Dr Kayleigh Warrington

Supervisor Details

Contact Details

Psychology and Vision Sciences, University of Leicester

Scientific Background

Research Interests

My primary research explores the cognitive processes that enable people read and understand text. I study this topic in different populations including older adults and struggling readers, and across different writing systems including Chinese, Arabic, English and Mongolian.

More recently, I have also developed research around Open Science practices, disability, inclusion and structural injustice.

I am a member of the Vision Sciences research group.

I am a member of the Experimental Psychology Society, member of the Society for Research in Higher Education, and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Supervision Style

In three words or phrases: Inclusive, supportive, collaborative.

Provision of Training

Training provision will be tailored to your individual needs. A scaffolded approach will support your transition to independence.

Progression Monitoring and Management

We will meet regularly to discuss progress, and outside of these meetings I will be available via email. We will work together to set ambitious but achievable goals.

Communication

I am reachable via email, and always happy to chat in-person. We have regular research group meetings, offering a friendly and supportive environment to communicate with others about your work.

PhD Students can expect scheduled meetings with me:

In a group meeting

At least once a fortnight

In year 1 of PhD study

At least once a fortnight

In year 2 of PhD study

At least once a fortnight

In year 3 of PhD study

At least once a month

These meetings will be a mixture of face to face, via video chat or telephone, and I am usually contactable for an instant response 3 or 4 days per week.

Working Pattern

Certain tasks in the lab need to occur at set times, such as participant testing, and students need to be able to commit to a rota/timetable shared with other members of the team.

Notice Period for Feedback

I need at least 2 weeks' notice to provide feedback on written work of up to 5000 words.

MIBTP Project Details

Primary supervisor for:

Understanding the onset and trajectory of age-related difficulties in reading: A visual and cognitive perspective

See the PhD Opportunities section to see if this project is currently open for applications via MIBTP.

Please Note: The main page lists projects via BBSRC Research Theme(s) quoted and then relevant Topic(s).

Understanding the onset and trajectory of age-related difficulties in reading: A visual and cognitive perspective

Secondary Supervisor(s): Dr Vicky McGowan

University of Registration: University of Leicester

BBSRC Research Themes:

Understanding the Rules of Life (Neuroscience and Behaviour)
Integrated Understanding of Health (Ageing)

Project Outline

Reading is a fundamental skill that supports many economic, cultural, and social aspects of life. It is therefore concerning that studies show that reading becomes slower and more effortful in older age, potentially posing a barrier to active and healthy aging. Yet, our understanding of these difficulties remains limited. Most research uses discrete age groups, typically comparing small samples of young adults (18–30 years) with older adults (65+ years). While informative, this approach offers only a snapshot of reading at two ends of the lifespan. As a result, we know little about when reading begins to decline, how quickly it declines, or whether it continues to decline throughout older adulthood. This is despite evidence from related domains (e.g. vision, cognition) that age-related changes begin in midlife and progress non-linearly. Our aim is to better understand how reading changes across adulthood. To achieve this, we will: 1. Establish the trajectory of age-related change in reading. 2. Examine how individual differences in vision and cognition contribute to variability in age-related reading difficulty. Methods We will conduct a series of experiments to examine reading across the full adult lifespan. These will include experiments examining eye movements, as these movements reflect the cognitive processes underlying reading. Accordingly, by comparing the eye movements of different aged readers we can understand how the cognitive mechanisms underlying reading change as we get older. Our approach will be to recruit a large and diverse set of participants for our experiments, and conduct assessments of visual and cognitive abilities in addition to assessments of reading. This will enable us to examine how individual differences in vision and cognition contribute to age-related changes in reading.