Patty deWinstanley

  • Professor of Psychology

Areas of Study

Education

  • BA, Pomona College, 1984
  • MA, University California Los Angeles, 1986
  • PhD, University California Los Angeles, 1990

Biography

I am a cognitive psychologist with a specialization in human memory and learning. I teach Cognitive Psychology, Advanced Methods in Cognitive Psychology, Introductory Psychology, a first-year seminar on thinking critically, and a senior seminar on psychology and the law.

Each semester it has been my pleasure to work with honors students studying such diverse topics as behavioral economics, music cognition, language processing, and educational action research. My current research is in two areas: skill learning and memory consolidation during sleep.

I have two adult sons, two forever baby shih-tzus, and I take care of two cats (when they allow it).

  • deWinstanley, P. A., & Bjork, R. A.  (2002).  Successful Lecturing:  Presenting   Information in Ways that Engage Effective Processing.  In D. Halpern & M. Hakel (Eds.), New Directions in Teaching and Learning(pp.19-31).  San Francisco, CA: Josey-Bass. 
  • Thornton, J., Beinstein-Miller, J., & deWinstanley, P. A., *Gandha, T. (2004).  Priming the pump: Developing  and Assessing Research-Like Experiences in Courses.  In RE-invigorating the Undergraduate Experience:  Successful Models Supported by NSF’s AIRE/RAIRE Program (L Kauffman and J. Stocks, eds). 
  • deWinstanley, P. A. & Bjork, E. L.  ( 2004)  Processing strategies and the generation effect: Implications for how to make a better reader.  Memory & Cognition, 32(6), 945-955.
  • Friedman, W. J. & deWinstanley, P. A. (2006).  The mental representation of countries.  Memory, 14(7), 853-871.
  • Bjork, E. L., deWinstanley, P. A., & Strom, B. C.  (2007).  Learning how to learn:  Can experiencing the outcomes of differential encoding strategies enhance subsequent encoding?  Psychonomics Bulletin and Review, 14(2), 207-211.
  • deWinstanley, P. A., *Kinzy, T., *Sundt, H., *Robinson, E., & *Carlton, C., (November, 2009).  Experience with a complex skill moderates the benefits of variable practice on performance.  50th Annual Meetings of the Psychonomics Society, Boston, MA.
  • deWinstanley, P. A.,  *Allen-Coleman, C., *McDonell, J., & *Vassilliere, C.  (May, 2010).  Distributed practice results in better learning than sequential practice but only when the learner is a novice.  23rd Annual Convention of the American Psychological Society.
  • E.L. Bjork, B.C. Storm,  & P.A. deWinstanley (2011).  Learning From the Consequences of Retrieval: Another Test Effect.  In A. S. Benjamin (Ed.).  Successful Remembering and Successful Forgetting: A Festschrift in Honor of Robert A. Bjork (pp. 347-364).  New York, NY: Psychology Press. 

Spring 2025

Advanced Methods in Cognitive Psychology — PSYC 303

Seminar: Cognitive Science and the Law — PSYC 431

Teaching Assistant — PSYC 500

Practicum in Psychology — PSYC 501

Supervised Research in Psychology - Full — PSYC 510F

Supervised Research in Psychology - Half — PSYC 510H

Senior Portfolio — PSYC 599

Fall 2025

Teaching Assistant — PSYC 500

Practicum in Psychology — PSYC 501

Supervised Research in Psychology (NSMA) - Full — PSYC 511F

Supervised Research in Psychology (NSMA) - Half — PSYC 511H

Senior Portfolio — PSYC 599

Independent Research Problems (NSMA) - Full — PSYC 607F

Independent Research Problems (NSMA) - Half — PSYC 607H

Psychology Honors (NSMA) - Full — PSYC 609F

Psychology Honors (NSMA) - Half — PSYC 609H

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