Dr. Daniel Connolly
Lecturer in Psychology

About
Daniel’s background is in developmental psychology and education. His D.Phil. thesis is titled ‘Theory of Mind and Executive Function in 3- to 5-year-old Children’ and examined the links between the development of control associated with the brain’s frontal lobes and their ability to deceive others and predict their behaviour based on an understanding of their mental states.
Daniel’s post-doctoral work focused on children’s use of interactive technology with a particular interest in how digital technology can exploit social learning processes to enhance learning.
Daniel is also interested in how noise can disrupt the cognitive processes that underpin classroom learning in mathematics, reading, and reasoning. He has researched the impact of classroom noise and school acoustics on adolescents’ perceptions of their learning environment and their ability to learn, working with psychologists and acousticians in schools throughout England to identify barriers to learning created by poor sound environments. He is especially interested in learners with special educational needs, such as visual impairment and deafness.
Daniel was co-organiser of the 2022 BPS Community Psychology Festival and is currently researching people’s experiences of the cost-of-living crisis.
He is co-founder of the Centre for Creative Research Methods at Chichester University, which explores ways in which people can tap into their creativity in order to give a voice to their experiences. Daniel is currently developing projects investigating the well-being and personal development of children in care and those who support them.
Daniel is also a fully qualified teacher and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA). He is currently working towards his Level 1 British Sign Language qualification.
Key Publications
- Connolly, D., Dockrell, J., Shield, B., Conetta, R., Mydlarz, C., Cox, T. (2019). The effects of classroom noise on the reading comprehension of adolescents. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 145 (1), 372. https://doi.org/10.1121/1.5087126
- Connolly D.M., Dockrell J.E., Mydlarz, C., Shield B.M., Conetta R., & Cox T.J. (2016). A quasi-experimental study of the impact of classroom noise on adolescents’ mathematical ability. Proceedings of the International Congress on Acoustics. 5th – 9th September. Catholic University of Argentina, Buenos Aries, Argentina
- Shield, B.M., Conetta, R., Dockrell, J. E., Connolly, D., Cox, T., & Mydlarz, C. (2015) A survey of acoustic conditions and noise levels in secondary school classrooms in England. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 137 (1), 177-188
- Connolly D.M., Dockrell J.E., Shield B.M., Conetta R., Cox T.J. (2013) Adolescents’ perceptions of their school’s acoustic environment: The development of an evidence based questionnaire. Noise and Health.15:269-80
- Dockrell, J., Connolly, D., Mydlarz, C., Conetta, R., Shield, B. (2012) Effects of noise in high schools on pupils’ perceptions and performance. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 132, 2045 (2012); https://doi.org/10.1121/1.4755520
- Luckin, R.; Connolly, D.; Plowman, L. & Airey, S. (2003). With a little help from my friends: children’s interactions with interactive toy technology. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning (Special issue on Children and Technology) pp. 165-176
- Luckin, R.; Connolly, D.; Plowman, L. & Airey, S. (2003) ‘Out of the Box, but in the Zone? Can digital toy technology provide a more able peer for young learners?’ In H.U. Hoppe, F. Verdejo & J. Kay (eds). Proceedings of the International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Education Learning through Intelligent Technologies, IOS Press. (pp 333 – 340)
- Ruffman, T., Garnham, W., Import, A., & Connolly, D. (2001). ‘Does Eye Direction Indicate Implicit Sensitivity to False Belief? Charting transitions in knowledge.’ Journal of Experimental Child Psychology. 80, (3), pp. 201-224 DOI: 10.1006/jecp.2001.2633