Research Team

The Sheffield Early Years Study Research Team

Dr Emma Blakey - Lead Investigator

I'm interested in the development of high level cognitive skills known as 'executive functions', how they relate to school readiness and how their development can be best supported.

My current projects are focused on understanding how individual differences emerge in development, testing play-based nursery activities for enhancing school readiness, and understanding the many amazing things parents do to promote learning and development. I'm really excited by this project to learn more about how cognitive skills emerge in the early years and how we can best support children and families. I became a parent myself during the pandemic which really instilled in me how as researchers, we need to understand the amazing work parents do, the constraints parents are under, and the support we should be giving parents. You can read more about my research here.

Molly Jackson

Lead Research Assistant

Molly has a BSc in Psychology and MSc in Cognitive Neuroscience and Human Neuroimaging. Molly's previously worked with Danielle to evaluate new intervention materials available to support deaf children and their parents. Molly also has experience volunteering in schools and supporting both adults and children with Autism.

Professor Danielle Matthews

Co-Investigator

Danielle is a Professor of Developmental Psychology, and an expert in language development. Read more about Danielle's research here.

Emma Smith

Research Assistant

Emma has a BSc in Psychology and is currently doing an MSc in Psychological Research with Advanced Statistics. She has worked previously as a research assistant on the BBC Tiny Happy People project with Danielle. Emma's dissertation examined the development of executive functions in preschoolers.

Molly Willis

Study Assistant

Molly has a BSc in Psychology and is currently doing an MSc in Psychological Research with Advanced Statistics. She has worked previously as a research assistant on the BBC Tiny Happy People project with Danielle. Molly's dissertation examined social gradients in early language development.

Academic Advisors

Dr Rory Devine (School of Psychology, University of Birmingham)
Dr William Mason (Sheffield Methods Institute, University of Sheffield)
Dr Chris Stride (Institute of Work Psychology, University of Sheffield)

Stakeholders

Sheffield Cognitive Development lab

Website: https://sites.google.com/sheffield.ac.uk/sheffieldcogdev/home

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