Department of Psychology

Dr. Lola Cuddy, AMM, BA, Manitoba; MA, PhD, Toronto

Professor Emeritus, Psychology

LOLA CUDDY is currently the Director of the Music Cognition Laboratory which she founded in 1965. Lola continues to serve on the Scientific Advisory Board for the International Conference for the Perception and Cognition of Music and is editor of the journal Music Perception, an interdisciplinary journal publishing theoretical and empirical studies of music perception, cognition, and performance. In 2002, Lola was awarded the Frank Knox Award for Excellence in Teaching by the Queen's AMS. Her research is funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).

Academic Family Tree for Dr. Cuddy

Ashley Vanstone

PhD Candidate, Psychology

ASHLEY VANSTONE is a graduate student in the clinical psychology program. His research examines memory for music in Alzheimer's disease patients. In his clinical training, he is interested in issues relevant to the geriatric population. He comes to Queen's with an B.Mus. from Brandon University and a B.A. in Psychology from York University. For 2012 – 2013 he is doing a full time clinical internship with the Queen's Internship Consortium.

Ritu Sikka

MSc Candidate, Neuroscience

For my Master's degree research, I'm looking for the brain regions that are activated when people listen to familiar music - in order to find a possible basis for the extraordinary musical memory sometimes seen in people with AD (Alzheimer's Disease).  My background is in Computer Science - with a Bachelor's degree from Carleton University in 1992, followed by 10+ years of writing software.  I became interested in how AD affects the brain after taking care of my mother with AD from 2003 to 2008.  I'm also interested in cognitive exercise as a possible means of preventing cognitive decline, and in building computational models of physical processes in the brain behind this decline.

Kevin Shabahang

SWEP/Directed Lab student, Psychology (BAH)

Kevin Shabahang is in his third year of completing an Honour's degree in psychology. He is currently working as a research assistant, and is pursuing his kindling interest in research regarding music perceptual and cognitive processes. More generally, his academic interests gravitate towards a multitude of topics related to cognition and perception, driven by the desire to unravel the workings of the mind. He plays the electric guitar, dabbles on the synthesizer and likes to compose computer-generated music. Although he is in no rush to complete his undergraduate studies and enjoys completely immersing himself in the present moment, he anticipates further research and studies in the field of cognitive science in graduate school.

Meghan Collet

M.Sc Candidate, Psychology (BBCS)

Meghan completed her B.Sc. (Honours) in Behavioural Neuroscience at Memorial University in St. John's, Newfoundland. She is currently studying the effect of musical expectancy on music preference, and is also interested in music-evoked autobiographical memories. She is co-supervised by Lola Cuddy and Niko Troje (BioMotion Lab). Meghan has played and taught flute for years and currently enjoys playing with the Kingston Frontenac Band, as well as with friends whenever a deserted room can be found.

Anja Cui - Master's Student

Anja did her undergraduate studies in Psychology and Piano Performance in Germany (Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln). She is interested in music perception and in understanding why music can make Marilyn Monroe "feel goose-pimply all over" (The Seven Year Itch, 1955), both from a neuroscientific and an anthropological view. In her spare time she hopes to make music that DOES appeal to people. She is co-supervised by Lola Cuddy and Niko Troje (BioMotion Lab).

Mike O'Grady - SWEP/Work Study student, Psychology (BAH)

Mike is currently in his fourth year of Psychology at Queen’s and is working towards completing his honours thesis under the supervision of Kevin Munhall (Speech Perception and Production Lab). As a member of the Music Cognition lab, Mike has been involved in examining the content of music-evoked autobiographical memories (MEAMs) and testing elderly participants, both of which he has found quite rewarding. While not blessed with musical talent of his own, Mike immensely enjoys music and is fascinated by how the brain interprets and reacts to music. In his off time Mike can be found playing various sports casually, training/competing in triathlons, and reading political biographies.

Deanna Choi - Special Directed Lab student

Deanna Choi is in her third year of a BScH in Psychology with a minor in Drama. She graduated from the Royal Conservatory of Music ARCT in violin performance (national gold medal) and has since performed as part of the National Youth Orchestra, Canta Arya Strings, Queen's Vagabond, Queen's Musical Theatre, Blue Canoe Productions, and is currently a member of the Kingston Symphony. Her past research experience has varied from examining childhood experiences in relation to the onset of depression to drug-induced neuroplasticity in rats. Her current project investigates music-evoked autobiographical memories (MEAMs) and she is interested in the clinical and socio-cultural implications of music exposure and performance. She is still unsure of where the primrose scientific research path will lead her, but she believes it may be equally as fascinating and unpredictable as the yellow brick road.

Sarah Davies

Special Directed Lab Volunteer, Psychology (BAH)

I am currently in my fourth year of Psychology at Queen's, but I also have a very keen interest in music. I felt that working with the Music and Cognition Lab would be a great way to combine both of my interests, and I look forward to helping advance our understanding of exactly why and how music is so important to us. I play several different instruments, but my forte is singing soprano and playing any sort of percussion instrument I can get my hands on! I also love composing!

Janice Lee

Honours Thesis Student, Psychology (BAH)

Janice is completing her honours thesis with the Music Cognition Lab, examining the phenomenon of music-evoked autobiographical memories (MEAMs). She is enthused to be learning about and contributing to research on music and memory. Music has always been a major part of her life. She started with piano at five years old and since then, she has enjoyed experimenting with guitar, handbells, clarinet, singing - whatever instrument she can get her hands on. After completing her undergraduate degree in psychology, she will be pursuing a career in occupational therapy and is particularly interested in the role music can play in healthcare.

Edwin Ho

Work Study Student, Life Sciences (BScH)

Edwin is in his third year at Queen's University working towards an undergraduate degree in the Life Sciences research stream.  He hopes to specialize in the Neuroscience stream due to an interest in psychiatric disorders and neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's, and he is also interested in applying epidemiologic principles to clinical data.  When not filing or compiling data or hanging around the lab for the fun of it, he facilitates educational programs around the community as a tutor. and is a fledgling violinist and pianist.

Ingrid Yu

Work Study Student, Life Sciences (BScH)

Ingrid is in her third year of undergraduate studies in the Life Sciences program. Before coming to Queen's, she had completed her ARCT in Piano Performance with the Royal Conservatory of Music, and a few years of experience teaching piano to younger children. Being part of the Music Cognition Lab is a wonderful opportunity for her to combine her interest in Cognitive Psychology with her background in music. She is working towards a career in Physiotherapy, and would love to incorporate her experience at the lab when working with the geriatric population in future years.

Avanti Dey

Research Volunteer, Psychology (BAH) - 2009-11

In my two years at the Music Cognition Lab, I was involved in research examining the neuroscience of musical memories in the brain, particularly in the elderly with dementia; as well as aging and emotional prosody. I graduated in 2011, having completed an honour's thesis in speech perception with Dr. Ingrid Johnsrude. I am currently pursuing my PhD at Washington University in St. Louis, where I am working in both psychology and neuroscience to investigate cognitive aging and speech perception.

Sally Suen

Work Study Student, Life Sciences (BScH) - 2008 - 2010

Sally graduated from Queen's University with a BScH in Life Sciences in 2010 and is currently working at Free the Children coordinating their International and North American Speaking Tours. She began working at the Music Cognition Lab in 2008 and found it to be a wonderful opportunity combining her interests in neurodegenerative diseases and music. Outside of her academics and the lab, She is hoping to pursue a career in healthcare, particularly relating to expressive and play therapies, and is looking forward to draw from her experience at the lab.

Cassandra Brown

Research Assistant - 2009

I graduated from Queen's with a BAH in Psychology. I worked on the music and memory project, which examines memory for music in Alzheimer's disease. Lacking the talent to be a musician myself, I have discovered that studying music is a better outlet for my musical interests. I am also interested in cognitive aging and mental health in older adults and am looking to pursue a graduate degree in this area.

Trina Ghiacy

Volunteer - 2009-11

Having a keen interest in music, Trina enjoyed volunteering at the Music Cognition Lab. Trina is in her third year at the Queen’s School of Business, and had been volunteering with the team since 2008. She has a keen interest in music, psychology and philosophy. She found working at the lab a great learning experience as it gave her the opportunity to explore and develop her interest in science.

Lydia Beck

Honours Thesis Student, Psychology (BAH) - 2008-11

A student in both psychology and drama, I have found that working in the Music Perception Lab is a great way of mixing my interest in science and the arts. I have been volunteering in the lab since October 2008 and worked as a SWEP summer student in 2009. This summer, I especially enjoyed spending time with elderly people while collecting data for the lab. I am very interested in the care of people with dementia, and am learning a lot about this while helping complete the lab's current Music and Memory project. Having recently rekindled my relationship with the piano has helped to demonstrate a lot about my own memory for music and how powerful music can be at any age.

Tina Poon

SWEP student, Psychology (BScH) - 2009-11

Tina is a former research assistant for the Music Cognition Lab. During her time there, she helped develop a Music Engagement Questionnaire specifically for Dementia patients, as well as assist with some other projects. She recently graduated from Queens' University with an undergrad in psychology in 2011 and she is currently pursuing a Masters of Science in Marketing at Concordia University.

Emilie Chan 

Special Directed Lab Student, Psychology (BScH) - 2010-11

I am a third year undergraduate student, working towards my Bachelor of Science in Psychology. I am volunteering in the Music Cognition Lab for the fall term this year, and will be working here in the winter as a Special Directed Lab student. I hope to attend graduate school after I complete my Bachelor's degree, and one day to pursue a career in clinical psychology. Music has always been an area of interest for me, as I was very involved in musical activities all throughout childhood and high school. This is my first time working in a lab, and I look forward to all the new experiences!

Gillian Harper

Volunteer, Psychology (BAH) - 2010-11

I'm a third year student majoring in Psychology and minoring in Music. This lab combines my two major interests of psychology and music. I love studying abnormal and cognitive psychology, especially the ageing brain. I'm interested in research on Alzheimer's disease and musical memories. As for my musical interests, I play piano, flute and compose music when I find the time.

Linda Sun

Volunteer, Music (BMus) and Biology (BScH) - 2010-11

Currently, I am completing my degrees in Biology and Music. Volunteering with the Music Cognition Lab is the perfect opportunity for me to apply my skills and interests. Having had the experience to work with elderly patients in the hospital (who had neurodegenerative diseases), I am eager to understand more about such diseases. Thus, I am very excited to explore the close relationship between musical recognition and Alzheimer's Disease. Aside from schoolwork, my activities include graphic design, photography, dance, travelling and reading.