Dr. Wendy S. Francis
Dr. Francis' primary research interests are in five related areas of human cognition:
1. the functional organization of bilingual memory
2. transfer processes in human memory
3. representation of and access to words and concepts in semantic and episodic memory
4. the impact of pre-experimental and experimental experience on vocabulary access and memory
5. Relationships between online language processing and long-term verbal learning
Recent projects in the Bilingual Cognition Laboratory have focused on 1) associative memory in monolinguals and bilinguals and 2) the impact of comprehension exposures to words on their later production. Methods of investigation include lexical processing tasks, explicit and implicit memory techniques, standardized proficiency assessments, and mathematical models of cognitive processes.
UTEP Faculty Profile
Sample Publications:
Francis, W. S., Gurrola, B. V., & Martinez, M. (in press). Comprehension exposures to words in sentence contexts impact spoken word production. Memory & Cognition.
Tsuboi, N., & Francis, W. S. (2020). Rethinking bilingual enhancement and dominance effects in associative learning of foreign language vocabulary: The role of proficiency in the mediating language. Journal of Memory and Language, 115, 104155.
Francis, W. S., Arteaga, M. M., Liaño, M. K., & Taylor, R. S. (2020). Temporal dynamics of free recall: The role of rehearsal efficiency in word frequency and bilingual language proficiency effects. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 149, 1477-1508.
Lauro, J. G., Schwartz, A. I., & Francis, W. S. (2020). Bilingual novel word learning in sentence contexts: Effects of semantic and language variation. Journal of Memory and Language, 113, 104123.
Francis, W. S., Strobach, E. N., Penalver, R. M., Martínez, M., Gurrola, B. V., & Soltero, A. (2019). Word-context associations in episodic memory are learned at the conceptual level: Word frequency, bilingual proficiency, and bilingual status effects on source memory. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 45, 1852-1871.
Taylor, R. S., Francis, W. S., Borunda-Vazquez, L., & Carbajal, J. (2019). Mechanisms of word concreteness effects in explicit memory: Does context availability play a role? Memory & Cognition, 47, 169-181.
Francis, W. S., Camacho, A., & Lara, C. (2014). Words translated in sentence contexts produce repetition priming in visual word comprehension and spoken word production. Memory & Cognition, 42, 1143-1154.
Francis, W. S., & Strobach, E. N. (2013). The bilingual L2 advantage in recognition memory. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 20, 1296-1303.
Francis, W. S., Durán, G., Augustini, B. K., Luévano, G., Arzate, J. C., & Sáenz, S. P. (2011). Decomposition of repetition priming processes in word translation. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 37, 187-205.
Francis, W. S., Corral, N. I., Jones, M. L., & Sáenz, S. P. (2008). Decomposition of repetition priming components in picture naming. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 137, 566-590.
Francis, W. S., & Sáenz, S. P. (2007). Repetition priming endurance in picture naming and translation: Contributions of component processes. Memory & Cognition, 35, 481-493.
Francis, W. S., & Gallard, S. L. K. (2005). Concept mediation in trilingual translation: Evidence from response times and repetition priming patterns. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 12, 1082-1088.
Francis, W. S., Augustini, B. K, & Sáenz, S. P. (2003). Repetition priming in picture naming and translation depends on shared processes and their difficulty: Evidence from Spanish-English bilinguals. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 29, 1283-1297.
Francis, W. S. (1999). Cognitive integration of language and memory in bilinguals: semantic representation. Psychological Bulletin, 125, 193-222.
Contact Information
Email: wfrancis@utep.edu
Phone: 1-915-747-8956
Fax: 1-915-747-6553
Psychology 214
Personal Information
Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles (1996)
Professor and Department Chair
Courses
PSYC 1303 - Statistical Methods
PSYC 3348 - Cognitive Psychology
PSYC 3320 - Learning & Memory
PSYC 5311 - ANOVA
PSYC 5335 - Categorical Data Analysis
Other Resources
Bilingualism, Language and Cognition Area
Consortium for Scientific Research on Bilingualism
