The portfolio of research within the Cognition and Neuroscience Research Group focuses on three key topics: the development of language and cognition, sensory and perceptual systems, and social cognition and affective research. We contribute to two of the College of Health and Life Sciences' four key multidisciplinary themes; clinical and systems neuroscience, and vision, cognition, and language. We work closely with the Aston Institute of Health and Neurodevelopment.
We utilise a number of techniques as part of our research, including:
- neuroimaging and clinical neurophysiology (MEG, fMRI, MRS, EEG, TMS)
- cognitive psychology
- psychophysics
- computational modelling
- virtual reality
- motion capture.
Funders and collaborators
Sources of funding for members of this research group include Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), European Research Council (ERC), Marie Curie Fellowships, International Brain Research Organization (IBRO)/ International Bureau of Education (IBE) UNESCO Science of Learning Fellowship, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), and Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF).
People and publications
Our team of over 20 principal researchers come from a variety of psychology and cognitive neuroscience backgrounds. As experts in their field, members of the group hold key roles within professional membership bodies and associations, and chair funding panels, they provide expert commentary for print and broadcast media and are invited to speak at national and European conferences.
Director of Research: Dr Laura Shapiro
Laura Shapiro is the director of research within the School of Psychology and her research interests are on the causes and consequences of children’s language and literacy development, and uncovering the underlying skills that drive growth in language and literacy
Facilities
Researchers in the group make use of a wide variety of equipment within the University to conduct their work, from neuroimaging to virtual reality.
- ALIVE
Aston Laboratory for Immersive Virtual Environments (ALIVE)
The combination of motion capture, virtual reality and EEG recording equipment provides a perfect platform for combining research into visual perception, social cognition, and social vision.
- Neuroimaging at IHN
Neuroimaging at the Aston Institute of Health and Neurodevelopment (IHN)
Facilities within the IHN include MRI, MEG, EEG, and TMS laboratories.
Research Topics
- Language, cognition, and development
This topic encompasses both child development and adult learning. We explore learning across a range of life skills including spatial navigation, social understanding, language and literacy. A core focus of our work is understanding how we learn to use written and spoken language and understanding the role of genetic and environmental influences in language and cognitive development. Our team use multiple research methods including longitudinal research, experimental work and neuroimaging techniques.
Researchers in this field include:
Laura Shapiro - Group Director
Current projects: Reading and Vocabulary (RAV) Project. The Reading and Vocabulary project addressed how limited vocabulary negatively affected academic achievements during the transition from primary to secondary school.- Sensory and perceptual systems
This topic concerns the normal and abnormal functions of sensation and perception, particularly in vision and hearing. Research activities encompass psychophysics, visual and auditory cognition, virtual reality, computational modelling, neuroimaging and TMS.
Researchers in this field include:
- Social cognition and affect research
This topic encompasses social cognition, which examines the cognitive and neural processes underpinning social interactions, and research on affect, which concerns the bidirectional relationship between cognition and emotion and its influence on behaviour. Our research uses survey-based methods, experimental work (including eye-tracking), and neuroimaging.
Researchers in this field include: