My research focuses on how humans learn and remember information. In particular, I’m interested in how memory research can be applied to real world issues, such as improving education.  My master’s thesis focused on how various forms of responding to test questions (such as speaking, writing, and just thinking about the answer) can enhance memory.  For my dissertation I’m examining how being reminded of something can enhance memory in a political context, or how voters may potentially remember that  a politician has flip-flopped on a controversial issue.

• B.A., Earlham College, Richmond, IN, 2007, Psychology (with honors)
• M.A., Washington University, St. Louis, MO, 2011
• Ph.D., Washington University, St. Louis, MO, 2014

Click here to download Adam Putnam's curriculum vitae.

Adam L. Putnam
Washington University in St. Louis
One Brookings Drive, Campus Box 1125
St. Louis, MO 63130
Email: adam.putnam@wustl.edu
Lab Phone: (314) 935-8731

• Peshkam, A., Putnam, A. L., Mensink, M., & Rapp, D. N. (2007, May). The effects of prereading instructions on readers' encoding of irrelevant text. Paper presented at the 79th annual meeting of the Midwestern Psychological Association, Chicago, IL.

• Peshkam, A., Putnam, A. L., Mensink, M., & Rapp, D. N. (2007, July). The effects of prereading instructions on readers' encoding of irrelevant text. Poster presented at the 17th annual meeting of the Society for Text and Discourse, Glasgow, Scotland.

• Rapp, D. N., Peshkam, A., Mensink, M., & Putnam, A. L. (2008, March). Can pre-reading instructions reduce the allure of seductive details? Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New York, NY.

• Putnam, A.L. (2010, June). Modality of response and the testing effect. Paper presented at the Show Me Mental Life Conference, St. Louis, Missouri.

• Peshkam, A., Mensink, M. C., Putnam, A. L., & Rapp, D. N. (2011). Warning readers to avoid irrelevant information: When being vague might be valuable. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 36, 219-231. [PDF]

• Roediger, H. L., Putnam, A. L., & Smith, M. A. (2011). Ten benefits of testing and their applications to educational practice. In J. Mestre & B. Ross (Eds.), Psychology of learning and motivation: Cognition in education (pp. 1-36). Oxford: Elsevier. [PDF]

• Putnam, A. L., & Roediger, H. L. (2012). Does response mode affect amount recalled or the magnitude of the testing effect? Memory & Cognition. DOI: 10.3758/s13421-012-0245-x [PDF]