Mary Whatley

Dr. Mary Whatley is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Western Carolina University (WCU), affiliated with the College of Education and Allied Professions. She joined WCU in Fall 2024 after completing her PhD and MS at UCLA and a BS from UNC-Chapel Hill. Her research focuses on learning and memory processes, particularly exploring motivational factors like curiosity and information value across adult lifespan. She emphasizes how aging influences cognition, including successful aging and metacognition. Teaching includes research methods and cognitive psychology courses (e.g., PSY 271, PSY 844).

Education:

• PhD, University of California, Los Angeles
• MS, University of California, Los Angeles
• BS, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Research Interests: Dr. Whatley investigates how curiosity, learning goals, and information value shape memory and learning in classrooms and everyday life, with a focus on aging populations. She explores cognitive strengths in older adults, such as metaphor comprehension, and addresses challenges like misinformation susceptibility. Her work integrates metacognition, schematic support, and motivational dynamics.

Articles Overview: Recent work emphasizes collaborative learning benefits, age-related curiosity shifts, and metaphor comprehension in older adults. Her research spans memory accuracy, graphical data interpretation biases during the pandemic, and interventions to improve aging expectations in younger adults.

Advising: Accepting graduate students for 2025-26. Undergraduate researchers can apply via email with resumes and interest statements.

Labs and Teams: Leads the Memory Lab at WCU (https://memorylabwcu.weebly.com/), focusing on lifespan cognition and learning strategies.