The overarching goal of my research is to understand human episodic memory. Various cognitive models have been developed to provide theoretical explanations of how episodic memory works. In general, these theoretical explanations conflict with each other and there is an ongoing debate as to which model provides the most parsimonious explanation. I employ techniques from experimental psychology to test the predictions of these cognitive models. Specifically, I focus on three lines of research that utilize recognition and recall tasks. One line of my research investigates how associations are formed and used in episodic memory. Another line of my research investigates the causes of interference in recognition memory. I am also interested in the study of cognitive aging, particularly in recognition memory, which helps us to understand what constitutes a decline in episodic memory performance in older adults. Together, these three approaches constrain models of memory and propel theoretical research of episodic memory.