S. Bahar Sener, PhD
About
I am a postdoctoral researcher specializing in cognitive development. I’m particularly interested in exploring how humans use tools like language and mental representations think about abstract concepts, and how computational modeling can provide insights into cognitive processes such as memory and visual perception. I work with infants, children, and adults and employ a diverse range of research methods, primarily using eye-tracking and behavioral paradigms.
Currently, I am continuing my research at the University of Washington, with Dr. Ariel Starr. In my free time, I like to dance, lift weights and watch a lot of movies!
Research
My ongoing work explores the origins and development of spatial and abstract thinking abilities.
Current Projects
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Memory Development: I have been assessing the link between spatial representations of time and the development of temporal memory skills (e.g., remembering ‘when’ things happened, imagining the future based on previous experiences). This work suggests that childrens’ development of linear representations of time supports their ability to remember temporal information. Currently, I am conducting a series of experiments exploring whether spatial priming activities may boost temporal memory performance.
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I am also collaborating on a project with Dr. Andrea Stocco, in which we use the ACT-R cognitive architecture to provide a uniform metric to quantify memory across the lifespan.
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The Mental Timeline: In this project, I use eye-tracking and pupillometry measures to ask questions about the origins and development of space-time associations from infancy to adulthood. This work is conducted in parallel with Drs Lola de Hevia and Gisella Decarli at the University of Paris, to explore cross-cultural differences in the development of spatial representations of time.
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Spatial Language Development: This work examines how different language environments and differences in bilingual and monolingual language trajectories interact with spatial vocabulary and spatial skill development in early childhood. For this project, I am collaborating with the Dr. Tilbe Goksun who is the Principal Investigator of the Language and Cognition Lab at the Koc University in Istanbul.
Publications
Ayzenberg, V., Sener, S. B., Novick, K., & Lourenco, S. F. (2025). Fast and robust visual object recognition in young children. Science Advances, 11(27).
Capik, A., Hake, H., Sener, S. B., & Starr, A., Stocco, A. (2024). Model-Based Characterization of Forgetting in Children and Across The Lifespan. Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, 46.
Sener, S. B. & Starr, A. (2024). The Development of the Mental Timeline Is Related to Temporal Memory. Journal of Cognition and Development, 1–20.
O’Driscoll, C., Sener, S. B., Angmark, A., & Shaikh, M. (2019) Caregiving processes and expressed emotion in psychosis, a cross-cultural, meta-analytic review. Schizophrenia Research, 208, 8–15.
Contact
Email: sukranbaharsener@gmail.com