![Dominic Guitard](https://profiles-cardiff.imgix.net/attachments/2974?w=200&h=200&auto=format&crop=faces&fit=crop&q=90")
Dr Dominic Guitard
- Available for postgraduate supervision
Teams and roles for Dominic Guitard
Lecturer
Overview
Research Summary
Memory is fundamentally imperfect; it does not work like a video recording. We sometimes recall details that never happened or forget events we believed were unforgettable. Yet these imperfections reveal something profound: memory is not a passive storehouse but an active and adaptive system that is naturally prone to error.
My research investigates how people learn, store, and retrieve information, and how these processes are influenced by attention, prior knowledge, and language across the lifespan, from childhood to older adulthood. I am particularly interested in understanding why people make memory errors and how these errors can be predicted with precision. To study these questions, I combine experimental and computational approaches. My experiments examine how people remember sequences of information (such as words, images, or events) under varying conditions.
I also develop computational models, formal mathematical frameworks that simulate how memory operates. These models produce precise, testable predictions about human behaviour and enable direct comparisons between competing theories of memory. By integrating multiple mathematical techniques, my goal is to build a general account of memory that explains performance and error patterns across different tasks and contexts.
This work advances our theoretical understanding of how memory functions while also informing practical applications in education, aging, and cognitive technologies, helping to design strategies and tools that support learning and memory throughout life.
Publication
2025
- Guitard, D., Saint-Aubin, J., Reid, J. N. and Jamieson, R. K. 2025. An embedded computational framework of memory: The critical role of representations in veridical and false recall predictions. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review 32, pp. 2004-2058. (10.3758/s13423-025-02669-7)
- Guitard, D., Neath, I. and Surprenant, A. M. 2025. Word length vs. lexical factors: Re-examining what causes the word length effect in serial recognition. Memory & Cognition (10.3758/s13421-025-01762-5)
- Sonier, R., Guitard, D., Melanson, E., Jamieson, R. K. and Saint- Aubin, J. 2025. Semantic similarity is not emotional: No effect of similarity defined by valence, arousal and dominance on short-term ordered recall. Memory & Cognition 53, pp. 1708-1724. (10.3758/s13421-024-01678-6)
- Ishiguro, S., Guitard, D. and Saint-Aubin, J. 2025. Examining the semantic relatedness effect on working memory with ad hoc categories. Memory & Cognition 53, pp. 1944-1962. (10.3758/s13421-025-01692-2)
- Forsberg, A., Guitard, D., Greene, N. R., Naveh-Benjamin, M. and Cowan, N. 2025. Differential information transfer and loss between working memory and long-term memory across serial positions. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition 51(8), pp. 1191-1212. (10.1037/xlm0001437)
- Delooze, M. A., Guitard, D., Cowan, N. and Morey, C. C. 2025. Rapid source forgetting across modalities: a problem for working memory models. Memory & Cognition 53, pp. 1481-1496. (10.3758/s13421-024-01664-y)
- Gionet, S., Guitard, D., Poirier, M., Yearsley, J. M. and Saint-Aubin, J. 2025. Distinctiveness and interference in free recall: a test with the production effect. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition (10.1037/xlm0001504)
- Cowan, N. and Guitard, D. 2025. Similar working memory outcomes with successive versus concurrent presentation of tones and colors. Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics 87, pp. 884-898. (10.3758/s13414-025-03036-3)
- Caplan, J. B. and Guitard, D. 2025. Inverted list-strength effects in recognition. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition (10.1037/xlm0001489)
- Guitard, D., Saint-Aubin, J., Reid, J. N. and Jamieson, R. K. 2025. An embedded computational framework of memory: Accounting for the influence of semantic information in verbal short-term memory. Journal of Memory and Language 140, article number: 104573. (10.1016/j.jml.2024.104573)
- Roodenrys, S., Miller, L. M., Guitard, D. and Neath, I. 2025. Similar phonemes create interference in the serial recall task. Memory 33(2), pp. 248-258. (10.1080/09658211.2024.2433049)
- Ishiguro, S., Guitard, D. and Saint-Aubin, J. 2025. Lion – tiger – stripes: Delimiting the semantic association effect on working memory with mediated association. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology
- Greene, N. R., Guitard, D., Forsberg, A., Cowan, N. and Naveh-Benjamin, M. 2025. Long-term representational costs of overloading working memory. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review
- Reid, J. N., Guitard, D. and Jamieson, R. K. 2025. MINERVA OPS: A computational framework for the representation and recognition of orthographic, phonological, and semantic associates. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review
2024
- Caplan, J. B. and Guitard, D. 2024. Stimulus duration and recognition memory: an attentional subsetting account. Journal of Memory and Language 139, article number: 104556. (10.1016/j.jml.2024.104556)
- Sfeir, N., Guitard, D. and Cowan, N. 2024. Short- and long-term influences of repeated speech examples on segmentation in an unfamiliar language analog. Memory & Cognition 52, pp. 1941-1957. (10.3758/s13421-024-01517-8)
- Cowan, N. and Guitard, D. 2024. Encoding colors and tones into working memory concurrently: A developmental investigation. Developmental Science 27(6), article number: e13552. (10.1111/desc.13552)
- Greene, N. R., Guitard, D., Forsberg, A., Cowan, N. and Naveh-Benjamin, M. 2024. Working memory limitations constrain visual episodic long-term memory at both specific and gist levels of representation. Memory & Cognition 52, pp. 1958-1982. (10.3758/s13421-024-01593-w)
- Gionet, S., Guitard, D. and Saint-Aubin, J. 2024. The interaction between the production effect and serial position in recognition and recall. Experimental Psychology 71(5), pp. 259-277. (10.1027/1618-3169/a000623)
- Spear, J., Reid, J. N., Guitard, D. and Jamieson, R. K. 2024. Directed forgetting and the production effect: Assessing strength and distinctiveness. Experimental Psychology: The journal for experimental research in psychology 71(5), pp. 278-297. (10.1027/1618-3169/a000630)
- Lawrence, C. O., Guitard, D. and Cowan, N. 2024. Short-term retention of words as a function of encoding depth. Memory & Cognition 52, pp. 1338-1356. (10.3758/s13421-024-01546-3)
- Dauphinee, I., Roy, M., Guitard, D., Yearsley, J. M., Poirier, M. and Saint-Aubin, J. 2024. Give me enough time to rehearse: Presentation rate modulates the production effect. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review 31, pp. 1603-1614. (10.3758/s13423-023-02437-5)
- Bireta, T. J., Guitard, D., Neath, I. and Surprenant, A. M. 2024. Valence and concreteness in item recognition: Evidence against the affective embodiment account. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review 31, pp. 1570-1578. (10.3758/s13423-023-02442-8)
- Saint-Aubin, J., Poirier, M., Yearsley, J. M. and Guitard, D. 2024. The production effect becomes spatial. Experimental Psychology: The journal for experimental research in psychology 71(1), pp. 14–32. (10.1027/1618-3169/a000609)
- Greene, N. R., Forsberg, A., Guitard, D., Naveh-Benjamin, M. and Cowan, N. 2024. A lifespan study of the confidence-accuracy relation in working memory and episodic long-term memory. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General 153(5), pp. 1336-1360. (10.1037/xge0001551)
- Guitard, D., Miller, L. M., Neath, I. and Roodenrys, S. 2024. Set size and orthographic/phonological neighbourhood size effect in serial recognition: the importance of randomization. Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology 78(1), pp. 9-16. (10.1037/cep0000320)
- Guitard, D., Miller, L. M., Neath, I. and Roodenrys, S. 2024. The orthographic/phonological neighbourhood size effect and set size. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology 77(2), pp. 298-307. (10.1177/17470218231165863)
- Caplan, J. B. and Guitard, D. 2024. A feature-space theory of the production effect in recognition. Experimental Psychology 71(1), pp. 64-82. (10.1027/1618-3169/a000611)
- Cowan, N. et al. 2024. The relation between attention and memory. Annual Review of Psychology 75, pp. 183-214. (10.1146/annurev-psych-040723-012736)
2023
- Laplante, E., Geraghty, V., Hendel, E., Sonier, R., Guitard, D. and Saint-Aubin, J. 2023. Aural and written language elicit the same processes: further evidence from the missing-phoneme effect. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition 49(11), pp. 1844-1860. (10.1037/xlm0001272)
- Pannell, B., Guitard, D., Li, Y. and Cowan, N. 2023. Can synchronized tones facilitate immediate memory for printed lists?. Memory 31(9), pp. 1163-1175. (10.1080/09658211.2023.2231672)
- Forsberg, A., Guitard, D., Adams, E. J., Pattanakul, D. and Cowan, N. 2023. Working memory constrains long-term memory in children and adults: memory of objects and bindings. Journal of intelligence 11(5), article number: 94. (10.3390/jintelligence11050094)
- Guitard, D. and Fiset, S. 2023. Stat checkers make reproducible computer code mandatory [Readers Correspondence]. Nature 616(7957), article number: 433. (10.1038/d41586-023-01275-8)
- Saint-Aubin, J., Poirier, M., Yearsley, J. M., Robichaud, J. and Guitard, D. 2023. Modeling verbal short-term memory: A walk around the neighborhood.. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition 49(2), pp. 198-215. (10.1037/xlm0001226)
2022
- Cyr, V., Poirier, M., Yearsley, J. M., Guitard, D., Harrigan, I. and Saint-Aubin, J. 2022. The production effect over the long term: modeling distinctiveness using serial positions. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition 48(12), pp. 1797-1820. (10.1037/xlm0001093)
- Forsberg, A., Guitard, D., Greene, N. R., Naveh-Benjamin, M. and Cowan, N. 2022. The proportion of working memory items recoverable from long-term memory remains fixed despite adult aging.. Psychology and Aging 37(7), pp. 777-786. (10.1037/pag0000703)
- Roodenrys, S., Guitard, D., Miller, L. M., Saint-Aubin, J. and Barron, J. 2022. Phonological similarity in the serial recall task hinders item recall, not just order. British Journal of Psychology 113(4), pp. 1100-1120. (10.1111/bjop.12575)
- Guitard, D. and Cowan, N. 2022. Attention allocation between item and order information in short-term memory. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology (10.1177/17470218221118451)
- Saint-Aubin, J., Guitard, D. and Poirier, M. 2022. A curved honulo improves your short-term and long-term memory. Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology 76(3), pp. 201-209. (10.1037/cep0000279)
- Landry, E., Guitard, D. and Saint-Aubin, J. 2022. Arousal affects short-term serial recall. Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology 76(2), pp. 99-110. (10.1037/cep0000272)
- Guitard, D. and Saint-Aubin, J. 2022. Backward recall and foreknowledge of recall direction: a test of the Encoding–Retrieval Matching Hypothesis. Memory 30(8), pp. 1057-1072. (10.1080/09658211.2022.2079675)
- Guitard, D., Saint-Aubin, J. and Cowan, N. 2022. Tradeoffs between item and order information in short-term memory. Journal of Memory and Language 122, article number: 104300. (10.1016/j.jml.2021.104300)
- Forsberg, A., Guitard, D., Adams, E. J., Pattankul, D. and Cowan, N. 2022. Children's long-term retention is directly constrained by their working memory capacity limitations. Developmental Science 25(2), article number: 13164. (10.1111/desc.13164)
- Guitard, D., Saint-Aubin, J. and Cowan, N. 2022. Grouping effects in immediate reconstruction of order and the preconditions for long-term learning. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology 75(1), pp. 70-97. (10.1177/17470218211030825)
- Gionet, S., Guitard, D. and Saint-Aubin, J. 2022. The production effect interacts with serial positions: further evidence from a between-subjects manipulation. Experimental Psychology 69(1), pp. 12-22. (10.1027/1618-3169/a000540)
- Cowan, N., Guitard, D., Greene, N. R. and Fiset, S. 2022. Exploring the use of phonological and semantic representations in working memory. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition 48(11), pp. 1638-1659. (10.1037/xlm0001077)
- AuBuchon, A. M. et al. 2022. Lexical access speed and the development of phonological recoding during immediate serial recall. Journal of Cognition and Development 23(5), pp. 624-643. (10.1080/15248372.2022.2083140)
- Guitard, D., Saint-Aubin, J. and Neath, I. 2022. Additional evidence that valence does not affect serial recall. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology (10.1177/17470218221126635)
2021
- Guitard, D. and Saint-Aubin, J. 2021. The irrelevant speech effect in backward recall is modulated by foreknowledge of recall direction and response modality. Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology 75(3), pp. 245-260. (10.1037/cep0000248)
- Saint-Aubin, J., Yearsley, J. M., Poirier, M., Cyr, V. and Guitard, D. 2021. A model of the production effect over the short-term: The cost of relative distinctiveness. Journal of Memory and Language 118, article number: 104219. (10.1016/j.jml.2021.104219)
- Elliott, E. M. et al. 2021. Multi-lab direct replication of Flavell, Beach and Chinsky (1966): spontaneous verbal rehearsal in a memory task as a function of age. Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science 4(2), pp. 1-20. (10.1177/25152459211018187)
- Forsberg, A., Guitard, D. and Cowan, N. 2021. Working memory limits severely constrain long-term retention. Psychonomic Bulletin and Review 28(2), pp. 537-547. (10.3758/s13423-020-01847-z)
- Guitard, D., Saint-Aubin, J. and Cowan, N. 2021. Asymmetrical interference between item and order information in short-term memory.. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition 47(2), pp. 243-263. (10.1037/xlm0000956)
2020
- Guitard, D. and Cowan, N. 2020. Do we use visual codes when information is not presented visually?. Memory and Cognition 48(8), pp. 1522-1536. (10.3758/s13421-020-01054-0)
- Sonier, R., Poirier, M., Guitard, D. and Saint-Aubin, J. 2020. A round Bouba is easier to remember than a curved Kiki: sound-symbolism can support associative memory. Psychonomic Bulletin and Review 27(4), pp. 776-782. (10.3758/s13423-020-01733-8)
- Ensor, T. M., Bancroft, T. D., Guitard, D., Bireta, T. J., Hockley, W. E. and Surprenant, A. M. 2020. Testing a strategy-disruption account of the list-strength effect: are sampling bias and output interference responsible?. Experimental Psychology 67(4), pp. 255-275. (10.1027/1618-3169/a000494)
- Saint-Aubin, J., Beaudry, O., Guitard, D., Pâquet, M. and Guérard, K. 2020. The word length effect in backward recall: the role of response modality. Memory 28(5), pp. 692-700. (10.1080/09658211.2020.1762896)
- Guitard, D., St Aubin, J., Poirier, M., Miller, L. M. and Tolan, A. 2020. Forward and backward recall: Different visuospatial processes when you know what’s coming. Memory and Cognition 48(1), pp. 111-126. (10.3758/s13421-019-00966-w)
- Foglia, V. et al. 2020. When pictures take away from the message: An examination of young adults’ attention to texting and driving advertisements.. Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology 74(2), pp. 131-143. (10.1037/cep0000190)
2019
- Chubala, C. M., Guitard, D., Neath, I., Saint-Aubin, J. and Surprenant, A. M. 2019. Visual similarity effects in immediate serial recall and (sometimes) in immediate serial recognition. Memory and Cognition 48(3), pp. 411-425. (10.3758/s13421-019-00979-5)
- Ensor, T. M., Guitard, D., Bireta, T. J., Hockley, W. E. and Surprenant, A. M. 2019. The list-length effect occurs in cued recall with the retroactive design but not the proactive design.. Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology/Revue canadienne de psychologie exp{é}}rimentale 74(1), pp. 12-24. (10.1037/cep0000187)
- Charrette, C., Perron, M., Guitard, D. and Roy-Charland, A. 2019. Authentic smiles and simulated smiles: ocular exploration and judgment in children, Sourires authentiques et sourires simulés: exploration oculaire et jugement chez les enfants. Enfance 2019(2), pp. 181-199. (10.3917/enf2.192.0181)
- Guitard, D., Millier, L. M., Neath, I. and Roodenrys, S. 2019. Does contextual diversity affect serial recall?. Journal of Cognitive Psychology 31(4), pp. 379-396. (10.1080/20445911.2019.1626401)
- Poirier, M., Yearsley, J. M., Saint-Aubin, J., Fortin, C., Gallant, G. and Guitard, D. 2019. Dissociating visuo-spatial and verbal working memory: it’s all in the features. Memory and Cognition 47(4), pp. 603-618. (10.3758/s13421-018-0882-9)
2018
- Guitard, D., St Aubin, J., Tehan, G. and Tolan, A. 2018. Does neighborhood size really cause the word length effect?. Memory and Cognition 46(2), pp. 244-260. (10.3758/s13421-017-0761-9)
- Saint-Aubin, J., Hilchey, M., Mishra, R., Singh, N., Savoie, D., Guitard, D. and Klein, R. 2018. Does the relation between the control of attention and second language proficiency generalize from India to Canada?. Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology 72(3), pp. 208-218. (10.1037/cep0000151)
- Guitard, D., Gabel, A., Saint-Aubin, J., Surprenant, A. and Neath, I. 2018. Word length, set size, and lexical factors: Re-examining what causes the word length effect. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning Memory and Cognition 44(11), pp. 1824-1844. (10.1037/xlm0000551)
2015
- Guitard, D. and Saint-Aubin, J. 2015. A Replication of "Functional Equivalence of Verbal and Spatial Information in Serial Short-Term Memory (1995; Experiments 2 and 3)".. The Quantitative Methods for Psychology 11(2), pp. r4-r7. (10.20982/tqmp.11.2.r004)
Articles
- Guitard, D., Saint-Aubin, J., Reid, J. N. and Jamieson, R. K. 2025. An embedded computational framework of memory: The critical role of representations in veridical and false recall predictions. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review 32, pp. 2004-2058. (10.3758/s13423-025-02669-7)
- Guitard, D., Neath, I. and Surprenant, A. M. 2025. Word length vs. lexical factors: Re-examining what causes the word length effect in serial recognition. Memory & Cognition (10.3758/s13421-025-01762-5)
- Sonier, R., Guitard, D., Melanson, E., Jamieson, R. K. and Saint- Aubin, J. 2025. Semantic similarity is not emotional: No effect of similarity defined by valence, arousal and dominance on short-term ordered recall. Memory & Cognition 53, pp. 1708-1724. (10.3758/s13421-024-01678-6)
- Ishiguro, S., Guitard, D. and Saint-Aubin, J. 2025. Examining the semantic relatedness effect on working memory with ad hoc categories. Memory & Cognition 53, pp. 1944-1962. (10.3758/s13421-025-01692-2)
- Forsberg, A., Guitard, D., Greene, N. R., Naveh-Benjamin, M. and Cowan, N. 2025. Differential information transfer and loss between working memory and long-term memory across serial positions. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition 51(8), pp. 1191-1212. (10.1037/xlm0001437)
- Delooze, M. A., Guitard, D., Cowan, N. and Morey, C. C. 2025. Rapid source forgetting across modalities: a problem for working memory models. Memory & Cognition 53, pp. 1481-1496. (10.3758/s13421-024-01664-y)
- Gionet, S., Guitard, D., Poirier, M., Yearsley, J. M. and Saint-Aubin, J. 2025. Distinctiveness and interference in free recall: a test with the production effect. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition (10.1037/xlm0001504)
- Cowan, N. and Guitard, D. 2025. Similar working memory outcomes with successive versus concurrent presentation of tones and colors. Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics 87, pp. 884-898. (10.3758/s13414-025-03036-3)
- Caplan, J. B. and Guitard, D. 2025. Inverted list-strength effects in recognition. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition (10.1037/xlm0001489)
- Guitard, D., Saint-Aubin, J., Reid, J. N. and Jamieson, R. K. 2025. An embedded computational framework of memory: Accounting for the influence of semantic information in verbal short-term memory. Journal of Memory and Language 140, article number: 104573. (10.1016/j.jml.2024.104573)
- Roodenrys, S., Miller, L. M., Guitard, D. and Neath, I. 2025. Similar phonemes create interference in the serial recall task. Memory 33(2), pp. 248-258. (10.1080/09658211.2024.2433049)
- Ishiguro, S., Guitard, D. and Saint-Aubin, J. 2025. Lion – tiger – stripes: Delimiting the semantic association effect on working memory with mediated association. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology
- Greene, N. R., Guitard, D., Forsberg, A., Cowan, N. and Naveh-Benjamin, M. 2025. Long-term representational costs of overloading working memory. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review
- Reid, J. N., Guitard, D. and Jamieson, R. K. 2025. MINERVA OPS: A computational framework for the representation and recognition of orthographic, phonological, and semantic associates. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review
- Caplan, J. B. and Guitard, D. 2024. Stimulus duration and recognition memory: an attentional subsetting account. Journal of Memory and Language 139, article number: 104556. (10.1016/j.jml.2024.104556)
- Sfeir, N., Guitard, D. and Cowan, N. 2024. Short- and long-term influences of repeated speech examples on segmentation in an unfamiliar language analog. Memory & Cognition 52, pp. 1941-1957. (10.3758/s13421-024-01517-8)
- Cowan, N. and Guitard, D. 2024. Encoding colors and tones into working memory concurrently: A developmental investigation. Developmental Science 27(6), article number: e13552. (10.1111/desc.13552)
- Greene, N. R., Guitard, D., Forsberg, A., Cowan, N. and Naveh-Benjamin, M. 2024. Working memory limitations constrain visual episodic long-term memory at both specific and gist levels of representation. Memory & Cognition 52, pp. 1958-1982. (10.3758/s13421-024-01593-w)
- Gionet, S., Guitard, D. and Saint-Aubin, J. 2024. The interaction between the production effect and serial position in recognition and recall. Experimental Psychology 71(5), pp. 259-277. (10.1027/1618-3169/a000623)
- Spear, J., Reid, J. N., Guitard, D. and Jamieson, R. K. 2024. Directed forgetting and the production effect: Assessing strength and distinctiveness. Experimental Psychology: The journal for experimental research in psychology 71(5), pp. 278-297. (10.1027/1618-3169/a000630)
- Lawrence, C. O., Guitard, D. and Cowan, N. 2024. Short-term retention of words as a function of encoding depth. Memory & Cognition 52, pp. 1338-1356. (10.3758/s13421-024-01546-3)
- Dauphinee, I., Roy, M., Guitard, D., Yearsley, J. M., Poirier, M. and Saint-Aubin, J. 2024. Give me enough time to rehearse: Presentation rate modulates the production effect. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review 31, pp. 1603-1614. (10.3758/s13423-023-02437-5)
- Bireta, T. J., Guitard, D., Neath, I. and Surprenant, A. M. 2024. Valence and concreteness in item recognition: Evidence against the affective embodiment account. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review 31, pp. 1570-1578. (10.3758/s13423-023-02442-8)
- Saint-Aubin, J., Poirier, M., Yearsley, J. M. and Guitard, D. 2024. The production effect becomes spatial. Experimental Psychology: The journal for experimental research in psychology 71(1), pp. 14–32. (10.1027/1618-3169/a000609)
- Greene, N. R., Forsberg, A., Guitard, D., Naveh-Benjamin, M. and Cowan, N. 2024. A lifespan study of the confidence-accuracy relation in working memory and episodic long-term memory. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General 153(5), pp. 1336-1360. (10.1037/xge0001551)
- Guitard, D., Miller, L. M., Neath, I. and Roodenrys, S. 2024. Set size and orthographic/phonological neighbourhood size effect in serial recognition: the importance of randomization. Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology 78(1), pp. 9-16. (10.1037/cep0000320)
- Guitard, D., Miller, L. M., Neath, I. and Roodenrys, S. 2024. The orthographic/phonological neighbourhood size effect and set size. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology 77(2), pp. 298-307. (10.1177/17470218231165863)
- Caplan, J. B. and Guitard, D. 2024. A feature-space theory of the production effect in recognition. Experimental Psychology 71(1), pp. 64-82. (10.1027/1618-3169/a000611)
- Cowan, N. et al. 2024. The relation between attention and memory. Annual Review of Psychology 75, pp. 183-214. (10.1146/annurev-psych-040723-012736)
- Laplante, E., Geraghty, V., Hendel, E., Sonier, R., Guitard, D. and Saint-Aubin, J. 2023. Aural and written language elicit the same processes: further evidence from the missing-phoneme effect. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition 49(11), pp. 1844-1860. (10.1037/xlm0001272)
- Pannell, B., Guitard, D., Li, Y. and Cowan, N. 2023. Can synchronized tones facilitate immediate memory for printed lists?. Memory 31(9), pp. 1163-1175. (10.1080/09658211.2023.2231672)
- Forsberg, A., Guitard, D., Adams, E. J., Pattanakul, D. and Cowan, N. 2023. Working memory constrains long-term memory in children and adults: memory of objects and bindings. Journal of intelligence 11(5), article number: 94. (10.3390/jintelligence11050094)
- Guitard, D. and Fiset, S. 2023. Stat checkers make reproducible computer code mandatory [Readers Correspondence]. Nature 616(7957), article number: 433. (10.1038/d41586-023-01275-8)
- Saint-Aubin, J., Poirier, M., Yearsley, J. M., Robichaud, J. and Guitard, D. 2023. Modeling verbal short-term memory: A walk around the neighborhood.. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition 49(2), pp. 198-215. (10.1037/xlm0001226)
- Cyr, V., Poirier, M., Yearsley, J. M., Guitard, D., Harrigan, I. and Saint-Aubin, J. 2022. The production effect over the long term: modeling distinctiveness using serial positions. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition 48(12), pp. 1797-1820. (10.1037/xlm0001093)
- Forsberg, A., Guitard, D., Greene, N. R., Naveh-Benjamin, M. and Cowan, N. 2022. The proportion of working memory items recoverable from long-term memory remains fixed despite adult aging.. Psychology and Aging 37(7), pp. 777-786. (10.1037/pag0000703)
- Roodenrys, S., Guitard, D., Miller, L. M., Saint-Aubin, J. and Barron, J. 2022. Phonological similarity in the serial recall task hinders item recall, not just order. British Journal of Psychology 113(4), pp. 1100-1120. (10.1111/bjop.12575)
- Guitard, D. and Cowan, N. 2022. Attention allocation between item and order information in short-term memory. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology (10.1177/17470218221118451)
- Saint-Aubin, J., Guitard, D. and Poirier, M. 2022. A curved honulo improves your short-term and long-term memory. Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology 76(3), pp. 201-209. (10.1037/cep0000279)
- Landry, E., Guitard, D. and Saint-Aubin, J. 2022. Arousal affects short-term serial recall. Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology 76(2), pp. 99-110. (10.1037/cep0000272)
- Guitard, D. and Saint-Aubin, J. 2022. Backward recall and foreknowledge of recall direction: a test of the Encoding–Retrieval Matching Hypothesis. Memory 30(8), pp. 1057-1072. (10.1080/09658211.2022.2079675)
- Guitard, D., Saint-Aubin, J. and Cowan, N. 2022. Tradeoffs between item and order information in short-term memory. Journal of Memory and Language 122, article number: 104300. (10.1016/j.jml.2021.104300)
- Forsberg, A., Guitard, D., Adams, E. J., Pattankul, D. and Cowan, N. 2022. Children's long-term retention is directly constrained by their working memory capacity limitations. Developmental Science 25(2), article number: 13164. (10.1111/desc.13164)
- Guitard, D., Saint-Aubin, J. and Cowan, N. 2022. Grouping effects in immediate reconstruction of order and the preconditions for long-term learning. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology 75(1), pp. 70-97. (10.1177/17470218211030825)
- Gionet, S., Guitard, D. and Saint-Aubin, J. 2022. The production effect interacts with serial positions: further evidence from a between-subjects manipulation. Experimental Psychology 69(1), pp. 12-22. (10.1027/1618-3169/a000540)
- Cowan, N., Guitard, D., Greene, N. R. and Fiset, S. 2022. Exploring the use of phonological and semantic representations in working memory. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition 48(11), pp. 1638-1659. (10.1037/xlm0001077)
- AuBuchon, A. M. et al. 2022. Lexical access speed and the development of phonological recoding during immediate serial recall. Journal of Cognition and Development 23(5), pp. 624-643. (10.1080/15248372.2022.2083140)
- Guitard, D., Saint-Aubin, J. and Neath, I. 2022. Additional evidence that valence does not affect serial recall. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology (10.1177/17470218221126635)
- Guitard, D. and Saint-Aubin, J. 2021. The irrelevant speech effect in backward recall is modulated by foreknowledge of recall direction and response modality. Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology 75(3), pp. 245-260. (10.1037/cep0000248)
- Saint-Aubin, J., Yearsley, J. M., Poirier, M., Cyr, V. and Guitard, D. 2021. A model of the production effect over the short-term: The cost of relative distinctiveness. Journal of Memory and Language 118, article number: 104219. (10.1016/j.jml.2021.104219)
- Elliott, E. M. et al. 2021. Multi-lab direct replication of Flavell, Beach and Chinsky (1966): spontaneous verbal rehearsal in a memory task as a function of age. Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science 4(2), pp. 1-20. (10.1177/25152459211018187)
- Forsberg, A., Guitard, D. and Cowan, N. 2021. Working memory limits severely constrain long-term retention. Psychonomic Bulletin and Review 28(2), pp. 537-547. (10.3758/s13423-020-01847-z)
- Guitard, D., Saint-Aubin, J. and Cowan, N. 2021. Asymmetrical interference between item and order information in short-term memory.. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition 47(2), pp. 243-263. (10.1037/xlm0000956)
- Guitard, D. and Cowan, N. 2020. Do we use visual codes when information is not presented visually?. Memory and Cognition 48(8), pp. 1522-1536. (10.3758/s13421-020-01054-0)
- Sonier, R., Poirier, M., Guitard, D. and Saint-Aubin, J. 2020. A round Bouba is easier to remember than a curved Kiki: sound-symbolism can support associative memory. Psychonomic Bulletin and Review 27(4), pp. 776-782. (10.3758/s13423-020-01733-8)
- Ensor, T. M., Bancroft, T. D., Guitard, D., Bireta, T. J., Hockley, W. E. and Surprenant, A. M. 2020. Testing a strategy-disruption account of the list-strength effect: are sampling bias and output interference responsible?. Experimental Psychology 67(4), pp. 255-275. (10.1027/1618-3169/a000494)
- Saint-Aubin, J., Beaudry, O., Guitard, D., Pâquet, M. and Guérard, K. 2020. The word length effect in backward recall: the role of response modality. Memory 28(5), pp. 692-700. (10.1080/09658211.2020.1762896)
- Guitard, D., St Aubin, J., Poirier, M., Miller, L. M. and Tolan, A. 2020. Forward and backward recall: Different visuospatial processes when you know what’s coming. Memory and Cognition 48(1), pp. 111-126. (10.3758/s13421-019-00966-w)
- Foglia, V. et al. 2020. When pictures take away from the message: An examination of young adults’ attention to texting and driving advertisements.. Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology 74(2), pp. 131-143. (10.1037/cep0000190)
- Chubala, C. M., Guitard, D., Neath, I., Saint-Aubin, J. and Surprenant, A. M. 2019. Visual similarity effects in immediate serial recall and (sometimes) in immediate serial recognition. Memory and Cognition 48(3), pp. 411-425. (10.3758/s13421-019-00979-5)
- Ensor, T. M., Guitard, D., Bireta, T. J., Hockley, W. E. and Surprenant, A. M. 2019. The list-length effect occurs in cued recall with the retroactive design but not the proactive design.. Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology/Revue canadienne de psychologie exp{é}}rimentale 74(1), pp. 12-24. (10.1037/cep0000187)
- Charrette, C., Perron, M., Guitard, D. and Roy-Charland, A. 2019. Authentic smiles and simulated smiles: ocular exploration and judgment in children, Sourires authentiques et sourires simulés: exploration oculaire et jugement chez les enfants. Enfance 2019(2), pp. 181-199. (10.3917/enf2.192.0181)
- Guitard, D., Millier, L. M., Neath, I. and Roodenrys, S. 2019. Does contextual diversity affect serial recall?. Journal of Cognitive Psychology 31(4), pp. 379-396. (10.1080/20445911.2019.1626401)
- Poirier, M., Yearsley, J. M., Saint-Aubin, J., Fortin, C., Gallant, G. and Guitard, D. 2019. Dissociating visuo-spatial and verbal working memory: it’s all in the features. Memory and Cognition 47(4), pp. 603-618. (10.3758/s13421-018-0882-9)
- Guitard, D., St Aubin, J., Tehan, G. and Tolan, A. 2018. Does neighborhood size really cause the word length effect?. Memory and Cognition 46(2), pp. 244-260. (10.3758/s13421-017-0761-9)
- Saint-Aubin, J., Hilchey, M., Mishra, R., Singh, N., Savoie, D., Guitard, D. and Klein, R. 2018. Does the relation between the control of attention and second language proficiency generalize from India to Canada?. Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology 72(3), pp. 208-218. (10.1037/cep0000151)
- Guitard, D., Gabel, A., Saint-Aubin, J., Surprenant, A. and Neath, I. 2018. Word length, set size, and lexical factors: Re-examining what causes the word length effect. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning Memory and Cognition 44(11), pp. 1824-1844. (10.1037/xlm0000551)
- Guitard, D. and Saint-Aubin, J. 2015. A Replication of "Functional Equivalence of Verbal and Spatial Information in Serial Short-Term Memory (1995; Experiments 2 and 3)".. The Quantitative Methods for Psychology 11(2), pp. r4-r7. (10.20982/tqmp.11.2.r004)
Research
External research collaborators
Research is a privilege, and working with people who share your passion is the greatest reward. Over the years, I have been extremely fortunate to collaborate with many exceptional researchers around the world. Below are links to some of the colleagues with whom I have ongoing projects or who have significantly shaped my research trajectory.
United States:
Canada:
United Kingdom:
Australia:
Teaching
Teaching Summary
At the UG level, I teach the Year 2 module "Thinking, Emotion, and Consciousness" (PS2023) and the Year 3 module "Applying Cognitive Science" (PS3321). I also give seminars for Year 2.
At the PG level, I am contributing to the supervision of the research project module (PST723), and act as a personal tutor.
Biography
I completed all my higher education at the Université de Moncton under the mentorship of Dr. Jean Saint-Aubin. I earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology (2013–2016), completing a thesis that examined backward recall—the ability to recall information in reverse order, a task widely used in intelligence testing at the time. I then completed a Master of Arts in Psychology (2016–2018), investigating how lexico-semantic factors influence memory “capacity,” demonstrating that performance depends more on linguistic and semantic properties than on word length or articulation duration.
During my Master’s degree, I completed a four-month research internship at Memorial University of Newfoundland (Canada) under the supervision of Dr. Aimée Surprenant and Dr. Ian Neath. Together, we explored the general principles underlying verbal memory and proposed the lexical hypothesis, suggesting that memory performance is largely shaped by subtle, often hidden, effects of prior linguistic experience.
I pursued my PhD in Psychology (2018–2021) at the Université de Moncton, again focusing on backward recall. During this period, I developed a new theoretical account of serial recall and designed several experiments to test its predictions. As part of my doctoral work, I undertook research visits to the University of Wollongong (Australia), where I worked with Dr. Leonie Miller and Dr. Steven Roodenrys to further examine how prior linguistic information influences memory performance. I also spent four months at the University of Missouri (United States) collaborating with Dr. Nelson Cowan, where we initiated several projects on how attention is allocated between item and order information, how working memory capacity constrains transfer to long-term memory, and how prior knowledge shapes performance across the lifespan.
After completing my PhD, I was awarded a prestigious postdoctoral fellowship from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) to continue my collaboration with Dr. Cowan. During this time, I was also invited to work for three months with Dr. Randall Jamieson (University of Manitoba), where we developed the Embedded Computational Framework of Memory (eCFM)—a framework that integrates memory and language models to generate precise, testable predictions across a range of tasks.
My current research extends this work by developing accessible computational models that can generalize across diverse memory paradigms. The broader goal is to bridge theoretical silos in cognitive science and move toward a unified, mechanistic account of human memory and cognition.
Honours and awards
Over the years, I have been fortunate to receive several honours recognizing both my research and teaching. I am deeply grateful to my mentors and collaborators whose guidance and partnership have shaped and supported this work.
Since completing my PhD, my research has been recognised internationally through multiple distinctions. I was named a Rising Star (2024) by the Association for Psychological Science, acknowledging outstanding early-career contributions to psychological science. Several of my publications have been selected as Editor’s Choice articles in leading journals, including Experimental Psychology (2022, 2024, 2025), Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance (2023), and Journal of Intelligence (2024).
I have also been recognised for excellence in teaching and student engagement at Cardiff University, where I was nominated for Most Engaging Staff Member (2022–2023) and Most Outstanding Learning Experience (2024–2025) as part of the Enriching Student Life Awards, which celebrate individuals who have made a significant positive difference to students’ university experience.
Prior to joining Cardiff, my doctoral research received several major distinctions in Canada. I was awarded the Governor General’s Gold Medal (2021) for achieving the highest academic standing at the graduate level, the Vo-Van Award (2022) for the best dissertation across all disciplines at the Université de Moncton, and the Developmental Science Best Paper Award (2021) for our work, led by Dr. Alicia Forsberg, on how children’s working memory capacity constrains long-term retention. Earlier in my career, I received the Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology Best Article Award (2020) for work led by Dr. Tyler Ensor, the President’s Award from the Université de Moncton (2020) for best student publication for my research on backward recall, and multiple certificates of academic excellence from the Canadian Psychological Association and the Université de Moncton for both my Master’s and undergraduate degrees.
Academic positions
2022 - present: Lecturer, School of Psychology, Cardiff University
2021 - 2022: Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (NSERC), Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri
Committees and reviewing
I currently serve on the editorial boards of the Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science and Memory. In addition to my editorial duties, I regularly review manuscripts for a wide range of journals and have acted as a reviewer for several national and international research funding bodies. These include the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) for Alliance Grant proposals, the National Science Center in Poland, and the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Nature et technologies (FRQNT), where I have twice served as a reviewer and panel member for the Committee C.3 Biology and Neuroscience Research Team Projects.
Each year, I review numerous manuscripts spanning experimental psychology, cognitive science, neuroscience, and computational modeling. The journals for which I have reviewed include: Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science (editorial board member), Memory (editorial board member), Communication Psychology, Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, Psychology and Aging, Developmental Science, Journal of Memory and Language, Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, Cortex, Computational Brain & Behavior, Royal Society Open Science, Consciousness and Cognition, Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology, Journal of Cognition, Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, Memory & Cognition, Cognitive Processing, Cognitive Science, Acta Psychologica, The International Journal of Aerospace Psychology, Language & Cognition, Cognition, PCI Registered Reports, Neuropsychologia, and Psychological Research.
