Contact: mackerman@ncu.edu
Areas of Expertise:
- Cognitive aging (aging-related changes in cognitive abilities)
- Cognitive training in cognitively impaired and unimpaired older adults
- Physical training in older adults to improve both physical and cognitive functioning
- Applied everyday outcomes, such as mobility and driving in older adults - particularly cognitive and functional performance as longitudinal predictors of driving ability and the impact of providing feedback regarding cognitive abilities on driving habits and behavior
Education:
- Graduate Certificate in Gerontology, University of Alabama at Birmingham
- PhD in Developmental Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham
- MA in Developmental Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham
- BS in Psychology, Auburn University Montgomery
Dissertation:
- The Impact of Feedback on Self-Rated Driving Ability among Older Adults
Selected Publications:
Ackerman, M. L., Crowe, M., Wadley, V., Vance, D. E., Edwards, J. D. & Ball, K. K. (2014). What factors influence the relationship between feedback on cognitive performance and subsequent driving self-regulation? Journal of Applied Gerontology. doi: 0733464814529473
Vance, D. E., Fazeli, P. L., Dodson, J. E., Ackerman, M. L., Talley, M., & Appel, S. J. (2014). The synergistic effects of HIV, diabetes, and aging on cognition: Implications for practice and research. Journal of Neuroscience Nursing, 46(5), 292-305. doi:
Ross, L., Dodson, J., Edwards, J. D., & Ball, K. (2012). Older drivers'
self-appraisal and driving competency. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 48, 523-527.
Ackerman, M. L., Ball, K., Crowe, M., Owsley, C., Vance, D., and Wadley, V. (2011). The impact of feedback on self-rated driving ability and driving self-regulation among older adults. The Gerontologist, Editor’s Choice article, 51(3), 367-378.
Ball, K. K. & Ackerman, M. L. (2011). The older driver: Training and assessment, knowledge,
skills and attitudes. In Fisher, D. L., Rizzo, M., Caird, J. K., & Lee, J. D. (Eds). Handbook of Driving Simulation for Engineering, Medicine, and Psychology. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.
Selected Professional Experience:
- Associate Professor, Psychology (Doctoral level), Northcentral University
- Adjunct Assistant Professor, Psychology, University of Alabama
- Post-Doctoral Follow, Center for Research on Applied Gerontology, University of Alabama at Birmingham
