Background
I read Psychology at the University of St. Andrews (Scotland), spending a year as a visiting student at Queen’s University, in Canada. I then moved to London for a PhD at the Institute of Child Health, University College London, supervised by Professors Annette Karmiloff-Smith and Jon Driver, in close collaboration with Prof Kim Cornish (now at Monash University, Australia). After a brief visiting fellowship (now developed into an ongoing collaboration) at the Sackler Institute of Developmental Psychobiology, Cornell University, in 2003 I became a lecturer in the School of Psychology, University of Nottingham. I have been based in Oxford since October 2006.
Research groups
Colleges
Gaia Scerif
BSc (St. Andrews), PhD (UCL)
Professor of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience
- Fellow of St Catherine's College
- Associate Head for Education
Attention, Brain & Cognitive Development
Research Summary
My research focuses on the development of attentional control and those underlying attentional difficulties, from their neural correlates to their outcomes on emerging cognitive abilities. It is important because attention influences how we learn and behave in everyday situations, and it is particularly relevant in the classroom. Attention differences are a hallmark of early cognitive development, and many developmental conditions are characterised by attention differences and difficulties. Therefore, I aim to understand how these differences matter to learning.
Understanding these questions involves combining the study of typical attentional control with research on conditions that affect molecular pathways and neural circuits involved in attentional control development. It requires collaborating with individuals and families with 1) conditions with a well-defined genetic aetiology (e.g., fragile X syndrome, Williams syndrome, Down syndrome, sex chromosomal trisomies); 2) complex conditions of mixed aetiology and neurodivergent communities (autism, ADHD). Ultimately, this work is of interest both to basic neuroscience and, most importantly, to the families and individuals with whom we work.
Key publications
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The attentive brain: insights from developmental cognitive neuroscience.
Journal article
Amso D. and Scerif G., (2015), Nat Rev Neurosci, 16, 606 - 619
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Annual research review: Rare genotypes and childhood psychopathology - Uncovering diverse developmental mechanisms of ADHD risk
Journal article
Scerif G. and Baker K., (2015), Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines, 56, 251 - 273
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Multi-modal distraction: insights from children's limited attention.
Journal article
Matusz PJ. et al, (2015), Cognition, 136, 156 - 165
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Age group and individual differences in attentional orienting dissociate neural mechanisms of encoding and maintenance in visual STM.
Journal article
Shimi A. et al, (2014), J Cogn Neurosci, 26, 864 - 877
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The multiple subfunctions of attention: differential developmental gateways to literacy and numeracy.
Journal article
Steele A. et al, (2012), Child Development, 83, 2028 - 2041
Recent publications
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Ecological-Collective-Flourishing: A radical proposal for research and policy to develop and sustain human and environmental flourishing
Preprint
Moore J. et al, (2024)
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A holistic approach to fragile X syndrome integrated guidance for person-centred care.
Journal article
Johnson K. et al, (2024), J Appl Res Intellect Disabil, 37
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Risk and Protective Factors for Executive Function in Vulnerable South African Preschool-Age Children.
Journal article
Cook CJ. et al, (2024), J Cogn, 7
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Making the Executive ‘Function’ for the Foundations of Mathematics: the Need for Explicit Theories of Change for Early Interventions
Journal article
Scerif G. et al, (2023), Educational Psychology Review, 35
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Rates of family history of autism and ADHD varies with recruitment approach and socio-economic status
Journal article
Bazelmans T. et al, (2023), British Journal of Developmental Psychology