Kennison (January 3, 2012)
1
Curriculum Vita
Robert F. Kennison
EDUCATION
Ph.D., Cognitive Psychology, Claremont Graduate University (May, 2000).
M.A., Psychology, California State University, Fullerton (August, 1991).
B.A., Psychology, California State University, Fullerton (May, 1986).
POST DOCTORAL TRAINING
Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Post Doctoral Fellow (T32 AG00037)
Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California (May, 2001 –
September, 2004).
EMPLOYMENT
Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, California State University, Los Angeles, Los
Angeles, CA (September 2006 – present).
Research Associate and Lecturer, Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern
California (May 2000 – June 2001; September 2004-July 2006).
Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Postdoctoral Fellow (June 2001–September 2004).
Lecturer, Department of Psychology, California State University, Fullerton, Fullerton, CA 1995–
2000).
Research Assistant to Dr. Leah L. Light, Pitzer College, Claremont, Ca (1993-2000).
Research Assistant to Dr. Kathy Pezdek, Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, Ca (19911993).
GRANTS and FUNDING
Co-investigator, National Institute on Aging grant (Principle investigator: Helena Chui, M.D.)
“The aging brain Project 1: The course of cognitive change in late adulthood” (Grant #
AG-10-002). Total funding is $100,000. (August 2010-present).
Co-principal Investigator, National Institute on Aging grant (Principal Investigator: Elizabeth
Zelinski), “Longitudinal Assessment of Cognition in Adults” (Grant # RO1-AG10569).
Total funding is $3,520,212. (October 2007-present).
Co-principal Investigator, contract with Posit Science Corporation (Principal Investigator:
Elizabeth Zelinski); Title: Computer Based Training for Cognitive Enhancement:
Auditory Training In Home, 2-Arm Model (amount: $197, 000) (2006-2008).
Creativity Grant ($12,000), California State University, Los Angeles; Title: Artificial Grammar
Learning in Young and Older adults (2006).
National Institute on Health Loan Repayment Program; Competitive program that provided up to
$35,000 per year to repay student loans (2003-2006).
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
Kennison (January 3, 2012)
2
Kennison, R., F. & Cox, J. (2013). Health and Functional Limitations Predict Depression
Scores in the Health and Retirement Study: Results straight from MARS. California
Journal of Health Promotion, 11, 97-108.
Brown, C. L., Gibbons, L. E., Kennison, R. F., Robitaille, A., Lindwall, M., Mitchell, M. B.,
Shirk., S. D., Atri, A., Cimino, C. R., Benitez, A., MacDonald, S. W. S., Zelinski, E. M.,
Willis, S. L., Schaie, K. W., Johansson., B., Dixon, R., Mungas, D. M., Hofer, S. M., and
Piccinin, A. M. (2013). Social activity and cognitive function over time: A coordinated
analysis of four longitudinal studies. Journal of Aging Research.
Lindwall, M., Cimino, C. R., Gibbons, L. E., Mitchell, M. B., Benitez, A., Brown, C. L.,
Kennison, R. F.. Shirk S. D., Atri, A., Robitaille, A., MacDonald, S. W. S., Zelinski, E.
M., Willis, S. L., Schaie. K. W., Johansson, B., Praetorius, M., Dixon., R. A., Mungas, D.
M., Hofer, S. M., and Piccinin, A. M. (2013). Dynamic associations of change in physical
activity and change in cognitive function: Coordinated analyses of four longitudinal
studies. Journal of Aging Research.
Mitchell, M. B., Cimino, C. R., Benitez, A., Brown, C. L., Gibbons, L. E., Kennison, R. F.,
Shirk, S. D., Atri, A., Robitaille, A., MacDonald, S. W. S., Lindwall, M., Zelinski, E. M.,
Willis, S. L., Schaie, K. W., Johansson., B., Dixon, R., Mungas, D. M., Hofer, S. M., and
Piccinin, A. M. (2013). Cognitively stimulating activities: Effects on cognition across
four studies with up to 21 years of longitudinal data. Journal of Aging Research.
Ahacic, K., Kennison R. F., & Kareholt, I. (2013). Changes in sobriety in the Swedish population
over three decades: Age, period, or cohort effects? Addiction.
Zelinski, E. M., Spina, L., Yaffe, K., Ruff, R., Kennison, R. F., Mahncke, H. W., & Smith G. E.
(2011). Improvement in memory with plasticity-based adaptive cognitive training
(IMPACT): Results of the 3-month follow-up. Journal of the American Geriatric Society,
59, 258-265.
Smith, G. E., Housen, P., Yaffe, K., Ruff, R., Kennison, R. F., Mahncke, H. W. & Zelinski, E.
M. (2009). Effects of a Brain-Plasticity-Based Cognitive Training Program on Memory
Functioning in Older Adults with Normal Cognition: Results from the IMPACT
Randomized Trial. Journal of the American Geriatric Society, 57, 594-603.
Zelinski, E. M., Kennison. R. F., Watts, A. & Lewis, K. L. (2008). Convergence between
longitudinal and cross-sectional studies: Cohort matters. In C. Hertzog, & H. Bosworth
(Eds.) Cognition in aging methodologies and applications: Festschrift for K. Warner
Schaie. Washington DC: American Psychological Association.
Ahacic, K., Kennison R. F., & Thorslund M., (2008). Trends in smoking in Sweden from 1968 to
2002: Age, period, and cohort patterns. Preventive Medicine, 46, 558-564.
Zelinski, E. M., & Kennison. R. F. (2007). Not your parent's test scores: Cohort reduces
psychometric aging effects. Psychology and Aging, 22, 546-557.
Kennison, R. F., & Zelinski, E. M. (2005). Estimating age change in list recall in AHEAD: The
effects of attrition bias and missing data treatment. Psychology and Aging. 20, 460-475
Zelinski, E. M., & Kennison, R. F. (2004). Age-related changes in memory and mood. In M. K.
Sun (ed.) Cognition and mood interactions. New York: Nova Science.
Light, L. L., Kennison, R. F., & Healy, M. (2002). Bias effects in word fragment completion in
young and older adults. Memory and Cognition, 30, 1204-1218.
Zelinski, E. M., & Kennison, R. F. (2001). The Long Beach Longitudinal Study of Cognition and
Aging: Evaluation of longitudinal effects of aging on memory and cognition. Home
Health Care Services Quarterly, 19, 45-55.
Light, L. L., Prull, M. W., & Kennison, R. F. (2000). Divided attention, aging, and priming in
Kennison (January 3, 2012)
3
exemplar generation and category verification. Memory and Cognition, 28, 856-872.
Prull, M. W., Light, L. L., Collett, M. E., & Kennison, R. F. (1998). Age differences in memory
illusions: Revelation effect. Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition, 5, 147-165.
Light, L. L., & Kennison, R. F. (1996). Guessing strategies, aging, and bias effects in perceptual
identification. Consciousness and Cognition, 5, 463-499.
Light, L. L., & Kennison, R. F. (1996). Guessing strategies in perceptual identification: A reply
to McKoon and Ratcliff. Consciousness and Cognition, 5, 512-524.
Light, L. L., & Kennison, R. F., Prull, M. W., La Voie, D., & Zuellig, M. (1996). One-trial
associative priming of nonwords in young and older adults. Psychology and Aging, 11,
417-430.
Light, L. L., La Voie, D., & Kennison, R. F. (1995). Repetition priming of nonwords in young
and older adults. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and
Cognition, 21, 327-346.
Kennison, R. F., & McFarland, R. A. (1990). Music affects learning of a Braille-like task by
sighted subjects. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 69, 923-929.
RECENT CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
Kennison, R. F., Petway, K., & Zelinski (2012, April). Age and Cohort Effects in Psychometric
Measures of the Long Beach Longitudinal Study: A MARS Analysis. Poster presented at
the Cognitive Aging Conference, Atlanta, GA.
Kennison, R. F., & Cox, J. (2011, November). Health and demographic predictors of
longitudinal change in depression scores: Results straight from MARS. Poster presented
at the Gerontological Society of America Conference, Boston, MA.
Kennison, R. F., Petway, K., & Zelinski (2011, July). Identification of spline functions and
cohort differences in psychometric measures of the Long Beach Longitudinal Study.
Poster presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference, Paris France.
Kennison, R. F., & Cox, J. (2010, April). Health and demographic predictors of longitudinal
change in depression scores: Results from multiple adaptive regression spline models.
Poster presented at the Western Psychological Association Annual Conference, Los
Angeles, CA.
Kennison, R. F., & Cox, J. (2010, November). Health and demographic predictors of
longitudinal change in depression scores. Poster presented at the Gerontological Society
of America Conference, New Orleans, LA.
Ahacic, K., Kennison, R. F., & Kareholt, I. (2010, November). Changes in sobriety: Age, cohort,
or period effects? Poster presented at the Gerontological Society of America Conference,
New Orleans, LA.
Zelinski, E. M., Spina, L., Yaffe, K., Ruff, R., Kennison, R. F., Mahncke, H. W., & Smith G. E.
(2010, May). Individual differences in retention of benefits from computer training of
cognitive abilities. International Society for Gerontechnology, Vancouver, Canada.
Kennison, R. F., & Zelinski E. M. (2010, April). Identification of spline functions and cohort
differences in five psychometric measures of the Long Beach Longitudinal Study. Poster
presented at the Cognitive Aging Conference, Atlanta, GA.
Kennison, R. F., Hernandez, H. & Zelinski E. M. (2008, November). Predictors of explicit and
implicit memory in a large sample of adults. Poster presented at the Gerontological
Society of America Conference, National Harbor, MD.
Cox, J., & Kennison, R. F. (2008, November). Health and cognition measures predict depression
Kennison (January 3, 2012)
4
in HRS. Poster presented at the Gerontological Society of America Conference,
National Harbor, MD.
Zelinski, E. M., Housen, P., Yaffe, K., Ruff, R., Kennison, R., Mahncke, H., & Smith, G. E.
(2008, June). Who benefits from computer training of cognitive abilities? Paper
presented at the triennial meeting of the International Society for Gerontechnology, Pisa,
Italy.
Zelinski, E. M., Yaffe, K., Smith, G. E., Ruff, R., & Kennison, R. F. (2008, May). The IMPACT
Study: A randomized controlled trial of a brain plasticity-based training program for agerelated cognitive decline. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the American
Geriatrics Society. Selected for Presidential Poster Session (for highest rated
submissions).
Kennison, R. F., & Zelinski E. M. (2008, April). Longitudinal change in psychometric ability
measures: When do age declines accelerate? Poster presented at the Cognitive Aging
Conference, Atlanta, GA.
Yaffe K., Smith G., Ruff R., Kennison R. F., Zelinski E. M. (2008, April). A randomized
controlled trial of a brain plasticity-based training program for age-related cognitive
decline: The IMPACT trial. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the American
Academy of Neurology, Chicago.
Smith, G. E., Kennison, R. F., Ruff, R. M., Yaffe K., Zelinski E. M. (2008, February). The
IMPACT Study: A randomized controlled trial of a brain-plasticity-based training
program for age-related cognitive decline. Poster presented at the International
Neuropsychology Society, Waikoloa, HI.
Kennison, R. F., & Zelinski E. M. (2007, November). When do age declines accelerate?:
Evidence from profile likelihood analysis. Poster presented at the Gerontological Society
of America Conference, San Francisco, CA.
Kennison, R. F., & Zelinski E. M. (2006, April). Reasoning predicts change in list recall:
Evidence from bivariate latent difference score models. Poster presented at the Cognitive
Aging Conference, Atlanta, GA.
Kennison, R. F., & Zelinski E. M. (2006, November). Longitudinal change in definition
recognition. Poster presented at the Gerontological Society of America Conference,
Dallas, TX.
HONORS
Brayfield Award for Most Meritorious Dissertation, Claremont Graduate University, 2000.
Graduated with high honors, California State University, Fullerton, 1991.
Graduated with honors, California State University, Fullerton, 1986.