Supervisors
Dr Ori Ossmy
Prof. Matthew Longo
Research interests
My PhD research explores how pre-school children plan their actions and develop action-planning skills. If a child wants to complete a task, what determines the final action? Is the action wholly the result of “top-down” thinking, where the child takes uses everything she knows about the task and the environment to plan and select the best action? Or are there also ”bottom-up” processes, a real-time interplay between sensory input, brain processing and physical movement? At what stage in development does a child begin to show adult-like planning? How can we manipulate the environment to instigate better planning?
Using EEG, motion tracking, eye tracking and video, I am capturing real-time brain and movement activity in children completing novel tasks, to see if better information gathering improves planning and if the source of information and senses used play a role. Additionally, I will examine if individual differences in planning early on have an effect on later life.
My previous research focused on developmental psychology, neurodevelopment, and childhood disorders affecting memory and other cognitive faculties. I have experience working with children at the Centre for the Developing Brain at KCL and the Institute of Child Health at UCL/GOSH and a career in front-line NHS services before becoming a researcher.
Education
PhD Psychology, Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck, University of London (ongoing)
MSc Psychology London South Bank University
PGCert Clinical Photography Staffordshire University
BA (Hons) Photography Liverpool John Moores University
Research Experience
Research Assistant | Kings College London, Centre for the Developing Brain | supervised by Prof. Serena Counsell
Research Assistant | University College London / Great Ormond Street Hospital, Institute of Child Health | supervised by Prof. Faraneh Vargha Khadem
Research Assistant | London South Bank University | supervised by Dr Rachael Elward
Research Assistant | London South Bank University | supervised by Dr Preethi Premkumar
Publications and Poster presentation
Chew, A., Bonthrone, A., Alford, A., Kelly, C., Pushparajah, K., Egloff, A., Hajnal, J., Simpson, J., Rutherford, M., Edwards, D., Nosarti, C. & Counsell, S. (2024). Executive function in preschool children with congenital heart disease and controls: the role of a cognitively stimulating home environment. Journal of Pediatrics, 267
Premkumar, P., Churchill, T., Elward, R., Alford, A. (2024). Embedding Student-Centred Active Learning Environment with Upside-down Pedagogies in teaching practice: What works for psychology? Psychology Teaching Review, 30(1)
Stiff, P. Nichola, G. Alford, A. (2020). National Guidelines: Cultural Diversity. Institute of Medical Illustrators. (2020)
Alford, A., Brinkworth, S. (2015). Maximizing image quality in small spaces. Journal of Visual Communication in Medicine, 38(1-2)
Alford, A., Ghilardi, T., Longo, M., Ossmy, O. How Probabilistic and Biased Is Action Planning During Object Manipulation? Poster presented at UK Sensorimotor 2024, University of Cambridge (June 2024)
Alford, A. Elward, R. The Birthday Party Game: an interactive, online tool to assess memory development in early childhood. Poster presented at Birkbeck, University of London, Respect for Neurodiversity (November 2023).
Elward R., Chareyron, L. J., Alford, A. & Vargha-Khadem, F. Preserved Semantic Memory but Impaired Associative Memory in a Six-Year-Old with Developmental Amnesia. Poster presented at New Perspectives on Declarative Memory conference, University of East Anglia (June 2022) and Lancaster International Conference of Infant and Early Child Development, Lancaster University (August 2023)
Awards and Funding
Leverhulme Trust funded PhD studentship. (2023-2027): Full scholarship (fees + stipend) for PhD research funded by the Leverhulme UK