an M.S. in Community Counseling from the University of Central Arkansas and a Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from the University of North Texas. Southard-Dobbs was the 2019 recipient of the Junior Faculty Teaching Award and is a Faculty Fellow in the Center for Faculty Excellence at Lander University.

Please visit www.lander.edu/events for updates and to confirm event times and venues. For questions, please contact Interim Assistant Provost Dr. Mark Rollins at 864-388-8563 or [email protected].