Stephanie Howarth

Biography

I completed my PhD in Cognitive Psychology at Plymouth University in 2015, under the supervision of Professor Simon Handley. My thesis explored Dual Processing and Belief-Bias effect in conditional reasoning. My research focused on the impact of cognitive load, individual differences and the role of inhibition and working memory on conditional reasoning. I evaluated my findings against traditional and newer dual processing models of reasoning. From 2015 to 2016 I worked as a postdoctoral research assistant in the Peninsula School of Medicine and Dentistry at Plymouth University. I conducted both qualitative and quantitative research on the UMbRELLA (UK Medical Revalidation Evaluation collaboration) project, under the supervision of the CAMERA (Collaboration for Advancement of Medical Education Research and Assessment) team. My research focus was on the decision making processes that Responsible Officers engaged when examining a doctor’s fitness to practise. The team was led by Dr Julian Archer MD and I worked closely with the Psychometrics department. I started a postdoctoral research fellow position, here at Macquarie University in August (2016), working with Professor Simon Handley. I am investigating the development of conditional reasoning as well as examining the impact of complexity, instructional manipulation and working memory on reasoning. I am particularly interested in further exploring the role of intuitive logic.

Research Interest

Cognitive psychology; thinking, reasoning, decision making, belief bias, intuitive logic, dual processing, parallel processing, reasoning development, working memory, inhibition, individual differences, hypnosis.