- Assistant Dean Pre-Clerkship Education and Instructional Assistant Professor, Psychological and Brain Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences
My research aims to understand how the brain supports higher-order cognitive functions (e.g., attention, cognitive control, memory) across young and older adulthood. The current focus in the lab includes investigating neural mechanisms and modifiable risk factors that contribute to differential cognitive trajectories in middle-aged and older adults (i.e., healthy aging vs. dementia/Alzheimer's disease). Moreover, this line of work seeks to identify brain functional and structural biomarkers for risk prediction of cognitive impairment and dementia in middle-aged and older adults. Finally, a translational line of my research investigates non-pharmacological interventions (e.g., exercise, meditation) that may improve cognition, emotion, and health across the lifespan. My research uses a variety of techniques including cognitive assessments, multimodal neuroimaging (functional, structural, diffusion MRI), computational neuroscience methods, and blood-based biomarkers. The overall goal of my research is to inform and improve health and well-being across the lifespan.
- Ph.D. in Psychologial and Brain Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis - (St Louis, Missouri, United States) 2021
- B.S. in Psychology, minor in Biology, The University of Texas at Austin - (Austin, Texas, United States) 2014
Academic Articles38
- Tang, Y., Tang, R., & Posner, M. I. Brief meditation training induces smoking reduction.. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 110(34), 13971-13975.
- Snijder, J., Tang, R., Bugg, J. M., Conway, A., & Braver, T. S. On the psychometric evaluation of cognitive control tasks: An Investigation with the Dual Mechanisms of Cognitive Control (DMCC) battery.. Behavior Research Methods. 56(3), 1604-1639.
- Lin, Y., Tang, R., & Braver, T. S. Investigating mindfulness influences on cognitive function: On the promise and potential of converging research strategies.. Psychonomic Bulletin and Review. 29(4), 1198-1222.
- Braver, T. S., Kizhner, A., Tang, R., Freund, M. C., & Etzel, J. A. The Dual Mechanisms of Cognitive Control Project.. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience. 33(9), 1-26.
- Tang, Y., Tang, R., & Gross, J. J. Promoting Psychological Well-Being Through an Evidence-Based Mindfulness Training Program.. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. 13, 237.
Books1
- Tang, Y., & Tang, R. (). The Neuroscience of Meditation Understanding Individual Differences. Academic Press.
Chapters4
- Tang, Y., & Tang, R. Cross-Cultural Mental Health Promotion and Prevention for Global Mental Health. Chiao, J. Y., Li, S., Turner, R., Lee-Tauler, S. Y., & Pringle, B. A. (Eds.), Oxford Handbook of Cultural Neuroscience and Global Mental Health. 506-514. Oxford University Press.
- Cheon, B. K., Tang, R., Chiao, J. Y., & Tang, Y. The Cultural Neuroscience of Holistic Thinking. Spencer-Rodgers, J., & Peng, K. (Eds.), The Psychological and Cultural Foundations of East Asian Cognition: Contradiction, Change, and Holism. 0. Oxford University Press.
- Tang, R., & Tang, Y. Culture and Numerical Cognition. Chiao, J. Y., Li, S., Turner, R., Lee-Tauler, S. Y., & Pringle, B. A. (Eds.), Oxford Handbook of Cultural Neuroscience and Global Mental Health. 252-261. Oxford University Press.
- Tang, Y., & Tang, R. Cultural Neuroscience of Moral Reasoning and Decision-Making. Absher, J. R., & Cloutier, J. (Eds.), Neuroimaging Personality, Social Cognition, and Character. 281-287. Elsevier.
Repository Documents / Preprints7
- Tang, R., & Braver, T. S. Predicting Individual Preferences in Mindfulness Techniques Using Personality Traits.
- Braver, T. S., Kizhner, A., Tang, R., Freund, M. C., & Etzel, J. A. The Dual Mechanisms of Cognitive Control (DMCC) Project.
- Tang, R., Bugg, J., Snijder, J., Conway, A., & Braver, T. S. The Dual Mechanisms of Cognitive Control (DMCC) project: Validation of an on-line behavioral task battery.
- Tang, R., Etzel, J. A., Kizhner, A., & Braver, T. S. Frontoparietal pattern similarity analyses of cognitive control in monozygotic twins.
- Tang, R., Broderick, P., Bono, T., Dvokov, K., & Braver, T. S. A College Freshman Mindfulness Seminar to Enhance Psychological Well-being and Cognitive Function.
Principal Investigator2
- PBSI350 Cognitive Neuroscience Instructor
- PBSI491 Hnr-research Instructor
- PBSI491 Research Instructor