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David C. Rubin

Juanita M. Kreps Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience
Psychology & Neuroscience
Box 90086, Durham, NC 27708-0086
240 Reuben--Cooke Bldg, Durham, NC 27708

Overview


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My main research interest has been in long-term memory, especially for complex (or "real-world") stimuli. This work includes the study of autobiographical memory and oral traditions, as well as prose. I have also studied memory as it is more commonly done in experimental psychology laboratories using lists. In addition to this purely behavioral research, which I plan to continue, I work on memory in clinical populations with the aid of a National Institute of Mental Health grant to study PTSD and on the underlying neural basis of memory the aid of a National Institute of Aging grant to study autobiographical memory using fMRI.

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Juanita M. Kreps Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience · 2008 - Present Psychology & Neuroscience, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience · 2006 - Present Psychology & Neuroscience, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Faculty Network Member of the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences · 2011 - Present Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, University Institutes and Centers

In the News


Published May 4, 2016
Science explains why your mom calls you by your brother's name
Published May 2, 2016
Science explains why your mom calls you by your brother's name
Published April 28, 2016
Slips of the Lip Stay All in the Family

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Recent Publications


Involuntary autobiographical memories as a transdiagnostic factor in mental disorders.

Journal Article Clinical psychology review · March 2025 Involuntary autobiographical memories are memories of personal events that come to mind with no preceding retrieval attempts. They have been studied broadly in autobiographical memory for decades and shown to be common and mostly positive in everyday life. ... Full text Cite

Exploring Changes in Consciousness, Cognition, and Anxiety Amid Social Isolation: China’s Strict COVID-19 Measures as a Case Study

Journal Article Psychology of Consciousness: Theory Research, and Practice · January 1, 2025 Prolonged social isolation is known to cause alterations in conscious experience, such as hallucination, and cognitive problems. Surprisingly, although COVID-19 quarantine policies involved long periods of physical confinement and isolation, little is know ... Full text Cite

Measuring narrative identity: rater coding versus questionnaire-based approaches.

Journal Article Memory (Hove, England) · August 2024 Narrative identity - how individuals narrate their lived and remembered past - is usually assessed via independent rater coding, but new methods relying on self-report have been introduced. To test the assumption that different methods assess aspects of th ... Full text Cite
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Recent Grants


Behavior and Physiology in Aging

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institute on Aging · 2015 - 2025

Training Autobiographical Memory Retrieval in Healthy Older Adults Using Novel Lifelogging Technology

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2018 - 2023

A Model of Autobiographical Memory & Its Changes in PTSD

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2002 - 2016

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Education, Training & Certifications


Harvard University · 1974 Ph.D.

External Links


Rubin Lab Website