Dr Emma Blakey
Department of Psychology
Senior Lecturer
Full contact details
Department of Psychology
Cathedral Court
1 Vicar Lane
Sheffield
S1 2LT
- Profile
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I am a developmental psychologist and I’m part of the Sheffield Cognitive Development Research Group. My research focuses on how children develop high-level cognitive skills known as executive functions, why we see differences in those skills, and how their development can be best supported.
I studied at the University of Sheffield for my degree, Masters and PhD and returned as a lecturer in 2017. In between then, I was awarded an ESRC overseas research award and spent several months working in Dr Sandra Wiebe’s lab at the University of Alberta running EEG studies to understand the neural correlates of executive function in toddlers. I was then a post-doctoral researcher at Cardiff University, where I worked on an inter-disciplinary project looking at how causal beliefs can shape children’s time perception and whether this changes developmentally.
I love that my job allows me to learn and teach about children’s development, and more recently understand the ways we might best support development and reduce the impact of social inequality on children’s outcomes. I am also passionate about widening participation and enjoy engaging in opportunities to talk about my work with the public. I also enjoy getting students involved in research and have had many students work with me on summer research placements.
- Qualifications
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- PhD Developmental Psychology (University of Sheffield)
- MSc Psychological Research (University of Sheffield)
- BA Philosophy and Psychology (University of Sheffield)
- Research interests
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I’m interested in the development of children’s executive functions (attention, memory, and the ability to regulate behaviour). In particular, I’m interested in how these develop in toddlers and preschoolers, why we see individual differences in these skills and how their development can be best supported. My research also examines how executive functions might relate to school readiness and why these abilities may vary according to children’s socio-economic background.
I am currently leading a longitudinal study 'The Sheffield Early Years Study' to examine how inequalities in cognitive development can emerge and how parents, parent-child interactions and language work together to support early cognitive development. For more information, please see our project website here [insert link: https://sites.google.com/sheffield.ac.uk/sheffearlyyears/home]
I am currently working with colleagues at the University of Oxford and Ulster University to design and evaluate interventions to support early cognitive skills and numeracy skills by supporting learning activities in nursery that embed executive functions into learning activities (funded by the Education Endowment Foundation) and how we can support parents to nurture numeracy skills in the home (funded by the Nuffield Foundation).
I'm also currently leading a research project with Dr Fiona Scott and Dr Michelle McGillion where we aim to understand the unique experiences new parents have faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. We have shared some stories on our website already and are currently working with the National Childbirth Trust (NCT) to ensure this work has impact. Please see our study website.
I am part of the Sheffield Cognitive Development Group where we run child development studies with local schools and families. If you would like to take part in our studies with your child, or if you want to find out more about our lab group, please see the Sheffield Cognitive Development Research Group page.
- Publications
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Show: Featured publications All publications
Featured publications
Journal articles
- The influence of bilingualism on adolescent cognition: The roles of biculturalism, the bilingual profile, and linguistic similarity. Cognitive Development, 63, 101203-101203.
- Temporal binding, causation and agency: Developing a new theoretical framework. Cognitive Science, 44(5). View this article in WRRO
- Causality influences children’s and adults’ experience of temporal order. Developmental Psychology, 56(4), 739-755. View this article in WRRO
- Still more than a feeling : commentary on Cash et al., “Expectancy effects in the Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response” and recommendations for measurement in future ASMR research. Multisensory Research, 32(6), 521-531. View this article in WRRO
- When causality shapes the experience of time: Evidence for temporal binding in young children. Developmental Science, 22(3). View this article in WRRO
- More than a feeling: Autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) is characterized by reliable changes in affect and physiology. PLoS ONE, 13(6). View this article in WRRO
- Not All Distractions Are the Same: Investigating Why Preschoolers Make Distraction Errors When Switching. Child Development, 89(2), 609-619. View this article in WRRO
- Cognitive Flexibility in Young Children: Beyond Perseveration. Child Development Perspectives, 10(4), 211-215. View this article in WRRO
- Different Executive Functions Support Different Kinds of Cognitive Flexibility: Evidence From 2-, 3-, and 4-Year-Olds. Child Development, 87(2), 513-526. View this article in WRRO
- A Short Executive Function Training Program Improves Preschoolers’ Working Memory. Frontiers in Psychology, 6. View this article in WRRO
- The Role of Executive Functions in Socioeconomic Attainment Gaps: Results From a Randomized Controlled Trial. Child Development. View this article in WRRO
- Developmental Profile of Temporal Binding: From Childhood to Adulthood. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology. View this article in WRRO
- Can we boost preschoolers’ inhibitory performance just by changing the way they respond?. Child Development. View this article in WRRO
- Biculturalism, Linguistic Distance, and Bilingual Profile Effects on the Bilingual Influence on Cognition: A Comprehensive Multi-population Approach. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General.
Preprints
- Can we boost preschoolers’ inhibitory performance just by changing the way they respond?, Center for Open Science.
All publications
Journal articles
- The influence of bilingualism on adolescent cognition: The roles of biculturalism, the bilingual profile, and linguistic similarity. Cognitive Development, 63, 101203-101203.
- Temporal binding, causation and agency: Developing a new theoretical framework. Cognitive Science, 44(5). View this article in WRRO
- Causality influences children’s and adults’ experience of temporal order. Developmental Psychology, 56(4), 739-755. View this article in WRRO
- Still more than a feeling : commentary on Cash et al., “Expectancy effects in the Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response” and recommendations for measurement in future ASMR research. Multisensory Research, 32(6), 521-531. View this article in WRRO
- When causality shapes the experience of time: Evidence for temporal binding in young children. Developmental Science, 22(3). View this article in WRRO
- More than a feeling: Autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) is characterized by reliable changes in affect and physiology. PLoS ONE, 13(6). View this article in WRRO
- Not All Distractions Are the Same: Investigating Why Preschoolers Make Distraction Errors When Switching. Child Development, 89(2), 609-619. View this article in WRRO
- Cognitive Flexibility in Young Children: Beyond Perseveration. Child Development Perspectives, 10(4), 211-215. View this article in WRRO
- Different Executive Functions Support Different Kinds of Cognitive Flexibility: Evidence From 2-, 3-, and 4-Year-Olds. Child Development, 87(2), 513-526. View this article in WRRO
- A Short Executive Function Training Program Improves Preschoolers’ Working Memory. Frontiers in Psychology, 6. View this article in WRRO
- The Role of Executive Functions in Socioeconomic Attainment Gaps: Results From a Randomized Controlled Trial. Child Development. View this article in WRRO
- Developmental Profile of Temporal Binding: From Childhood to Adulthood. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology. View this article in WRRO
- Can we boost preschoolers’ inhibitory performance just by changing the way they respond?. Child Development. View this article in WRRO
- Biculturalism, Linguistic Distance, and Bilingual Profile Effects on the Bilingual Influence on Cognition: A Comprehensive Multi-population Approach. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General.
Chapters
- Developmental dyscalculia, Understanding Dyscalculia (pp. 23-40). Routledge
Preprints
- Can we boost preschoolers’ inhibitory performance just by changing the way they respond?, Center for Open Science.
- Still
more than a feeling: Commentary on Cash
et al
., “Expectancy effects in the Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response” and recommendations for measurement in future ASMR research., PeerJ Preprints.
- How do Socioeconomic Attainment Gaps in Early Mathematical Ability Arise?, Center for Open Science.
- Causality Influences Children's and Adults' Experience of Temporal Order, Center for Open Science.
- Still more than a feeling: Commentary on Cash et al., “Expectancy effects in the Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response” and recommendations for measurement in future ASMR research., PeerJ.
- The influence of bilingualism on adolescent cognition: The roles of biculturalism, the bilingual profile, and linguistic similarity. Cognitive Development, 63, 101203-101203.
- Research group
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I am part of the Sheffield Cognitive Development research group
Current PhD students
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Ella James-Brabham: Understanding how we can close the achievement gap: The role of SES and cognitive factors on early mathematical skills. Funded by an ESRC studentship award co-supervised by Dan Carroll and Paul Wakeling (University of York).
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Yesim Yavaslar: The development of cognitive flexibility in early childhood. Funded by the Turkish Government co-supervised by Dan Carroll.
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Christ Billy Aryanto: The role of musical use on individual differences in executive functions. I am Billy’s second supervisor; he is first supervised by Claudia von Bastian.
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Aleksandra Laketa (International Faculty, City College, Thessaloniki): The role of acculturation and motivation in testing the bilingualism cognitive advantage. Funded by a SEERC fee scholarship and co-supervised by Ana Vivas (SEERC) and Elisavet Chrysochoou (Aristotle University).
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Arvesa Studenica (International Faculty, City College, Thessaloniki): Mechanisms underpinning the so-called bilingual cognitive advantage. Funded by a SEERC fee scholarship and co-supervised by Ana Vivas (SEERC) and Elisavet Chrysochoou (Aristotle University).
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- Grants
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ESRC New Investigator Award (2021-2024): Why do inequalities emerge in children’s early cognitive development? (£298,846). With Danielle Matthews (mentor).
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ESRC White Rose Network Grant (2017-2021): Inequalities in Cognitive Development (funded 3 x 1+3 PhD studentships across the White Rose doctoral training partnership). With Mark Mon-Williams (PI), Rosie McEachan, Liam Hill, Amanda Waterman, Dan Carroll, Kate Pickett and Paul Wakeling.
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The Nuffield Foundation (2017-2018): Testing a short executive function training intervention to improve academic skills in children before they start school (£179,111). With Dan Carroll, Danielle Matthews, and Lucy Cragg. To find out more about this project, see our webpage here.
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The Economic and Social Research Council (2015): The neural correlates of cognitive flexibility in 2- to 4-year-olds (£2692). With Dr Sandra Wiebe (University of Alberta). Overseas Institutional Visit Award.
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I have received a number of grants from the Wellcome Trust Biomedical Vacation Scheme and the Sheffield Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) scheme to fund undergraduates to do a summer research project.
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University of Sheffield Science Faculty Widening Participation Grant (2013) to develop a STEM activity for schools (£1200).
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- Teaching activities
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Undergraduate Teaching:
I teach on PSY1004 and PSY2004 Developmental Psychology (level 1 and 2). I supervise Extended Essays and Research Dissertations (level 3), and I am a personal tutor to students at all levels.
Postgraduate Teaching:
I teach about longitudinal methods on PSY6121 Research Methods for Psychologists. I supervise Masters projects in Developmental Psychology.
Past MSc students have examined how cognitive skills support school readiness, and how different kinds of parenting styles associate with children’s development. I also supervise PhD students and Clinical Doctorate students.
- Public Engagement and Media
Events
I enjoy organising exhibitions, talks and activities to demonstrate my research.
These have been held as part of Pint of Science, Ignite Academy, exhibitions at the Wellcome Collection, Cambridge Secret Garden Party with Guerilla Science, the Sheffield Mobile University, Discovery Night and in locations around Sheffield for National Science and Engineering week and Sheffield City Council’s LearnFest.
I also enjoying giving talks in schools and recently ran a workshop on school readiness for local teachers and educational psychologists.
Articles and programmes
- I was interviewed for the Learning Scientists podcast about my executive function research. Listen here.
- I have wrote articles for The Conversation on topics of Developmental Psychology
- I was involved in the Wellcome Trust Science of Learning 'ask a scientist' web event
- I was interviewed for the American Scientist article “Fact or Fiction: Video games are the future of education”
- Guardian article: “ASMR and head orgasms: what’s the science behind it?”
- BBC programme featuring our ASMR research
- BBC News article featuring our research
- Radio Two news programme featuring our ASMR research