University Of Birmingham

Faculty Member, Psychology

Lecturer

Behavioural Brain Sciences Centre, Life and Environmental Sciences

About

My research interests are concerned with exploring the relationships between visual selective attention, visual awareness, and consciousness - including striking failures of awareness.  Examples of these instances include sustained-inattentional blindness and change-blindness.  Current research is dedicated towards investigating these processes over space and time.  I have developed an explicit functional model - the "dual attentional-sets" framework to account for how the brain selects information over space and time and the role of feature-based inhibition in failures of selection and awareness.

I also have a keen research interest in instances of Anomalous Cognition, hallucinations and delusions in the pathological, clinical and normal populations.  Current research is directed at investigating (i) neurocognitive correlates of Out-of-Body Experiences (OBEs); (ii) Near-Death Experiences; (iii) perspective-taking mechanisms, (iv) embodiment and theories of 'self'; (v) the rubber-arm illusion and (vi) neurocognitive correlates of consciousness including altered states; and (vii) sensed-presence experiences.  What do these experiences teach us about the brain and cognition?

I am also interested in altered sensory experiences associated with Schizotypy and depersonalization.

I offer supervision (MSc / PhD) on all these topic areas.  I also run an optional 3rd year module for Psychology students which investigates hallucinations, delusions and anomalous conscious experiences from the perspective of cognitive neuroscience. 


Hobbies and Interests:
Learning to play the electric lead guitar (I am a big fan of G&L electric guitars).  I own two G&L guitars which are (i) a custom build USA G&L spalted maple Legacy guitar (Stratocaster) with maple neck and (ii) a Tribute series Asat classic (Telecaster) in 3-tone sunburst and maple neck.

G&L are amongst the finest off all electric guitars.  Real players know.....

Genre = Electric blues and rock guitar
Influences = Eric Clapton, Peter Green, Dave Gilmour, Slash, Richie Sambora, Albert King, Freddie King.

Bands = Everything from "John Mayall's blues breakers" (Clapton and Green) to "The Cream" to "Nirvana", to early "Fleetwood Mac", to "Pink Floyd" to "Guns n Roses" to "Del Amitri" to "Hendrix"....it's all there. 

Other interests: Promoting science in the public domain.

Contact Information