Raheleh Saryazdi
Assistant Professor
BSc (Trent), MA, PhD (University of Toronto)
Office Location: Durham GTA B218
E-Mail: rahelehsaryazdi@trentu.ca
website: www.rsaryazdi.com
Research interests:
My research program is broadly focused on how sensory, cognitive, and social factors interact to influence everyday activities of both healthy and clinical populations. Specifically, my research encompasses the following themes: 1) Exploring patterns of change in language production and comprehension across the lifespan; 2) Studying interactions between humans and between humans and artificial agents; 3) Designing and evaluating technology-based interventions for eliciting conversations and reminiscence in clinical populations (e.g., people living with dementia); 4) Investigating how multisensory integration (visual, auditory, olfactory) affects memory; and 5) Examining factors that influence older adults’ driving habits and behaviours.
Teaching:
- Aging and Cognition (PSYC3440)
- Adult Development and Aging (PSYC3550)
- Behaviour Modification (PSYC3610)
***Open to accepting practicum and research students for Winter 2025, Summer 2025, Fall 2025
***Open to accepting graduate students 2025-2026
Selected publications:
- Saryazdi, R., Nuque, J., & Chambers, C. G. (2022). Linguistic redundancy and its effects on younger and older adults' real-time comprehension and memory. Cognitive Science, 46(4). https://doi.org/10.1111/cogs.13123
- Saryazdi, R., Nuque, J., & Chambers, C. G. (2022). Pragmatic inferences in aging and human-robot communication. Cognition, 223. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2022.105017
- Saryazdi, R., DeSantis, D., Johnson, E. K., & Chambers, C. G. (2021). The use of disfluency cues in spoken language processing: Insights from aging. Psychology and Aging, 36(8), 928-942. https://doi.org/10.1037/pag0000652
- Saryazdi, R., & Chambers, C. G. (2021). Gesture and reference to objects in the here-and-now: Listeners’ use of gesture cues in quiet and in noise. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 48(4), 583–597. https://doi.org/10.1037/xlm0001035
- Saryazdi, R., & Chambers, C. G. (2021). Real-time communicative perspective taking in younger and older adults. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 47(3), 439-454. https://doi.org/10.1037/xlm0000890
- Saryazdi, R., Bannon, J., & Chambers, C. G. (2019). Age-related differences in referential production: A multiple-measures study, Psychology and Aging, 34(6). 790. https://doi.org/10.1037/pag0000372
- Saryazdi, R., Bak, K., & Campos, J. L. (2019). Inattentional blindness during driving in younger and older adults. Frontiers in Psychology,10, 880. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00880