About Me
Welcome! I'm Si, and I'm passionate about understanding how motivation shapes memory. I earned my bachelor's degree in Geographic Information Systems and later joined the Psychology M.A. program at NYU. I am currenly a graduate student in psychology department at Rutgers University and my advisor is Dr. Qiong Zhang.
My research focuses on how reward influences memory, and I use tools like computational modeling and EEG to explore these questions. Outside the lab, I love playing video games and getting lost in a good book.
Contact me at: si.ma@rutgers.edu
Find more information about the lab: memory-optimization-lab
Research & Publications
Publications
Ma S., & Zhang, Q. (2026). A resource-rational model of self-paced learning. Proceedings of the 9th Annual Conference on Cognitive Computational Neuroscience. [pdf]
Ma, S., Popov, V., & Zhang, Q. (2026). Cognitive constraints and reward environments jointly shape memory formation. Psychological Review. [pdf]
Ma S., & Zhang, Q. (2025). A Metacognitive Model of Memory Encoding Modulated by Rewards. Proceedings of the 47th Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society. [pdf]
Ma S., Popov, V., & Zhang, Q. (2024). A Neural Index Reflecting the Amount of Cognitive Resources Available during Memory Encoding: A Model-based Approach. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition. [pdf]
Conference
Poster accepted at Annual Conference on Cognitive Computational Neuroscience (CCN) 2026: A resource-rational model of self-paced learning
Talk presentation accepted at MathPsych/ICCM 2026: Dissecting the effect of self-paced learning in a metacognitive model of memory encoding
Poster accepted at Context and Episodic Memory Symposium (CEMS) 2026: Cognitive Constraints and Rewards Jointly Shape Memory
Talk presnetation accepted at CogSci 2025: A Metacognitive Model of Memory Encoding Modulated by Rewards
Talk presentation accepted at Virtual MathPsych/ICCM 2025: A Metacognitive Model of Memory Encoding Modulated by Rewards
Data blitz presentation accepted at Context and Episodic Memory Symposium (CEMS) 2023
Talk presentation accepted at Virtual MathPsych/ICCM 2022: A neural index of resource availability: Unifying subsequent memory effect, primacy serial position effect, and word frequency effect
Award
WoMP-PRIME Travel and Networking Award for MathPsych/ICCM 2026
Student Travel Grants for CogSci, 2025 (10 students selected)
Fellowship for graduate students, Psychology Department, Rutgers University, 2022