My research area of interest is within emotion recognition from faces. I am particularly interested in looking at the recognition of briefly occurring facial expressions. To understand this skill better I have investigated this ability across the lifespan within typically developing individuals. I have also looked at this ability with atypically developing individuals such as those with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Individuals diagnosed with ASD are often found to show impairments with their social communication skills. However, early results have indicated that individuals with ASD are able to infer mental states from briefly presented expressions. Further studies have focused on drawing comparisons between these two groups on their ability to accurately infer mental states amongst children and adolescents. Factors that have been explored in relation to inferring mental states, have included time variations and intensities. Future research aims to build on this information and develop informed interventions to train and improve this ability. This is an important factor to consider as facial expressions are a vital source of information in our day to day lives.
I am an experienced teacher of Science and Psychology who has continued to teach whilst working towards completing my PhD part-time. After receiving my MRes in Psychology, I continued my love of learning to qualify as Biology specialist. These roles have allowed me to grow accustomed to switching between my role as a teacher, student, and researcher. My background and hands-on experience working with children and adolescents with a variety of needs has been invaluable in shaping my research. Interacting with children who are identified as SEN, EAL and from disadvantaged backgrounds has allowed me a unique insight into the relationship between theory and practice. This has also shaped the work that I do within the Inclusion team at work. As a researcher, I have enjoyed presenting my research and sharing ideas with researchers, colleagues, and students alike.
"The recognition of microexpressions across the lifespan in typically developing individuals." BPS Developmental Psychology Conference; Hilton, Belfast, UK. 2016.
"The recognition of microexpressions across the lifespan in typically developing individuals." Neurodevelopmental Annual Seminar (NDAS); Kingston University, UK. 2017.
"The recognition of microexpressions across the lifespan in typically developing individuals." BPS Developmental Psychology Conference; Crown Plaza, Straford-upon-Avon, UK. 2017.
"The recognition of microexpressions: a comparison between children with ASD and TD children." Neurodevelopmental Annual Seminar (NDAS); Coventry University, UK. 2018.
"Recognising microexpressions of mental states across varying age groups." CogSoCoAGE Conference, June, University of Kent, UK. 2018.