Statistical Learning in Autism Spectrum Disorders

We know that the developmental acquisition of motor, social, cognitive and linguistic skills proceeds in part via statistical learning. We also know that people with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are characterised by impairments in social, cognitive and communicative abilities, and also by individually variable sensorimotor disturbances. Therefore, statistical learning may play a role in the neurodevelopmental aspects of ASD. This project will comprise of a series of behavioural and electrophysiological contrasts in statistical learning between individuals with and without ASD across the lifespan to speak to the developmental neuroscience of ASD as well as the cognitive neuroscience of statistical learning in general.

The project will be based within the Department of Psychology at Nottingham Trent University which is a large and thriving group that has grown significantly in recent years to be one of the largest in the UK. Psychology is a broad and exciting domain and the research interests of our 80+ academic staff reflect this diversity, with considerable expertise in all core areas of the discipline. Research within the Department is flourishing, with Psychology at NTU being one of the top risers in the latest Research Excellence Framework. All of our applied research was rated as either world leading (73%) or internationally excellent (27%). We house over 60 PGR students and offer extensive training and specialist training in relation to particular methods or analyses. All PhD students are invited to attend their respective Research Group meetings so that they are part of the research culture within the Department.