Dr Jess Brown

Profile

Biography

In 2021, I completed a PhD in Psychology at the York St John University investigating the mechanism by which socio-economic status influences how quickly and efficiently we process complex language, and if this relationship is mediated by written and spoken language exposure. I joined the Department of Education in 2022 as a Research Technician in Psychology and Psycholinguistics where I provide support for staff and PhD research projects using specialist equipment and software.

Career

• PhD Psychology, York St John University
• MSc Development, Disorders, and Clinical Practice, University of York
• BSc Psychology, York St John University

During my PhD, I worked part-time as a research technician in Psychology, providing support for staff and student research, and teaching on a range of undergraduate Psychology modules. I also worked as a research assistant on a Young Mind Readers project exploring how exposure to different types of narrative might relate to the development of theory of mind and empathy in children and young people. At the same time, I was also responsible for the organisation of the school research seminars.

I joined the Department of Education in 2022 as a Research Technician in Psychology and Psycholinguistics. In this role, I am responsible for helping staff and PhD students with their research, providing training on specialist equipment and software, and improving knowledge of quantitative research methods for psychological research.

Departmental roles

• Research Technician in Psychology and Psycholinguistics
• Brownbag Research Methods group co-ordinator

Research

Overview

My main research interest is in cognitive psychology and linguistics, primarily the cognitive processes underpinning language learning and use. I explore this using questionnaire and experimental methods, collecting and analysing quantitative data.

Projects

The role of socio-economic status and language experience in complex language skills

In these studies, we investigate the mechanism by which socio-economic status influences how quickly and efficiently we process complex language. In collaboration with Jelena Mirković and Lorna Hamilton at York St John University, we are exploring how socio-economic status influences the type and the amount of complex language we are exposed to, and then how that exposure influences how easily we comprehend complex sentences, as well as the type of sentences we are likely to produce.

Research group(s)

• Psychology in Education Research Centre (PERC)

Collaborators

• Jelena Mirković, York St John University
• Lorna Hamilton, York St John University