Cognition in Learning Lab (CLLab)

Welcome to CLLab!

CLLab examines Cognition in Learning among neurotypical and neurodivergent learners, with a focus on twice-exceptional autistic (2e-ASD) individuals.

Our work aims to better understand the mental processes that support effective learning across different contexts. To do so, we use behavioural and experimental cognitive psychology methods to investigate spatial cognition in comics, reading comprehension, and STEM learning. By studying how learners process and integrate visual and spatial information, we aim to inform both basic theory and educational practice.

Results from CLLab aim to develop models of neurotypical and 2e-ASD cognitive functioning and their impact on learning. We aim for our work to enhance understanding of spatial cognition in learning via comics, as well as through spatial abilities interventions in STEM domains, across diverse educational settings.

CLLab News

Marianna Pagkratidou was nominated and elected to Chair the SPaCie Steering Committee for the Spatial Cognition Research Community in Ireland.

Marianna Pagkratidou was recognized for her excellent contributions to research and to the Faculty with the Richard O’Kennedy Emerging Talent Award 2025, by the DCU Faculty of Science and Health, along with a €1000 research grant.

New Open Access Paper: Pagkratidou, M., Galati, A., & Avraamides, M. (2026). Constructing spatial situation models during reading comics versus texts. Discourse Processes.

The CLLab welcomes a new INTRA Placement student Jack Henry to the Spatial Thinking in Irish Curriculum Project.

Marianna Pagkratidou secured and received a €140,000 grant by Deloitte and CTYI for SPARC Project to study Spatial Reasoning and Computational Thinking.

CLLab is directed by Dr. Marianna Pagkratidou

Marianna Pagkratidou is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Dublin City University’s School of Psychology, specialising in cognitive and educational psychology.

She directs the Cognition in Learning Lab, she chairs the SPaCie Steering Committe for the Spatial Cognition Research Community in Ireland, and she leads the Communication, Dissemination and Training WP7 of the EU-funded COST network, COS-MICS (Comics and Sciences through Multidisciplinary Investigation and Collaboration). Marianna also established and led the Cognition Theme at the DCU Centre for Possibility Studies. Her research focuses on two main areas: the study of spatial memory through visual arts, such as comics, and the investigation of STEM learning through spatial abilities training.

Beyond academia, for over a decade, Marianna has also been an active and passionate certified science communicator, committed to making psychological science accessible and engaging to diverse audiences through interactive storytelling, visual media, and public engagement initiatives. Ultimately, her work embodies how spatial reasoning can drive innovation in education—expanding academic discourse beyond the world “as it was” and “as it is” into how it “can and should be”.

CLLab Projects

Spatial Cognition, Learning & Comics

Spatial Cognition, Learning & STEM

CLLab Members

Danai Kyriaki,
Cllab PhD student, DCU;
Adjunct Biology Instructor - ACT, Academic Dean - CTY Greece

Aiswarya Radhakrishnan,
Cllab PhD Candidate, DCU

Dr. Ergi Bufasi,
Assistant Professor, University of Latvia

Marco d'Alessandro, Researh Assistant, CLLab;
PhD student, Università di Bologna;
Comic artist

Dr. Eleni Lagoudaki,
Research Assistant, ERC Ireland

Dr. Sylvia Maria Savvidou,
Lecturer at Neapolis University & Secondary School Teacher

Conor O’Flaherty,
BSc Psychology, DCU

Amy Walden,
BSc Pshychology, DCU

Klaudia Kotlarz,
BSc in Psychology, DCU

Naoise Ni Ghriofa,
BSc in Psychology, DCU

Rory Barnes,
BSc in Psychology, DCU

Martha McCready,
MSc in Psychology

Christian Healy,
MSc in Psychology, DCU

Marianna Camelo,
BSc Pshychology, DCU

Luke Conroy,
BSc in Psychology and Mathematics, DCU

Gabriella Magalhaes, Researh Assistant, CLLab; MSc in Architecture,
BSc in Psychology, DCU

Sinead Keane, Researh Assistant, CLLab;
MSc in Health and Science Communication, DCU

Sorcha Doyle,
BSc Psychology, DCU

Cormac Ó Tuairisg,
MSc in Psychology, DCU

Hanna Nowacka,
MSc Pshychology, DCU

Nada Patkovic,
BSc in Psychology, DCU

Tanay Mukerji,
BSc in Psychology & Disruptive Technology, DCU

Eimear Twomey,
MSc in Psychology, DCU

Gillian Kristel Tabisaura Garcia,
BSc in Psychology, DCU

Lucy Cleary, Researh Assistant, CLLab;
BSc in Psychology, UCD

Nora Deny, Researh Assistant, CLLab;
BSc in Psychology and Discruptive Technologies, DCU

Jack Henry,
BSc in Psychology

Mark Brady,
PhD student, DCU;
CLLab logo creator

Julianna Stojek,
BSc in Psychology, DCU

Styliani Malkogeorgou, MSCA PhD Student, TU Dublin

CLLab Projects in Progress

Awards:

Faculty of Science & Health, Richard O’ Kennedy Emerging Talent Award 2025

Marianna Pagkratidou's outstanding contributions to research and to the Faculty were recognized with the Richard O’ Kennedy Emerging Talent Award 2025, by the DCU Faculty of Science and Health, along with a €1000 research grant.

Faculty of Science & Health, Undergraduate Summer Research Internship 2025

SAM Project:
Brady, M., Cleary, L., Deny, N., & Pagkratidou, M. Spatial Reasoning Training with Extended Reality on STEM and AI Coding: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (Funded to Marianna Pagkratidou by the Faculty of Science & Health with grant allocation supporting the appointment of Mark Brady as project lead)

Pre-registrations & Pre-prints:

Stephens-Sarlós, E., Girasek, E., Avena, N., Boran, L., Pagkratidou, M., Patrick, S., ... Szabo, A. (2026, March 05). A Standardized and Validated Protocol for Primitive Reflex Assessment: Reliable Measurements Across the Lifespan for Clinical and Research Practice, 05 March 2026, PREPRINT (Version 1). Available at Research Square https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9031441/v1
Brady, M. & Pagkratidou, M. (2025, August 22) Spatial reasoning training with extended reality for computational thinking and STEM: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PROSPERO 2025 CRD420251089353. Available from https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD420251089353.
Radhakrishnan, A., Buckley, C., Boran, L., O'Reilly C., & Pagkratidou, M. (2025, April 3). Interventions for twice exceptional children with autism: A Systematic Review. PROSPERO 2025 CRD420250650864. Available from https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD420250650864.
Pagkratidou, M., Cohn, N., Phylactou, P., Papadatou-Pastou, M., & Duffy, G. (2024, May 10; In Principle Acceptance). Learning from comics versus non-comics material in education: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Peer-community In Registered Reports. DOI: https://doi.org/10.31222/osf.io/ceda3 – (MetaArXiv Pre-Print)
Malkogeorgou, S., Duffy, G., Jansen, P., & Pagkratidou, M. (2024, January). The role of spatial abilities in attitudes and aspirations towards STEM: A cross-cultural study. (Pre-registration osf.io/dx9fb )

CLLab papers in prep:

Pagkratidou, M., Keane, S., Magalhaes, G., Phylactou, P., Papadatou-Pastou, M., & Duffy, G., Cohn, N. (2024, June 21). Learning from comics versus non-comics material in education: Systematic review and meta-analysis. https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/VDR8C (Preregistration, Funded by SellSTEM, MSCA)
Ridgway, L., Brady, M., Pagkratidou, M. (data collection). Profiling STEM University-Level Learners' Spatial Expertise, PULSE - approved by REC, DCU. (Funded by School of Electronic Engineering)
Brady, M., Pagkratidou, M. (data analyses). A Meta-Analysis of Spatial-Computational Representation in Educational Interventions, DCU (Funded: partially by Faculty of Science & Health: Undergraduate Summer Research Internship 2025; and fully by & Deloitte & CTYI)
Camelo M., Doyle S., Griffiths N., Kotlarz K., O’Flaherty C., Patkovic N., Twomey E., Walden A., Pagkratidou, M. (in preparation). Optimal Physical Activity Dosage to Improve Attention in STEM Education Across the Lifespan: An Opinion Piece (Funded by CASTEL)
Bufasi, E., & Pagkratidou, M. (in preparation). Supporting Teachers to Teach Mathematics Spatially. (Funded by SellSTEM, MSCA)
Lagoudaki, E., Maresch, G., Duffy, D., & Pagkratidou, M. (in preparation). Primary Mathematics Curriculum in Ireland: The Shape and Space Strand Matters More Than You Might Think. (Funded by SellSTEM, MSCA)
Pagkratidou, M., Klomberg, B., Hacimusaoglu, I., & Cohn, N. (in preparation). How do background and textual elements influence the construction of spatial situation models when reading comics?
Johnson, V., Pagkratidou, M., Kendeou, P. (in preparation). In Expert Scientists We Trust? Trust vs. Expertise when self-explaining.
Johnson, V., Pagkratidou, M., Kendeou, P. (submitted). Systematic Scoping Review of Trust in Science & Scientists.

PhD Projects:
under the principal supervision of Marianna Pagkratidou

Danai Kyriaki is interested in examining spatial abilities in Twice Exceptional Students with Autism Spectrum (2e-AS) in Greece (CTY Greece) and Ireland (CTYI) (Funded by CTY Greece; under the principal supervision of Marianna Pagkratidou)
PhD student Mark Brady is developing an evidence-based extended reality (XR) application to explore how training small- and large-scale spatial reasoning skills (e.g., mental rotation, spatial orientation, perspective-taking, navigation) can improve performance in AI coding, particularly in machine learning at both neurotypical and twice exceptional autistic students in Ireland, DCU, Ireland. (Funded by Deloitte & CTYI; under the principal supervision of Marianna Pagkratidou)
PhD Candidate Aiswarya Radhakrishnan is studying co-designing strength-based Interventions for Twice Exceptional Students with Autism Spectrum (2e-AS) through collaboration from children, teachers, parents and subject experts, DCU (Funded by CTYI; co-supervised by Marianna Pagkratidou)

MSCA PhD Projects:
PhD student Styliani Malkogeorgou is studying the relationship between STEM self-efficacy and small-scale spatial abilities in 12-15 aged children around Europe, TU Dublin. (Funded by MSCA; co-supervised by Marianna Pagkratidou)

Dr. Eleni Lagoudaki conducted a large-scale educational study to examine the influence of spatial thinking skills training using the online platform RIF3.0 on students’ spatial thinking and mathematical skills in 11-15 years old children in Ireland and Austria, Universität Salzburg, Austria. (Funded by MSCA; co-supervised by Marianna Pagkratidou, principal supervision Prof Guenter Maresch -- Completed)

Postgraduate Projects:
under the principal supervision of Marianna Pagkratidou

Cormac Ó Tuairisg is studying how the level of teachers’ spatial abilities influence the degree of spatializing the Irish Curriculum in Primary education, DCU.
Hanna Nowacka is studying the relation of stress in working environment for people with MS: a checklist for HR, DCU.
Christian Healy studied how levels of expertise in combat sports influence the degree of athletic identity and spatial abilities, DCU. (Completed)
Martha McCready studied the relation of endometriosis and interpersonal relations, relationship dynamics, sexual satisfaction, and social participation, DCU. (Completed)

INTRA placement Projects:
under the principal supervision of Marianna Pagkratidou

Jack Henry is studying the Spatial Thinking in the Primary Education Curriculum in Ireland with Dr. Marianna Pagkratidou (placement supervisor) and Dr. Nic Mhuiri, S. (collaborator & co-author), DCU

Undergraduate Projects:
under the principal supervision of Marianna Pagkratidou

Conor O’ Flaherty is studying Action Video Games as a Form of Spatial Training: Comparing Virtual Reality to Traditional Computers with Relation to Mathematics Ability, DCU.
Luke Conroy is studying if short form videos affect the impact of the well-known knowledge revision technique refutation texts, DCU.
Tanay Mukerji is studying the need for Cognitive Closure and Tolerance for Ambiguity in Interpreting Ambiguous Social Situations, DCU.
Rory Barnes studied the link between neurodivergence and spatial abilities, DCU. (Completed)
Gillian Kristel Tabisaura Garcia studied mental imagery and reading comprehension, DCU. (Completed)
Julianna Stojek studied the styles of attachment and the use of GenAI, DCU. (Completed)

CLLab Publications (full list)

Volunteering

Science Dreamers 2025, Tanzania, Africa

CLLab participated in SciCo’s 2025 Science Dreamers program in Tanzania, represented by Dr. Marianna Pagkratidou. Trained and supervised by SciCo leaders, Marianna collaborated with local organisations and teachers to co-design culturally relevant, high-quality educational STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) materials to boost learning and agency while equipping teachers for sustainable delivery. Tanzania faces persistent challenges in quality education, limiting children’s opportunities, and through hands-on collaboration, we sparked curiosity, advance learning, and build cross-cultural ties. In 2025, SciCo volunteers trained 80+ teachers in Gongo, Mkange, Miono, Manda, Java, and Matipwili villages, co-creating three tailored STEAM curricula to reach 12,000+ students long-term. Check out here the first episode (English subtitles available) featuring our volunteering experience, filmed by Yiannis Sarakatsanis.