About
I am a cognitive and biological research psychologist whose work focuses on understanding what factors predict why people think, learn, and process differently. My research examines how individual differences in internal representations and cognitive processing influence attention, learning, and skilled performance, and how efficiencies emerge across different contexts.
I gained my PhD at the University of Lincoln, investigating the impact of simulated hearing loss on executive function, including attention, working memory, and impulsivity. I then worked as a Postdoctoral Research Scientist at the MRC Institute of Hearing Research, Nottingham, studying attention and cognitive processing in children with suspected Auditory Processing Disorder. I subsequently moved to the USA, where I was a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Waisman Center, exploring similar questions in children with Developmental Language Disorder and Autistic Spectrum Disorders, and then later joined the University of Wisconsin–Madison as a Postdoctoral Researcher and Lecturer. During this time, I developed the Internal Representation Questionnaire (IRQ), a tool to measure individual differences in representational style in adults, which I continue to use to investigate cognition in both typical and atypical development.
At Derby, I co-lead the ThinkLing Lab with Dr Barbara Manini, aiming to bring together our research and students with aligned interests. The lab investigates the interplay between thought and language, and how representational style shapes cognition, learning, and performance.
Teaching responsibilities
I teach across a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate psychology programmes, both online and on campus, including BSc, MSc, MRes, PGDip, and the Certificate in Psychology. I am Module Leader for Introduction to Biological Psychology (4PS507), Introduction to Research Methods (5PS541), and Biological and Cognitive Approaches in Psychology (7PS544).
I supervise dissertation and research projects across programmes, including the BSc Psychology Research Project (6PS519), MSc Masters Research Project (7PS999), MSc Forensic Empirical Research Project (7PS993), and MRes Independent Research Project (7PS988). I also act as a Personal Academic Tutor (PAT), supporting students’ academic progress, wellbeing, and development.
My teaching is research-led, designed to equip students with practical skills, critical thinking, and applied knowledge. I contribute to programme development and curriculum innovation, integrating flexible online delivery and evidence-based approaches to support diverse learning needs.
Research interests
1. Internal Representations, Language, and Cognitive Diversity
This research trajectory examines how individuals differ in their modes of internal representation and how these differences influence cognition, language, and learning. To capture these tendencies, I developed the validated Internal Representation Questionnaire (IRQ). Using this measure, I am exploring how representational preferences relate to working memory and cognitive control, and how language experience (signed and spoken) shapes executive function and representational thinking.
This trajectory forms the foundation for two related strands: one focusing on neurodiversity, examining how representational style relates to cognitive diversity; and another on learning differences, investigating how internal processes contribute to variation in literacy and learning outcomes, including dyslexia. Future work in this area will aim to explore the neural underpinnings using fNIRS.
2. Embodied Cognition, Motor Control, and Virtual Presence
This trajectory investigates how thought and movement interact to shape skilled performance and perception. It examines how individuals monitor and control their actions (motor reinvestment) and how cognitive focus and representational processes influence performance and automaticity. It also explores the experience of psychological presence in virtual reality environments, including the collaboration towards the development of a sport-specific presence questionnaire to assess immersion, attention, and control. Future work in this area will explore applications in movement rehabilitation and healthy aging.
3. Modality, Integration, and Cognitive Adaptability
This trajectory investigates how the mind automatically and unconsciously processes and integrates information across different sensory and representational systems. Building on my earlier work on modality shifting and processing time, it focuses on the low-level cognitive mechanisms that allow information to be combined and integrated efficiently. The research examines how these implicit processes improve processing efficiency, enabling rapid and effective integration of information.
Recent conferences
I have presented my research at a range of international conferences including:
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2025 Symposium for Individual Differences in Cognition, Colorado, USA
- North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity Annual Conference, Waikola Beach, Hawaii
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EvoLang Conference, Brussels, Belgium
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Cultural Evolution Society Conference, Arizona, USA
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Cognitive Science Society Conference, Madison, USA
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Symposium of Child Language Disorders, Madison, USA
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Association for Research in Otolaryngology Conference, Baltimore, USA
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SRCLD (Symposium on Research in Child Language Disorders), Madison, USA
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Speech in Noise Workshop, Groningen, The Netherlands
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British Academy funded workshop (MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit), Cambridge, UK
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British Society of Audiology Annual Conference, Keele University, UK
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Workshop on Inhibition and Disinhibition in Health and Disorder, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
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European Conference of Visual Perception, Toulouse, France
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Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA, USA
International experience
I carried out 5 years of post-doctoral research in the USA. I am now an Honorary Fellow at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA.
Recent publications
- Runswick, O. & Roebuck, H. (2024). The effects of internal representations on performance and fluidity in a motor task. Psychological Research, 88, 803–814.
- Runswick, O., & Roebuck, H. (2022). The Effects of Individual Differences in Internal Representations on Conscious Processing and Performance in a Motor Task. North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity Annual Conference Human Kinetics (44, 5-6).
- Roebuck H, Lupyan G. (2020). The Internal Representations Questionnaire: Measuring modes of thinking. Behavior Research Methods
- Roebuck H, Guo K & Bourke P. (2019). Processing time not modality dominates shift costs in the modality-shifting effect Psychological Research, 14, 1-12
- Roebuck H, Barry JG (2018). Parental perception of listening difficulties: an interaction between weaknesses in language processing and ability to sustain attention. Scientific Reports, 8(1), 6985
- Roebuck H, Sindberg H & Ellis-Weismer S (2018). The role of language in non-linguistic stimuli: comparing inhibition in children with language impairment. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 61, 1216-1225
- Roebuck H & Lupyan, G (2018). Individual differences in thinking in words: development of the Internal Representations Questionnaire and performance on a matching task. CogSci, 2018, 2358-2363
- Roebuck H, Guo K & Bourke P (2017). Hearing without listening: Attending to a quiet audiobook. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology
- Ellis-Weismer S, Davidson MM, Gangopadhyay I, Sindberg HA, Roebuck H & Kaushanskaya M (2017). The role of nonverbal working memory in morphosyntactic processing by children with specific language impairment and autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders, 9(1), 28
- Roebuck H, Freigang C & Barry JG (2016). Continuous performance tasks: Not just about sustaining attention. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 59, 501-510
- Roebuck H, Guo K & Bourke P (2015). Attending at a low intensity increases impulsivity in an auditory SART. Perception, 44(12), 1371-1382
- Roebuck H, Bourke P & Guo K (2014). Role of lateral and feedback connections in primary visual cortex in the processing of spatiotemporal regularity - a TMS study. Neuroscience, 263, 231–239
See Google Scholar or ResearchGate for a full list of my publications.