Dr Rachel King
Lecturer in Biological Psychology
About
Lecturer in Biological Psychology
Post-Doctoral Researcher in the Ageing and Dementia Lab.
Laboratory and Technology Officer
BACKGROUND
Dr. Rachel King is a Lecturer in Biological Psychology at the Institute of Education, Health and Social Sciences.
Rachel has a DPhil in Experimental Psychology conferred by the University of Oxford, a research MSc in Psychology granted by the University of Amsterdam (Major: Brain & Cognition, Minor: Clinical) and a BSc in Psychology granted by the University of Portsmouth. For her DPhil she received a Marie Curie Early-Stage Researcher Fellowship on an International Training Network project investigating individualised diagnostics and rehabilitation of attentional disorders.
Rachel has an interest in research integrity, methods to improve research practice and the role of mental capacity in research consent. During her PhD she managed lab ethics, which involved submitting and maintaining multi-project applications (working with healthy populations and with individual that have neurological conditions) and running the ethics induction for new students and staff.
She is also a graduate member of the British Psychological Society.
MODULE TEACHING
Rachel leads the following modules:
- PSY204 – Research Methods: Experimental Design and Analysis
- PSY201 – Biological Psychology
And supports:
- PSYM03 – Clinical Psychology, Life Coaching, and Technological Applications (Technology Section)
She is also responsible for supervising research projects at BSc, MSc and PhD level.
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Rachel is interested in brain health and neurodegeneration.
For her DPhil she worked on attentional processes involved in top-down control of goal directed behaviour. This included neuropsychological work examining the functional impact and lesion neuroanatomy of impaired selective attention following stroke and experimental work examining goal neglect and dual task processing. She has also previously piloted a cognitive training programme for executive dysfunction following stroke and been involved in a project examining cognitive decline following deep brain stimulation for Parkinson’s disease.
Currently Rachel is interested broadly in interventions that can improve quality of life for individuals with cognitive difficulties. These interventions may focus on enhancing cognitive performance through mechanisms of neuroplasticity (e.g., cognitive training or tDCS) or through improving assessment or standards of care.
Key Publications
List of publications
King, R. L., Gillebert, C. R., Humphreys, G. W. & Demeyere, N. (in prep). Lesion Neuroanatomy of Post Stroke Deficits in Auditory Selective Attention.
King, R. L., Brosnan, M., Humphreys, G. W. & Demeyere, N. (in prep). Auditory Selective Attention: The Prevalence of Deficits and Impact on Functional Independence Following Stroke.
Sample of conferences
King, R. L., Brosnan, M., Humphreys, G. W., & Demeyere, N. Post-stroke functional status: the contribution of impaired selective and sustained attention. Poster presented at 6th Scientific Meeting of the Federation of the European Societies of Neuropsychology (13-15th September 2017). Maastricht, The Netherlands.
King, R. L. Gillebert, C, R., Levenstein, J., Humphreys, G. W., & Demeyere, N. Lesion Neuroanatomy of Post Stroke Deficits in Selective Auditory Attention. Poster presented at the Cognitive Neuroscience of Executive Function (28th-30th September 2017). Padova, Italy.
King, R. L., Dalmaijer, E. S., Humphreys, G. W. & Demeyere, N. Goal Neglect: A Unitary Concept? Poster presented at Autumn School of Cognitive Neuroscience (2nd August, 2016). Oxford, UK.
King, R. L., Brosnan, M., Humphreys, G.W., & Demeyere, N. Post-stroke Deficits in Attention and Working Memory: Prevalence and Impact on Sub-acute and Long Term Functional Status. Poster presented at British Neuropsychological Society Autumn Meeting (26-27 October 2016), London, UK.
PhD Supervision
Areas of Supervision: Neuropsychology and Experimental Psychology
- PhD project (Susan Hindman): Use of virtual reality based cognitive training to support cognitive development in school age children – Director of Studies
- Clinical PhD project (Camille Cousley): Improving the assessment of mental capacity for individuals with dementia in an acute hospital setting. – Director of Studies
- Clinical PhD project (Ross Webster) – Improving clinical decision making regarding the implementation of non-beneficial treatment during end-of-life care. – Part of the Supervisory Team
Other department members
Alison Hounsome
Programme Administrator
