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Francis S. Bellezza

Research Area:
Social Judgment & Behavioral Decision Making

Specializations:
Quantitative

Contact Information:

Office: 221 Porter Hall

Phone: (740) 593-1084

E-mail: bellezza@ohio.edu

Research Interests:
Dr. Bellezza's main area of research involves applying general-processing-tree (multinomial) models to explaining the functioning of human memory. These mathematical techniques allow research to analyze complex behavior into basic cognitive mechanisms retrieval of information from memory and decision-making. Remembering is a mix of storing information, retrieving incomplete information from memory, and making decisions and judgments based on typically incomplete information.

Dr. Bellezza's multinomial model is the basis of a recent grant proposal that explores deterioration in memory as part of the aging process. Preliminary data show a good fit of the multinomial model with younger adults, and the proposal extends these findings to older adults. Specific predictions have been made that test the viability of the multinomial model versus other models that have been applied to understand memory decrements in older adults.

Selected Publications:

Bellezza, F. S. (1999).

Mnemonic devices. In A. E. Kazdin (Ed.), Encyclopedia of psychology. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Inoue, C., & Bellezza, F. S. (1998).

The detection model of recognition using know and remember judgments. Memory & Cognition, 26, 299-308.

Bellezza, F. S. (1996).

Mnemonic methods to enhance storage and retrieval. In E. L. Bjork and R. A. Bjork (Eds.), Handbook of Perception and Cognition: Memory (2nd ed., pp. 345-380). New York: Academic Press.

Bellezza, F. S. (1995).

Factors that affect vividness ratings. Journal of Mental Imagery, 19, 123-129.

Bellezza, F. S., & Bellezza, S. F. (1995).

Detection of copying on multiple-choice tests: An update. Teaching of Psychology, 22, 180-182.

Recent Grants:

• Drevenstedt, J., & Bellezza, F. S. The role of working memory capacity and retentiveness in problems experienced by the elderly in narrative elaboration. OURC grant awarded for $4,500.

• Research on Memory, Field-Wiltsie Grant, $4,000, 1985

• Mnemonic Devices, Theory, & Application, Field-Wiltsie Foundation, $2,000, 1984

Some Recent or Upcoming Presentations:

Xu, M., & Bellezza, F. S. (1999, May).

The detection versus multi-memory models of know and remember recognition judgments. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Midwestern Psychological Association, Chicago, IL.

Bellezza, F. S. (1999, May).

Explaining task dissociation using the multinomial model of word-stem completion. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Midwestern Psychological Association, Chicago, IL.

Yu, J., & Bellezza, F. S. (1998, May).

Comparison of three multinomial models of source monitoring. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Midwestern Psychological Association, Chicago, IL.

Bellezza, F. S. (1998, May).

A test of the multinomial model of word-stem cuing. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Midwestern Psychological Association, Chicago, IL.

Bellezza, F. S., & Ye, G. (1997, May).

A multinomial model of the word-stem completion task. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Midwestern Psychological Association, Chicago, IL.

Hsiung, H., & Bellezza, F. S. (1997, May).

The independence of memory features in list discrimination. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Midwestern Psychological Association, Chicago, IL.

Courses Taught:

Undergraduate:
Human Learning & Cognition

Graduate:
Design Analysis Psychopharmacy; Multivariate Statistics; Advanced Theories of Memory; Causal Modeling