Dr Helen Knight

Research Overview

My main area of research lies in the study of cognitive biases in motivational behaviour with a focus on addiction, eating and sexual behaviour. Specifically, I examine the role of attention, biases of visual attention, and approach/avoidance biases in motivational behaviours such as alcohol consumption, other addictive behaviours (such as problem gambling), eating behaviours (such as voluntary diet choice and food craving in healthy aging), and sexual behaviours (such as partner choice and asexuality). I also examine cognitive models of attention and how cognitive control mechanisms are used to minimise distractions caused by cognitive biases. Finally, I am involved in research examining monotropic attention in autistic adults, with an emphasis on integrating cognitive models of attention within autism research.