Didem Pehlivanoğlu, a Turkish scientist was presented the 2017 Doctoral Thesis Research Award by the American Psychological Association, İzmir's Economy University announced Monday.

"Didem Pehlivanoğlu completed her undergraduate degree at İzmir Economy University's Department of Psychology. After her graduation she was accepted by the Georgia Institute of Technology in the U.S. to research on the elderly," the university said in a statement.

Pehlivanoğlu was awarded by the American Psychological Association for her doctorate thesis titled "Perception, Attention and Memory Processes in the Elderly."

The Turkish scientist continues to work on the effects of emotional material in the perception and attention processes of young and old people by measuring brain waves (EEG).

Speaking to the press after the announcement, Pehlivanoğlu said: "Working in the field of experimental psychology makes me happy. I first visited the Georgia Institute of Technology during my undergrad and decided to continue my studies there. Currently, I'm working with Professor Paul Verhaeghen on the perception, attention and memory processing of the elderly."