She completed her Ph.D. in Cognitive/Experimental Psychology at Stony Brook University in 2010 under the advisement of Dr. Suparna Rajaram and Dr. Nancy Franklin. She then completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Emotion and Cognition Lab directed by Dr. Mara Mather in the Davis School of Gerontology at the University of Southern California. In general, Dr. Barber's research examines memory in younger and older adults. Her recent work has focused on how negative stereotypes about aging impact older ad﻿ults' performance via stereotype threat. She is also interested in how collaboration modulates memory processes in both younger and older adults.