About us: our vision
The Centre for Thinking and Learning brings together world-leading researchers from a variety of disciplines to uncover new insights into cognitive and learning processes, and to apply these to real-world situations. Our expertise provides practitioners and policy-makers with an evidence-based understanding of cognition, learning, skills acquisition and education, whether in schoolchildren, older adults or people in the health system.
We aim to:
- Advance the frontiers of research and knowledge in the fields of cognitive psychology, neuroscience and education, and create an enhanced research environment focused on impact.
- Address societal challenges through research and knowledge exchange, including: the enhancement of processes and learning outcomes in educational settings; the facilitation of practice-oriented research relating to health, safety and welfare; and the development of interventions for young and ageing populations, individuals with cognitive disorders, and for those with special education needs.
- Advocate for the integration of research evidence into policies related to education, health and other relevant domains, and actively influence policy decisions.
- Establish and maintain effective partnerships with external private, public and NGO partners in health, education and other sectors.
- Attract research funding and disseminate outcomes via high-impact academic and practice-based channels.
- Train and foster the next generation of world-class researchers on thinking and learning.
Our impact on the world
Everything we do at the Centre for Thinking and Learning is designed to make a positive impact in real world contexts. Our work focuses on applied aspects of cognition and learning, and by close collaboration with outside organisations, we ensure that our research outputs improve policy and practice relating to thinking and learning across the lifespan.
Our research contributes to many of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Examples include:
- Studies on falls, pain sensitivity, and dementia and Alzheimer’s, which support Good Health and Wellbeing (SDG3).
- The deployment of eye-tracking system to study enhancement of mathematics and language skills, which supports Quality Education (SDG4).
- Research with younger people on financial decision-making, which supports Decent Work and Economic Growth (SDG8).
- Investigations into tailoring healthcare provision to better account for ageing and mental deterioration, which contribute to Reduced Inequality (SDG10).
Who we are
An interdisciplinary approach
The Centre for Thinking and Learning has a diverse range of staff with interests and expertise in education and teacher training, applied cognitive psychology, nursing and paramedic science, neuroscience, business, architecture, engineering, computing and mathematics, communication and neurolinguistics. This highly interdisciplinary approach enables us to view the many complex challenges to learning, skills acquisition and perception from different angles and perspectives. And, regardless of specialism and expertise, all our members are galvanised by an interest in seeing their research have an impact.
Partners
Our members work with a wide range of external partners, from local authorities and the NHS to the police services in London and Germany. We also collaborate with colleagues in other UK universities, such as Bath, Cambridge, Kent, Reading, Sheffield Hallam and Sussex, as well as overseas institutions, including the Universities of Rotterdam (Netherlands), Witwatersrand (South Africa), Sydney (Australia) and Stanford (USA). Our partners also include schools (primary and secondary) and charities.
Funding
The work of the Centre for Thinking and Learning is supported by public, private and not-for-profit funders, including the Society for Research into Higher Education, police forces, the Road Safety Trust and the Nuffield Foundation. We are seeking further funding from the UKRI, the Wellcome Trust, the Leverhulme Trust and EU Horizon.
Our research
A mixed methods approach
Our members use a variety of quantitative, qualitative and mixed-methods approaches to explore research challenges. We also deploy technologies that can add an extra dimension, such as EEGs (electroencephalograms) for monitoring brain activity, eye-tracking equipment for understanding language processing, learning and perception, and biomechanics, machine learning and AI to predict the risks of an elderly person falling. Researchers at the Centre for Thinking and Learning benefit from participation in the Neuroscience Hub, which brings together specialists from a range of disciplines across University to share ideas, skills and expertise, and generate new ideas for collaborative research. The Hub also supports training in the use of equipment for neuroscience related research.
Our researchers contribute to research themes such as:
- Language
- Perception and attention
- Memory processes
- Postural control, gait initiation and falls in ageing people
- Face recognition
Language
Topics explored under this theme include the development of languages, and acquisition of second languages, which has real world applications. Recent studies have explored listening comprehension in bilingual primary school-aged children, as well as broader areas such as the acquisition of mathematics skills and the cognitive psychology of financial decision-making in younger people.
Perception and attention
The field of perception and attention has been generating exciting new findings with tangible impacts in various domains. For instance, we have led research into how to identify ‘super-recognisers’, individuals with an exceptional capacity for memorising and recognising unfamiliar faces. The results are now used by national and international police forces in the UK and Germany, as well as by private sector companies serving security, identification verification, and law enforcement support functions. This theme also explores topics such as gaze and embodiment, and makes use of new technologies including virtual reality and eye-tracking.
Memory processes
Here, we research basic memory processes as well as how memory functions, such as forgetting and face recognition in older people, is linked with particular learning techniques. This work is already having benefits for practitioners working with people with Alzheimer’s disease. Other recent projects have covered persistent memory in children and the links between memory and Tourette’s syndrome.
Postural control, gait initiation and falls in ageing people
This research theme explores topics such as links between postural adjustments, gait initiation and the risk of falls in older adults. Given that falls are a leading cause of mortality, this research is extremely valuable for clinicians. Members of the Centre are now using machine learning and AI to anticipate the risk of falls based on an analysis of facial gestures and movements, and hope to incorporate these findings into a device to assist community-dwelling people at risk of falls. We are also looking at how driver behaviour behind the wheel can be used as a predictor of road traffic collision involvement in cities, and are collaborating with the UK government to develop policy and practice to improve road safety.
Publications/Output
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Teaching and training
A key function of the Centre for Thinking and Learning is to train and encourage the next generation of world-class researchers, starting at undergraduate level. We run the Office of Undergraduate Research which helps psychology students acquire research skills and become independent learners. We encourage our students to become research ‘collaborators’ rather than ‘assistants’, by giving them the opportunity to work alongside well- established researchers. By their second year, undergraduates will be ‘research ready’ and able to use state-of-the-art equipment which they may then use in their final projects. We also operate a ‘buddying system’ to support early career researchers.
In the future, we are planning to develop training for external partners, such as short courses for NHS practitioners and others on how to use neuroscience equipment methods of measurements.
