Cognition

In our research, we explore the mechanisms that drive attention, language, memory and decision-making in diverse populations, for example looking at lifespan development and neurodiversity. We explore links between these core cognitive processes and brain function, as well as the interplay between cognition, emotion and social interaction. We apply these research findings to real-world settings, looking at topics like eyewitness memory. 

We ask questions such as: 

• How do we make sense of other people's behaviour? 
• How does the brain manage to create an accurate model of the world within our conscious experience?  
• How do younger and older adults differ in the way they interpret others’ emotions? 
• How do our brains process language so quickly and efficiently?   
• Does musical education benefit early literacy skills?   
• How do we control our behaviour to responding to changing situations? 
• What is the relationship between speaking and listening? 
• How are readers able to process 250 words per minute?  
• What’s the most brain-friendly way to master new words in another language? 
• Can our physical movements influence the way we think? 
• How do eyewitnesses remember stressful events? 
• How do people understand and process different forms of numerical information? 

Theme Members

	Theme Leader: Prof Louise Philips  adult aging, socioemotional cognition, neurogenerative conditions, executive function, prospective memory
	Dr Kevin Allan human-AI interaction, episodic memory, self-reference effects
	Prof Patric Bach social perception, perspective taking, action planning, predictive processing
	Dr Mingyuan Chu non-verbal behaviours, gesture, language processing
	Dr Sandie Cleland numerical cognition, language processing
	Dr Anastasia Klimovich-Gray language, cognitive and computational neuroscience, dyslexia, music, AI tools for brain data analysis
	Dr Agnieszka Konopka  language processing, bilingualism, memory, metacognition
	Dr Brian Mathias  educational neuroscience, neurocognition of language and music, multilingualism and second language learning, embodied cognition
	Dr Joost Rommers language comprehension and production, predictive processing, learning and memory, cognitive neuroscience of language
	Dr Eva Rubinova  eyewitness memory, the confidence-accuracy relationship, investigative interviewing, memory for repeated events
	Dr Travis Seale-Carlisle decision-making, memory, language
	Dr Rachel Swainson cognitive control, task switching