Research Focus
Dr. Karen Li is a Professor of Psychology at Concordia University and Director of the Laboratory for Adult Development and Cognitive Aging. Dr. Li completed her PhD at the University of Toronto, followed by post- doctoral fellowships at Duke University and the Max Planck Institute for Lifespan Development.
Her research focuses on the normative aging of cognitive processes and executive functions. She has published widely on the effects of cognitive load on gait and posture (i.e., cognitive-motor multitasking). Her team was among the first to show that seated cognitive (dual-task) training could benefit balance and mobility in healthy older adults. She also examines combined aerobic exercise and cognitive training. Additionally, her work addresses the negative effects of age-related hearing loss on cognition, mobility, and falls risk. She leads a multidisciplinary team to examine cognitive training benefits on cognitive-motor multitasking with middle-aged and older adults, and older adult hearing aid users. This work addresses the issues of early intervention in midlife and the impact of cognitive training in addition to standard audiological care. She is a member of Concordia’s School of Health, the Centre for Research in Human Development, and the engAGE Centre for Research on Aging.
Learn more about ongoing research