John F. Nestojko, PhD
Post-doctoral Research Fellow
nestojko@artsci.wustl.edu
http://psych.wustl.edu/memory/nestojko.html
Department of Psychology
Washington University in St. Louis
(310) 650-2392
PROFESSIONAL PROFILE
Ph.D Cognitive Psychologist with nearly 10 years of experience in the field of
human learning, memory, and forgetting. Trained by leaders in my field at top-tier
universities, I am particularly adept at experimental design and well versed in the literatures
within human memory research and psychology broadly. I am passionate about using an
empirical/experimental approach to understanding human memory with the dual goals of
advancing memory theory and applying principles of human memory to enhance practices
in education and training. I have successfully implemented principles of psychology in my
own teaching practice.
HIGHLIGHTS
Mentoring experience in and out of the classroom.
Experience teaching research methods at UCLA using the award-winning model
developed by Dr. Elizabeth Bjork.
Research focus on Applying Cognitive Psychology to Enhance Educational Practice
(grant funded by the James S. McDonnell Foundation).
Breadth and depth of knowledge about psychology from educational and research
training at two top-tier universities.
See a video of me lecturing about Cognitive Illusions, a lecture I delivered to active
older adults at OASIS St. Louis, available via this link: http://tinyurl.com/byuv6o8
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EDUCATION
Ph.D., Psychology (major, Cognitive Psychology; minor, Developmental
Psychology)  2011  University of California, Los Angeles
Angeles, CA, United States
M.A., Psychology  2009  University of California, Los Angeles
Angeles, CA, United States
B.A., Psychology  2005  University of California, Los Angeles
Angeles, CA, United States
Completed Honors Transfer Program
Torrance, CA, United States

2003
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
Los

Los
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Los
El Camino College
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TEACHING STATEMENT
See separate Teaching Statement document for a more complete version.
I view each classroom session as an opportunity for solving a problem. Students
will often not learn what is fed to them via lecture. When a topic is posed as a problem
and students produce ideas of how to solve that problem, then those students will engage in
the learning process and they will gain understanding. My role as a teacher is to guide this
collaborative learning process. I further enhance the student-learning experience by
applying principles of human learning and memory to the classroom.
TEACHING POSITIONS & TRAINING (UCLA)
Recommendations from instructors upon request
Teaching Assistant with Dr. R. Edward Geiselman, Research Methods in
Psychology, Summer, 2010
Teaching Assistant with Dr. Elizabeth Ligon Bjork, Research Methods in
Psychology, Fall, 2009
Teaching Assistant with Dr. Sean McAuliffe, Cognitive Psychology, Summer, 2008
Teaching Assistant with Dr. Hongjing Lu & Dr. Alan Castel, Cognitive Psychology,
Spring, 2008
Teaching Assistant with Dr. Tara K. Scanlan, Sport Psychology, Fall, 2007
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Teaching Assistant with Dr. Andrew Ainsworth, Psychological Statistics, Summer,
2007
Attended teaching apprenticeship practicum, Fall, 2007
Reader / Grader with Dr. Jennifer L. Krull, Advanced Regression Analysis, Spring,
2008
MENTORSHIP
Mentorship is one of my favorite aspects of the academic life. I’m passionate about
training students by providing the basics of research methodology while
fostering their interests in specific areas of research.
Since 2005, I have mentored the following undergraduate students in a research lab
setting (*letters of support upon request; †currently enrolled in graduate programs):
Abate, David
Bartak, Laura
Bekarian, Rose
Blancher, Mark
Bui, Dung C.*†
Bustos, Jessica*
Camarillo, Lauren
Carlos, Joel
Cataldo, Mike*†
Cheng, Yi-Ki
Feldman, Rebecca
Francis, Elizabeth
Goldenson, Nicholas*†
Gonzalez, Brenda*
Gooding, Amanda
Han, Gloria
Ho, Cheryl
Hunter, John*
Kainen, Harry
Kempsell, Andrew*†
Kogan, Dmitry
Morales, Josh*
Morey, Rachel
Morgenstein, Karina
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Muller, Lindsay
Nunez, Mia C.*†
Phan, Danielle
Ramos, Erica
Richland, Brandon
Shaffer, Ruthie
Taylor, Jinnesse
Trost, Terha
Walker, John A*†
Zou, Fan
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CONSULTING
Nestojko, J.F. (2013, March). Cognitive illusions: Understanding the tricks our
minds can play on us. Talk delivered to members of OASIS, St. Louis, as
part of a speaker series implemented by the Academy of Science of St.
Louis, St. Louis, MO. (for a link to a video of this lecture, go to
http://tinyurl.com/byuv6o8).
Nestojko, J.F. (2011, March). Three things to know about learning. Talk delivered
to high school instructors in the San Jose Unified School District for their
annual Staff Development Day for the Learning Options program. During
this 3-hour seminar I taught high school instructors about principles of
learning that will aid their pedagogy.
Provided information about principles of learning and memory in a consultation
interview with Continuum, an innovation design company (November,
2010).
SERVICE
Bjork Learning & Forgetting Lab Undergraduate Journal Club Meeting Organizer
Graduate Student Recruitment Weekend Organizer, UCLA Psychology
Department (Fall, 2007)
Reviewer of multiple articles (2009-present) for numerous journals, including
Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning Memory & Cognition;
Memory; Memory & Cognition.
AWARDS, FELLOWSHIPS, & GRANTS
Psychology Department Dissertation Year Fellowship (2010-2011), UCLA:
$20,000
Graduate Summer Research Mentorship Program (Summer, 2009), UCLA: $4,700
Award for Best Poster (Research Category) at the Symposium of the Science of
Learning in Medical Education (Fall, 2009), UCLA, Los Angeles, CA: $100
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RESEARCH STATEMENT
In my research, I explore the many consequences of retrieving information from
memory. In my postdoctoral work I have investigated the testing effect—the ways in which
retrieval practice (i.e., testing) can enhance memory for tested information. I have also
recently focused on situations in which retrieval practice produces memory errors, such as
enhancing false memory for the source of information. In my graduate and undergraduate
work I investigated another consequence of retrieval, retrieval-induced forgetting—the
impairment of information related to the target(s) of retrieval practice. By attempting to
retrieve a particular item from memory, information related to that item becomes
temporarily less accessible for recall.
I’m fascinated by research on the consequences of retrieval because it provides
both interesting theoretical insights and potential applications to education and training.
Tests are used ubiquitously in educational settings, but typically as evaluation of learning.
There is great potential for tests to promote long-term retention. Tests should be used as
learning tools, as well as for evaluation. It is critical to understand the dynamics of retrieval
as they relate to the optimization of human learning and performance.
RESEARCH POSITIONS
Postdoctoral Research Fellow with Dr. Henry L. Roediger, III, Department of
Psychology, Washington University in St. Louis; August, 2011 to present.
Graduate Student Researcher with Dr. Robert A. Bjork and Dr. Elizabeth Ligon Bjork,
Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles; September, 2006
– June, 2011.
Research Assistant with Kelly Christoffersen, Institute for Creative Technology,
University of Southern California; September 2009 – October 2009.
Lab Assistant, Level I with Dr. Robert A. Bjork and Dr. Elizabeth Ligon Bjork,
Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles; June 2005 – June
2006.
Research Assistant with Dr. Robert A. Bjork and Dr. Elizabeth Ligon Bjork,
Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles; 2004 – 2005.
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PUBLICATIONS
Storm, B.C., & Nestojko, J.F. (2010). Successful inhibition, unsuccessful retrieval:
Manipulating time and success during retrieval practice. Memory, 18 (2), 99114.
Storm, B.C., Bjork, E.L., Bjork, R.A., & Nestojko, J.F. (2006). Is retrieval success
a necessary condition for retrieval-induced forgetting? Psychonomic Bulletin &
Review, 13 (6), 1023-1027.
SCHOLARLY CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
DeSoto, K.A., Nestojko, J.F., & Roediger, H.L., III (2012, November). Effects of
free recall testing on immediate and delayed recognition. Poster presented at
the 53 Annual Meeting of the Psychonomic Society, Seattle, WA.
rd
Nestojko, J.F., Bui, D.C., & Roediger, H.L., III (2012, November). Thinking like
a teacher enhances memory for text information. Poster presented at the 53
Annual Meeting of the Psychonomic Society, Seattle, WA.
rd
Nestojko, J.F., & Roediger, H.L., III (2012, November). Repeated retrieval
practice vs. repeated studying: A new twist on an old problem. Poster
presented at the 53 Annual Meeting of the Psychonomic Society, Seattle, WA.
rd
Buchli, D.R., Nestojko, J.F., & Bjork, R.A. (2012, May). Episodic strength as a
modulating factor in retrieval-induced forgetting. Poster presented at the 24
Annual Convention of the Association for Psychological Science, Chicago, IL.
th
Nestojko, J.F., & Roediger, H.L., III (2012, May). Repeated study and repeated
retrieval practice both improve long-term retention. Poster presented at the 24
Annual Convention of the Association for Psychological Science, Chicago, IL.
th
Nestojko, J.F., Bui, D.C., & Roediger, H.L., III (2012, May). How expecting to
teach improves memory. Paper presented at the Show-Me Mental State
Conference, Columbia, MO.
Nestojko, J.F., Bui, D.C., & Roediger, H.L., III (2012, May). How expecting to
teach improves learning. Paper presented at the 84 Annual Convention of the
Midwestern Psychological Association, Chicago, IL.
th
Nestojko, J.F., Bjork, E.L., & Bjork, R.A. (2011, November). The impact of
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retrieval difficulty on retrieval-induced forgetting. Poster presented at the 52
Annual Meeting of the Psychonomic Society, Seattle, WA.
nd
Nestojko, J.F., Schilling, C.J., & Storm, B.C. (2011, November). Forgetting in the
face of rehearsal: Are actively rehearsed items susceptible to retrieval-induced
forgetting? Poster presented at the 52 Annual Meeting of the Psychonomic
Society, Seattle, WA.
nd
Nestojko, J.F., & Storm, B.C. (2011, April). Forgetting in the face of rehearsal: Are
actively rehearsed items susceptible to retrieval-induced forgetting? Poster
presented at the 91 Annual Convention of the Western Psychological
Association, Los Angeles, CA.
st
Friedman, M.F., Castel, A.D., Nestojko, J.F., & Bjork, R.A. (2011, April).
Retrieval as a metacognitive modifier? Estimates of forgetting and retrievalinduced forgetting. Poster presented at the 91 Annual Convention of the
Western Psychological Association, Los Angeles, CA.
st
Nestojko, J.F., Nunez, M.C., & Bjork, R.A. (2010, November). Of course I’ll
remember that! Stability bias with text passages. Poster presented at the 51
Annual Meeting of the Psychonomic Society, St. Louis, MO.
st
Nestojko, J.F., Bjork, E.L., Bui, D.C., & Kornell, N. (2010, April). Preparing to
teach—without actually teaching—improves organization of recall. Paper
presented at the 80 Annual Convention of the Rocky Mountain Psychological
Association, Denver, CO.
th
Nestojko, J.F., Bui, D.C., Kornell, N., & Bjork, E.L. (2009, November). Preparing
to teach improves the processing and retention of information. Poster
presented at the 50 Annual Meeting of the Psychonomic Society, Boston, MA.
th
Nestojko, J.F., Bui, D.C., Kornell, N., & Bjork, R.A. (2009, October). The
cognitive costs and benefits of preparing to teach. Poster presented at the
Symposium of the Science of Learning in Medical Education, UCLA, Los
Angeles, CA.
Nestojko, J.F., Bui, D.C., Kornell, N., & Bjork, R.A. (2009, April). The cognitive
costs and benefits of preparing to teach. Poster presented at the 89 Annual
Convention of the Western Psychological Association, Portland, OR.
th
Nestojko, J.F., Storm, B.C., Bjork, R.A., & Walker, J.A. (2008, April). Selective reexposure and retrieval of valenced trait information for political candidates.
Poster presented at the 88 Annual Convention of the Western Psychological
Association, Irvine, CA.
th
Storm, B.C., Nestojko, J.F., Bjork, R.A. (2007, August). Inhibitory processes
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during possible and impossible retrieval. Poster presented at the 115 Annual
Convention of the American Psychological Association, San Francisco, CA.
th
Nestojko, J.F., Little, J., Bjork, R.A., & Bjork, E.L. (2006, November). Recency,
recovery, and the efficiency of relearning. Poster presented at the 47 Annual
Meeting of the Psychonomic Society, Houstion, TX.
th
Storm, B.C., Bjork, R.A., Bjork, E.L., & Nestojko, J.F. (2006, April). The effects
of spacing and highlighting on reading and retention. Poster presented at the
86 Annual Convention of the Western Psychological Association, Palm
Springs, CA.
th
Storm, B.C., Nestojko, J.F., Bjork, R.A., & Bjork, E.L. (2005, November). Is
retrieval success necessary for retrieval induced forgetting? Poster presented at
the 46 Annual Meeting of the Psychomonic Society, Toronto, ON, Canada.
th
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