Rebecca E. Ready, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology and a member of the Neuroscience and Behavior Program at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Research Interests: Emotion, Stress, and Adult Development

The aging brain is capable of amazing resiliency and strength. Older adults report better emtoion health than younger persons, despite the well-known challenges of growing older. Dr. Ready is interested in how persons successfully navigate the challenges of aging
and in particular, how changes in cognition and emotion regulaltion interact as persons get older. At the root of all her research studies is an intense interest in successful aging and resiliency in the face of stress.

Dr. Ready conducts studies of emotional well-being and regulation in healthy adults of all ages and also in adults suffering from neurologic disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Multiple Sclerosis, and Huntington's disease. Her research on healthy individuals and patient populations are synergistic. Results from research with neurologic populations patients pose interesting and important questions to pursue in healthy older adults. Conversely, assessment methodologies developed with healthy older adults promise to open
new avenues of exploration and assessment in patients with neurologic disease.

Methodologies used in Dr. Ready'slab are varied but draw heavily from neuropsychology, cognitive psychology, and personality psychology. She hopes to extend her work to include neurophysiological and biological correlates of emotion experiences in older and younger adults in the near future.

Clinical Interests

Dr. Ready is a licensed clinical neuropsychologist and with expertise in psychological and neuropsychological assessment. She runs the Assessment Team in the Psychological Services Center, the training clinic for clinical graduate students at the University of Massachusetts, Amehrst. She has particular expertise in the assessment of older adults, neurologic disorders and injuries, Learning Disorders, and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in children and adults.

Teaching Interests

Dr. Ready teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in behavioral neuroscience, neuropsychology, and psychological assessment.