Department of Psychology

Ana M. Franco-Watkins received her Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology from the University of Maryland at College Park. She completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at the University of California, San Diego. In 2006, she joined the Psychology Department at Auburn University as an assistant professor. Her research examines memory, attention, and decision making processes. Current research projects include: 1) dual-task and memory retrieval 2) cognitive load and decision making, and 3) using eye-tracking methodology to understand decision processes.

• 2004, Ph.D., Cognitive Psychology, University of Maryland at College Park
• 1999, M.A., Experimental Psychology, The College of William & Mary
• 1997, B.A., Psychology, St. Mary’s College of Maryland

• Dougherty, M. R., Franco-Watkins, A. M., Thomas, R. (2008). The psychological plausibility of the theory of probabilistic mental models and fast and frugal heuristics. Psychological Review, 115, 199-211.
• Franco-Watkins, A. M., Pashler, H., & Rickard, T. C. (2006). Does working memory load lead to greater impulsivity? Commentary on Hinson, Jameson, and Whitney’s (2003). Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 32, 443-447.
• Franco-Watkins, A. M. & Dougherty, M. R. (2006). Word concreteness and encoding effects on context-dependent discrimination. Memory and Cognition, 34, 973-985.

• PSYC3540, Cognitive Psychology
• PSYC4250, Choice and Decision
• PSYC7190, Cognitive Psychology