Professor Sarah Beck - School of Psychology

Professor Sarah Beck PhD

School of Psychology
Professor of Cognitive Development

Contact details

Telephone: +44 (0)121 41 44902
Email: s.r.beck@bham.ac.uk

Address: School of Psychology
University 麻豆精选
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

Sarah Beck - Research in 60 seconds video

Sarah's research examines how we think imaginatively about the real world. She is especially interested in how children become able to speculate about what might have been (counterfactual thinking) and how they think creatively to solve novel problems, particularly those involving tools. She takes a developmental approach, focusing on how children’s imaginative thinking changes and what cognitive factors influence this change. She collaborates to take a broad approach to cognition in clinical groups and recently, in nonhuman animals. More information about my research and my lab can be found at .

Feedback and office hours

I set office hours during term time. For meetings at other times please contact me by email.

Qualifications

PhD (Birmingham)
BA (Oxford)

Biography

Dr Beck completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Oxford in Psychology and Philosophy (PPP) before moving to become a research assistant at the University 麻豆精选, where she has studied and worked ever since.

Teaching

Sarah Beck teaches a 3rd year optional module on comparative and developmental cognition: Higher Cognitive Functions.

Research

I am interested in the ability to think about things outside the here and now: to imagine alternative possibilities and worlds. I am particularly interested in how children speculate about events in the past (counterfactual thinking) and their innovative problem solving. I explore the cognitive components of these higher cognitive functions in children and adults. I also collaborate to work with atypical populations.

More information about my research and my lab can be found at

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Other activities

Awarded the 2011 Margaret Donaldson Early Career Prize by the British Psychological Society Developmental Section
Psychology Programme Chair for the for the European Society for Philosophy and Psychology between 2008 – 2011
College of Life and Environmental Sciences Equality & Diversity Lead

Publications

Highlight publications

Reindl, E, Tennie, C, Apperly, I, Lugosi, Z & Beck, S 2022, '', Evolutionary Human Sciences, vol. 4, e5.

Graham, A, McCormack, T, Lorimer, S, Hoerl, C, Beck, S, Johnston, M & Feeney, A 2022, '', Emotion, vol. 23, no. 7, pp. 1844鈥�1868.

Beck, S 2017, '', Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, vol. 16, pp. 138-141.

Beck, S, Apperly, I, Chappell, J, Guthrie, C & Cutting, N 2011, '', Cognition, vol. 119, no. 2, pp. 301-306.

Beck, S, Robinson, E, Carroll, D & Apperly, I 2006, '', Child Development, vol. 77, no. 2, pp. 413-426.

Recent publications

Article

Neadle, D, Motes-Rodrigo, A, Beck, S & Tennie, C 2025, '', Psychological Topics, vol. 34, no. 1, pp. 53-77.

Bastan, E, Beck, SR & Surtees, ADR 2024, '', Autism.

Bastan, E, Beck, SR & Surtees, ADR 2024, '', Neurodiversity, vol. 2, 27546330241308542, pp. 1鈥�15.

Colbourne, J, Auersperg, AMI & Beck, S 2024, '', Scientific Reports, vol. 14, 21374.

Bastan, E, McGuinness, R, Beck, S & Surtees, A 2024, '', Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology.

Johnston, M, McCormack, T, Lorimer, S, Corbett, B, Beck, S, Hoerl, C & Feeney, A 2024, '', Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, vol. 246, 106016.

Lorimer, S, McCormack, T, Hoerl, C, Beck, S, Johnston, M & Feeney, A 2024, '', British Journal of Health Psychology.

Lorimer, S, McCormack, T, Hoerl, C, Johnston, M, Beck, SR & Feeney, A 2023, '', British Journal of Health Psychology.

Osuna-Mascar贸, AJ, O'Hara, M, Folkertsma, R, Tebbich, S, Beck, S & Auersperg, AMI 2023, '', Current Biology, vol. 33, no. 5, pp. 849-857.e4.

Waite, J, Beck, S, Powis, L & Oliver, C 2023, '', American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, vol. 128, no. 1, pp. 49-65.

Perry, V, Ellis, K, Moss, J, Beck, SR, Singla, G, Crawford, H, Waite, J, Richards, C & Oliver, C 2022, '', Research in Developmental Disabilities, vol. 122, 104166.

Osuna-Mascar贸, AJ, Mundry, R, Tebbich, S, Beck, S & Auersperg, AMI 2022, '', Scientific Reports, vol. 12, no. 1, 1510.

Xie, Y & Beck, S 2022, '', Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 13, 732870.

Fournier, I, Beck, SR, Droit-Volet, S, Brogniart, J & Osiurak, F 2021, '', Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, vol. 211, 105232.

Comment/debate

Beck, S & Harris, P 2022, '', Behavioral and Brain Sciences, vol. 45, E278.