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Professor Kevin Riggs

Professor of Psychology

Faculty and Department

  • Faculty of Health Sciences
  • School of Psychology and Social Work

Summary

Kevin Riggs has research interests in cognition and development. He is particularly interested higher cognitive functions, including social and logical reasoning, imaginative thinking, the executive functions, and, more recently, language. His research has been funded by various universities as well as the Economic and Social Research Council, the NHS, the French Centre for scientific research (CNRS) and the European Science Foundation. He joined the University of Hull in 2011 after lecturing posts in Sheffield, Birmingham and London.

Dr Riggs welcomes applications from students interested in word learning, action learning, tool use, theory of mind, and counterfactual thinking.

Completed PhDs (as both 1st or 2nd supervisor)

- Dr Cathy Grant (1999) Autism and theory of mind

- Dr Andrew Simpson (2004) Cognitive development / inhibitory processing

- Dr Dan Carroll (2004) Cognitive development / executive functions

- Dr Helen Broadley (2011) Autism and Counseling

- Dr Amanda Holland (2014) Fast mapping / word learning

- Dr Sharon Cox (2014) Theory of mind and addiction

- Dr Iveta Eimontaite (2016) Neural correlates of decision making

- Dr Dane Rowley (2016) Moral & social reasoning in TBI patients

- Dr Erin Dysart (2016 ) Action & word learning

- Dr Jennifer Boland (2017) Hypothetical thinking in depression

- Dr Wan Ying Zhao (2017) Neural correlates of gesture processing

- Dr Ilse Coolen (2018) Mathematical cognition in children

- Joshua Plant (2019) Perspective taking in autism (MSc)

- Dr Andrew Lucas (2020) Word learning in adults

- Dr Lee Parkin (2021) Neural correlates of spatial processing

Current students

- Tom Peney (2021-2024) Cognitive processes in VR

Recent outputs

View more outputs

Journal Article

The relationship between depressive symptoms and positive emotional anticipation of goal achievement

Anderson, R. J., Clayton McClure, J. H., Boland, J., Howe, D., Riggs, K. J., & Dewhurst, S. A. (2023). The relationship between depressive symptoms and positive emotional anticipation of goal achievement. Journal of Experimental Psychopathology, 14(1), https://doi.org/10.1177/20438087231164963

The approximate number system and mathematics achievement: it's complicated. A thorough investigation of different ANS measures and executive functions in mathematics achievement in children

Coolen, I. E., Riggs, K. J., Bugler, M., & Castronovo, J. (in press). The approximate number system and mathematics achievement: it's complicated. A thorough investigation of different ANS measures and executive functions in mathematics achievement in children. Journal of cognitive psychology, https://doi.org/10.1080/20445911.2022.2044338

Autistic Adults Show Similar Performance and Sensitivity to Social Cues on a Visual Perspective Taking Task as Non-autistic Adults

O’Connor, R. J., Plant, J. L., & Riggs, K. J. (in press). Autistic Adults Show Similar Performance and Sensitivity to Social Cues on a Visual Perspective Taking Task as Non-autistic Adults. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-022-05480-8

Stroop interference is a composite phenomenon: Evidence from distinct developmental trajectories of its components

Ferrand, L., Ducrot, S., Chausse, P., Maïonchi‐Pino, N., O’Connor, R. J., Parris, B. A., …Augustinova, M. (2020). Stroop interference is a composite phenomenon: Evidence from distinct developmental trajectories of its components. Developmental Science, 23(2), Article e12899. https://doi.org/10.1111/desc.12899

Adult Fast-Mapping Memory Research Is Based on a Misinterpretation of Developmental-Word-Learning Data

O'Connor, R., & Riggs, K. J. (2019). Adult Fast-Mapping Memory Research Is Based on a Misinterpretation of Developmental-Word-Learning Data. Current directions in psychological science : a journal of the American Psychological Society, 28(6), 528-533. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721419858426

Co-investigator

Project

Funder

Grant

Started

Status

Project

Using Positive Simulation Training to improve expectations about the future in depression

Funder

ESRC Economic & Social Research Council

Grant

£494,996.00

Started

1 February 2019

Status

Ongoing

Project

The pull of reality: Egocentric bias in adult theory of mind

Funder

ESRC Economic & Social Research Council

Grant

£166,720.00

Started

9 July 2021

Status

Complete

Journal editorial role

Editor: Frontiers in Psychology

2015

Editor: Child Development Research

2011

Editor: L' Annee Psychologie

2009

Other

ESRC college of reviewers

2008

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