Simon Bignell

Faculty: Education, Health and Sciences

School: School of Science

Subject Area: Psychology

I am a full time Lecturer in Psychology.

Teaching responsibilities

I teach online and on-campus learners at undergraduate and masters Level.

• Developmental Psychology (4PS014)
• Autism, Asperger's and ADHD (6PS048) - Module Leader
• Psychology Skills (4PS035) - Module Leader.
• Contemporary Issues in Psychology (5PS023) - Module Leader
• Schools Liaison Officer
• Psychometric Test Bank Coordinator

Professional interests

I graduated in Psychology from the former School of Cognitive and Computing Sciences (COGS) at University of Sussex where I studied psychology, linguistics and philosophy. This was a very exciting time in cognitive science and the interdisciplinary atmosphere was exhilarating. After Sussex I moved to the Department of Psychology at University of Essex to do a PhD in ADHD and Children's Language. There I was Senior Research Officer and then Temporary Lecturer teaching Reading Development and Reading Disorders. I have also taught at London South Bank University teaching Developmental Psychology and Psychological Research Methods and lectured in Cognitive Psychology and Biological Psychology for The Open University. I now lecture in Psychology here at University of Derby and lead the following modules: Autism Asperger's and ADHD Lifespan Development Contemporary Issues in PsychologyPsychology Skills I am also the Associate Editor for Conferences for the British Psychological Society's monthly publication The Psychologist.

Research interests

My research looks at the language and literacy skills of children who show symptoms of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Research is currently underway that is investigating how false memory intrusions are related to language skills in clinical and typically developing populations. I am also involved in research that is investigating the language ability of people diagnosed with Autism. I am also interested in Pragmatic Language Skills, Executive Function and Response Inhibition, Autism, False Memory, Change Blindness and Attention-Seeking Behaviour.

Membership of professional bodies and advisory committees

• Member (ex officio) of The Psychologist Policy Committee (PPC) - The British Psychological Society
• Member of the Centre for Psychological Research in Human Behaviour - University of Derby
• Member of the Cognitive Section - The British Psychological Society
• Member of the Developmental Section - The British Psychological Society

Recent Conferences

• Bignell, S.J. (2006). Inference Making In Children With Inattention And Hyperactivity. Poster presented at The British Psychological Society Annual Conference, Cardiff, UK. Bignell, S.J. & Cain, K. (2004).
• Attention, Inhibition And Higher Order Language Skill Deficits In 'Undiagnosed' Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Talk given at The British Psychological Society Annual Conference, London, UK. In Proceedings of the British Psychological Society Volume 12, No 2, August 2004. p.162. Bignell, S.J. & Cain, K. (2004).
• Inferencing Skills In Children With High Levels Of Inattention And Hyperactivity. Interactive Paper presented at The Eleventh Annual Meeting of The Society for the Scientific Study of Reading (SSSR), Amsterdam, Netherlands. Bignell, S.J. & Cain, K. (2004). Reading Comprehension Deficits In Children With ADHD Symptoms. Poster presented at The British Psychological Society Developmental Section Annual Conference, Leeds, UK. In Proceedings of the British Psychological Society Volume 13, No 1, February 2005. p.43.

Additional Interests and Activities

• Associate Editor (Conferences) The Psychologist - The British Psychological Society
• Additional Author in Braisby, N.R. & Gellatly, A.R.H. (Eds.) (2005). Cognitive Psychology. London, Oxford University Press
• Reviewer - British Journal of Educational Psychology (from 2005)
• Reviewer - Psychology Teaching Review (from 2006)Invited Speaker - King's College London at Guy's Hospital.
• Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. (2005, 2006)
• Invited Seminar Speaker - University of Kent.
• ADHD and Children's Language. (2006)

Media experience

Various media and press for BBC, ITV, CNN and local radio.

• BBC Radio 1, Newsbeat, Email Addiction, February 21, 2007.
• BBC Radio Derby, Breakfast Show, Addictions, February 22, 2007.
• BBC Radio Derby, Breakfast Show, Grammar and Texting,December 21, 2006. 
• BBC Radio 4, Broadcasting House, Attention Spans, September 16, 2006.
• BBC Radio Derby, Breakfast Show, Risk Taking, August 9, 2006. 
• BBC Radio Derby, Breakfast Show, Altruism, July 27, 2006. 
• BBC Radio Derby, Shane O'Connor Show, Optimism, July 5, 2006. 
• The Derby Evening Telegraph, A testing time as I try to join Britain's brainiest, May 22, 2006.

Undergraduate qualifications

• BA (Hons) in Psychology, University of Sussex

Research qualifications

• PhD on ADHD and Children's Language (submitted 2008), University of Essex

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