Cognition, Development and Education Research Cluster

Nine staff undertake research within the cluster.

• Teresa McCormack
• Carol McGuinness
• Martin McPhillips
• Gerry Mulhern
• Judith Wylie
• Aidan Feeney
• Tim Fosker
• Mary Hanley
• Donncha Hanna

The focus of the group is on cognitive, developmental and educational research. The aim of our research is to increase understanding of how children learn and how they change across developmental spans.  We have particular interests in the applications of our research to education. Most of the research is carried out in schools, and is either classroom-based or involves working with children individually.

Our research is funded by the Research Councils (ESRC, AHRB, BBSRC) as well as by the Department of Education in Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland Council for Curriculum, Examinations and Assessments (CCEA) and the Education and Library Boards in Northern Ireland. We have recently acquired a Mobile Laboratory which will greatly enhance our ability to collect data with minimal disruption in schools.

Research interests of members

Dr Teresa McCormack

• Cognitive development in young children
• Memory development
• Children’s judgements about time
• Development of children’s causal reasoning
• Development of consciousness and self-consciousness

Professor Carol McGuinness

• Development of children’s thinking skills in classrooms
• Dialogue and metacognition
• Pedagogies for powerful learning
• Critical thinking and learning in higher education
• Evaluation of educational interventions

Dr Martin McPhillips

• Dyslexia
  • balance, motor and coordination deficits
  • visual deficits (e.g. saccadic eye movement in reading)
  • auditory deficits (e.g. tone discrimination)
• Developmental Coordination Disorder (dyspraxia)
  • identification and comorbidity issues
  • fine and gross motor deficits
• Motor Development
  • early motor development
  • predictors of motor delay in young children

Dr Gerry Mulhern

• Development of numerical, mathematical and literacy skills
• The development of automaticity and the role of working memory
• Cognitive arithmetic
• Attitudes to mathematics
• Learning statistical concepts in children and undergraduates

Dr Judith Wylie

• Development of literacy and numerical skills
• Psychological processes of spelling and reading
• Impact of text structure on memory and comprehension
• Working memory

Dr Karen Trew

Dr Trew is also a member of the Social Issues Research Cluster

• Social development in children and adolescents, particularly social identity
• Development of dispositions for learning, especially in the early years
• Evaluation of educational interventions

For additional information on specific projects related to this research cluster, see staff web pages or link to Research on Development and Education