UEA School of Psychology

The bystander effect applies to virtual agents, new psychology research shows A recent study published in Consciousness and Cognition suggests that the human mind treats artificial agents much like real people. Working with an active digital partner tends to lower our conscious...

In a recent interview with @psypost.bsky.social, Dr Anh Le discusses new research showing the bystander effect may extend to interactions with artificial agents.

Read the study: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Prof. Lars Muckli (University of Glasgow) visited our School of Psychology to discuss his research: "The influence of experience on predictions in early visual cortex." Deeply grateful for the chance to explore the intersection of human fMRI and cross-species neuroscience with an expert in the field

A child interacting with an iPad enclosed in a green case. The screen displays an educational activity involving images of a box with symbols. An adult's hand rests nearby on the table.

Prof John Spencer from @psychologyuea.bsky.social has been the lead researcher on a study that has fund that the Covid pandemic disrupted children’s ability to self-regulate.

Read more: https://bit.ly/4aMumAO

#ResearchMatters #CovidPandemic #NewStudy

A person peeks over a countertop at a glass jar filled with chocolate chip cookies.

Dr Thomas Sambrook from @psychologyuea.bsky.social has been the lead researcher on a study that may finally explain why we still reach for the biscuit tin, even when we’re full.

Read more: https://bit.ly/4bhqgRc

#ResearchMatters #NewStudy

Devaluation insensitivity of event related potentials associated with food cues Eating in the absence of hunger represents a failure of homeostatic mechanisms responsible for energy balance and is a cause of obesity. The pervasive…

Our latest research by 𝐃𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐬 𝐒𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐤, shows that our brains continue to respond strongly to tempting foods even when we’re full. Using real-time brain scans, the study helps explain why resisting snacks can be difficult and highlights the role our environment plays in shaping eating behaviour.

A baby is sleeping peacefully on an orange blanket, wearing a cap with sensors and wires. The baby is dressed in an orange outfit with a subtle pattern.

Prof Teodora Gliga, from @psychologyuea.bsky.social has led a study that has found that babies with an increased likelihood of autism may struggle to settle into deep, restorative sleep.

Read more: https://bit.ly/4kR5ETm

#ResearchMatters #Academia #NewStudy

A groundbreaking pilot study is exploring nutrition's role in easing menopausal symptoms. Over 6 months, researchers will examine the 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐠𝐚-𝟑 𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐨𝐝, 𝐜𝐨𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 by MRI. This could offer new alternative treatments for menopause other than HRT.

A bat in flight against a blurred background, showcasing its wings spread wide.

Dr Andrew Kolarik from @psychologyuea.bsky.social has been the lead researcher on a study that has found humans can use bat-like echolocation skills to judge the distance of objects.

Read more: https://bit.ly/4tjssif

#ResearchMatters #Academia #ThisIsUEA

A medical professional smiling at a baby on an examination table

Dr Kelsey Frewin, from @psychologyuea.bsky.social, is the lead researcher of a study revealing that by 10 months old, infants are already beginning to understand verbs, before they even say their first words.

Read more: bit.ly/3ZwHfbT

Great start to this semester’s 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐬𝐲𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐒𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬! Thanks to 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟. 𝐒𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐨 𝐊𝐢𝐭𝐚, @sotarokita.bsky.social, from the University of Warwick, for a fascinating talk on 𝘐𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵.

We’re excited to kick off our Spring Research Seminar Series!

Site initiation visit complete for the 𝐄𝐲𝐞𝐅𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 trial at the wonderful Norfolk Community Health Care (Norwich). Staff are now fully trained to deliver our AI-guided app intervention for stroke survivors with neglect!
@neurolab.bsky.social

🚨 𝐏𝐡𝐃 𝐎𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
Interested in how expectations shape what we see? Apply for a fully funded PhD at UEA, supervised by Dr George Malcolm and funded by the Leverhulme Trust.

⏰ Deadline: 18 Jan 2026

www.uea.ac.uk/course/phd-d...

From psychedelic drugs to floating babies to paying people to look at poo: the 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐦𝐧 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐒𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 really had it all! Huge thanks to our brilliant speakers, hosts, and everyone who made it happen. A great reminder of UEA’s fantastic research culture!

Digital illustration of a brain-shaped network of connected lines and dots, glowing in various colors against a dark background, representing concepts of artificial intelligence and neural networks.

A study from our @psychologyuea.bsky.social is helping scientists better understand how our brains remember past events - and how those memories can change over time.

Read more on our website: https://bit.ly/4pUdrkz

#ResearchMatters #Academia #Memory

Innovation podcast- Eye focus

𝐃𝐫 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐭 @neurolab.bsky.social was invited by the 𝐍𝐈𝐇𝐑 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐈𝐧𝐣𝐮𝐫𝐲 @braininjuryhrc.bsky.social to speak about spatial neglect and Eyefocus, an app designed to support the many people living with this condition!

Listen here: open.spotify.com/episode/0saV...

Innovation podcast- Eye focus

Time for another podcast. Hear about spatial neglect and an innovation from @uniofeastanglia.bsky.social which hopes to help. open.spotify.com/episode/0saV...

🚨𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐩𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐫
Sleep plays a crucial role in consolidating recently acquired memories and preparing the brain for learning new ones. Are these benefits of sleep causally linked, driven by a common underlying mechanism, or largely independent?
Read the full paper in:
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Do we perceive static vs dynamic emotions differently?
New research finds both shared and unique patterns in how stimulus properties, recognised emotion, and perceived intensity jointly shape how we see facial emotions.
doi.org/10.1080/0269...
@psplabatuea.bsky.social

New research shows that even a simple, nonhumanoid robot can trigger an implicit sense of agency, but only if we first interact with it socially. Mechanistic interactions don’t have the same effect.
Find out more in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40569722/

𝐃𝐫. 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐚 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐞𝐥 and 𝐃𝐫. 𝐌𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐧 𝐉𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬 at the 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐏𝐬𝐲𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐲’𝐬 𝟗𝐭𝐡 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐏𝐬𝐲𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐅𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥, exploring how qualitative research amplifies marginalised voices, captures the richness of lived experience, and fosters co-creative partnerships between academia and communities.

I am very pleased to share the final version (open access) of this work with @fnim-lab.bsky.social
@cvlneuro.bsky.social ky.social
@psychologyuea.bsky.social ychologyuea.bsky.social

doi.org/10.1016/j.ne...

@lksamuel.bsky.social

🚨𝐏𝐇𝐃 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲!
Interested in how children learn words and concepts?
We're offering a 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲-𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐏𝐡𝐃 at UEA with 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟. 𝐋𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐚 𝐒𝐚𝐦𝐮𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐨𝐧, studying how young children generalize new nouns and how this relates to early vocabulary development.
𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐲 𝟐 𝐍𝐨𝐯 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓!
www.uea.ac.uk/course/phd-d...

We were delighted to welcome 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐮𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐢 𝐙𝐡𝐨𝐮, Professor of Psychology at Sun Yat-sen University (China) and research collaborator with UEA’s 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐋𝐚𝐛 (𝐏𝐈: 𝐃𝐫 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐨 𝐙𝐡𝐚𝐨), for her fascinating talk
“From Perception to Motivation: A Unified Model of Cross-Race Face Recognition”

@teeagliga.bsky.social

Eryk Mejia: Thinking in Silence: The link between language and cognition in deaf babies (BSL) [Photo: Professor Teodora Gliga and Research Associate Eryk Mejia with a family with a deaf infant in the play area of Babywaves] When encountering an animal that we recognize as a dog, we immediat…

𝐄𝐫𝐲𝐤 𝐌𝐞𝐣𝐢𝐚 shares his experiences as a Deaf cognitive development researcher working on Prof. Teodora Gliga’s ESRC-funded 𝐁𝐋𝐨𝐂𝐊𝐒 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭, which explores how language experiences influence deaf babies’ cognitive development.
Available in English and BSL:
limpingchicken.com/2025/10/03/e...

In this week’s Research Seminar, we are delighted to welcome 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟. 𝐃𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐝 𝐊𝐞𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐫 (Purdue University, Indiana).
🖥️ The seminar will take place online and is open to colleagues from other universities!
👉If you’d like to join, please complete this form to receive the link: forms.office.com/e/3Fvfb4RvEZ

Extended Reality Neurorehabilitation of Spatial Neglect and Related Disorders After Brain Injury ...

4 a.m. alarm today 🚨 Off by train to King’s Cross → Brussels for 3 days of XR-for-neglect-rehab research, networking & the first meeting of our EU COST Action grant. @psychologyuea.bsky.social @neurolab.bsky.social

Meeting: ppw.kuleuven.be/xrneglect

Cost action: www.cost.eu/actions/CA24...

Don’t miss it!
𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞: 𝐀 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞
Organised by the Diversity in Developmental Science Network, featuring 𝐃𝐫.𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚 𝐀𝐧𝐞𝐣𝐚 as a panellist.
📝 Registration: forms.cloud.microsoft/pages/respon...