Research
Cognitive processes in health risk behaviours
My main interest is in the underlying cognitive processes that might contribute or be a consequence of health risk behaviours; such as alcohol misuse and overeating. An example from my research is inhibitory control. This process is the ability to stop or change a behaviour that is no longer appropriate. We have demonstrated that inhibitory control is impaired in response to appetitive cues and this might increase the risk of subsequent unhealthy behaviours. We have also demonstrated that we might be able to improve inhibitory control to reduce potential alcohol consumption. This research is conducted in the laboratory, but also naturalistic settings.
Psychological Measurements
I am interested in the tools psychologists use to measure behaviour and how reliable these are. For example, the Visual Probe Task is a widely used measure of attention however our research has demonstrated numerous limitations with this measure. Secondly, I am interested in the measurement of food and alcohol consumption in the laboratory and whether they are useful proxies for real world behaviours.
Research grants
Development of supportive modules for an E-Health Blended Care Pathway
OH MY MOOD LTD (UK)
October 2019 - September 2022
Inhibitory control in heavy drinking: improving our understanding to optimize behavioural treatments
ALCOHOL RESEARCH UK (UK)
September 2017 - August 2020
Refinements of the CBM-based Tools
TELEFONICA INNOVACION ALPHA S.L (SPAIN)
January 2017 - May 2018
Taking back control: fractioning the homunculus to improve our understanding of the role of 'inhibitory control' in heavy drinking.
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RESEARCH COUNCIL
October 2016 - June 2018