We are currently exploring a range of different research lines in the lab. See below for some more information.
Human Time Perception
The ability to process and perceive time is fundamental for existence. In emphasising its importance for survival, it is known that almost all plants and animals – even unicellulars, have been documented to express biological rhythms. Hitherto, my research has focused on using psychophysics and behavioural experiments to investigate sensory time perception and specifically, whether this is a centralised or distributed feature. A broader overview of my research focuses on questions such as, how do human brains process time? What about the contribution of timing information coming in from different senses (for example, vision and audition), and how we maintain a unified percept of the world?
To read more about how the pandemic has impacted our sense of time, check out a recent interview with The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/lets-workflow-it/2021/oct/19/timebends-how-the-new-world-of-work-can-help-us-conquer-time
Understanding the relationship between age-related hearing loss and social isolation
Many older adults live with some form of hearing loss and have difficulty understanding speech in the presence of background sound. Experiences resulting from such difficulties include increased listening effort and fatigue. Social interactions may become less appealing in the context of such experiences, and age-related hearing loss is associated with an increased risk of social isolation and associated negative psychosocial health outcomes. However, the precise relationship between agerelated hearing loss and social isolation is not well described. Here, we propose a framework with three conceptual anchor stages to describe the relation between hearing loss and social isolation: within-situation disengagement from listening, social withdrawal, and social isolation. We describe the distinct characteristics of each stage and suggest potential interventions to mitigate negative impacts of hearing loss on social lives and health.
To read more about this work, please check out media articles from BBC Scotland, The Sunday Post, The Herald, and The University of Stirling news page.
Using Naturalistic Story Listening to Understand Speech Processing
In everyday life, spoken language is meaningful, follows a narrative and engages the listener. Speech comprehension in noise is challenging and additional brain regions are recruited when listening is effortful. Traditionally, fMRI studies employ sentences or words. Given that motivation is important for effort and cognitive control, these results may not generalize to engaging stories that a listener wants to follow. Using fMRI, here we aim to identify regions of the brain involved in narrative comprehension and isolate these from those that are functionally recruited to aid the comprehension of masked speech during naturalistic story listening.
Exploring Individual Differences in Mental Imagery
Mental imagery is a fundamental part of human sensory representations. It is important as it plays a role in almost all cognitive functions, such as information processing and learning. Our lives are full of stories, such as a friend’s recap of her weekend or a news article on a recent natural disaster. While this is a newer line of research for the lab, in the near future we hope to explore mental imagery further and understand why some individuals vary so strongly in their ability to capture scenes in their 'mind's eye'.