Sara Appleton-Knapp

Dr. Sara Appleton-Knapp is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Neuroscience, Cognition and Behavior at the University of San Diego. Her work bridges cognitive psychology, neuroscience, and health studies, focusing on memory, obesity, and advertising impacts. She holds a PhD in Cognitive Psychology from UCLA, alongside degrees in Marketing and Classical Civilization.

• Education:
  • PhD, University of California, Los Angeles (Cognitive Psychology)
  • MA, University of California, Los Angeles (Cognitive Psychology)
  • MS, Anderson School of Management, UCLA (Marketing)
  • BA, University of California, Irvine (Classical Civilization)

Her research explores automatic memory processes, advertising effects on product recall, and the interplay between memory, obesity, and diet. She received NIH funding to study memory strategies in obesity contexts and has contributed to neurocognitive treatments for eating disorders. Key themes in her work include cognitive processes in health, marketing stimuli effects, and aging-related memory changes.

Her publications span topics from childhood obesity and cognitive function to spacing effects in advertising. Notable work in 2023 highlights memory strategy inefficiencies linked to obesity, while earlier studies (2002–2009) investigate advertising’s role in brand recall and memory dynamics.

• Awards/Grants:
  • NIH-funded research on memory strategies and obesity

Dr. Appleton-Knapp’s academic journey includes affiliations with UCLA’s Bjork Learning and Forgetting Lab and UC San Diego research collaborations. She emphasizes translational research linking cognitive science to real-world health and marketing challenges.