Dr Gemma Reynolds

Dr Reynolds' key research interests lie within atypical childhood development, with a particular focus on associative learning mechanisms. Currently, her research focuses on three main areas. Firstly, (a) investigating the development of emotions such as fear, anxiety and disgust during childhood, (b) exploring mechanisms and mediating factors associated with the development of such emotions, and (c) identifying interventions that could be used to prevent such emotions developing. Secondly, exploring the associative mechanisms and remediation of stimulus over-selectivity; a common characteristic of individuals with autism spectrum conditions, general learning disabilities, acquired neurological damage, and the elderly. Thirdly, exploring the effectiveness of canine assisted interventions in reducing anxiety, stress and depression in higher education students (PhD student: Karen Manville). She is also involved in work exploring the impact of Covid-19 on children's development of fear and anxiety.

Prospective PhD Students:

I welcome enquiries from prospective PhD students interested in using experimental designs to research atypical development in children.

Current Research Students:

Tatiana Sobolewska (PhD: Music as an intrinsic link in the development of communication and social engagement)

Research Students Completed:

Karen Manville (PhD: The benefits of canine assisted intervention in improving mental health and wellbeing in higher education students)

Maria Chifa (MSc by Research)

Other roles:

External Examiner, BSc Psychology, University of Derby, 2022-present

Psychology Department Research Committee, Middlesex University, 2021-present

Chair of the Developmental Psychology Research Group, Middlesex University, 2020-present

Research Leadership Team, 2017-2021

UoA4 REF2021 Working Group, Middlesex University, 2017-2021

External Examiner, BSc Psychology, Cardiff Metropolitan University, 2016-2021

Recent publications

Manville, K., Coulson, M., Mulqueen, M. A., Neller, K., Searing, C., Welland, S., & Reynolds, G. (accepted/in press). Effects of canine-assisted intervention on the mental health of Higher Education students: A systematic review. Human-Animal Interaction Bulletin.

Manville, K., Coulson, M., & Reynolds, G. (accepted/in press). A randomised controlled trial investigating the effects of human-canine interaction on anxiety, stress and depression in Higher Education students. Society and Animals.

Reynolds, G., & Askew, C. (2021). Direct and indirect learning pathways to disgust. In The Handbook of Disgust Research. eds: P. A. Powell., & N. S. Consedine. Springer.

Chifa, M., Hadar, T., Politimou, N., Reynolds, G., & Franco, F. (2021). The soundscape of neonatal intensive care: A mixed-methods study of the parents' experience. Children, 8, 644.

Reynolds, G., & Ewing, D. (2021). Children’s sleepiness facilitates the effect of vicarious learning on the development of fear. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 208. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2021.105129

Reynolds, G., & Askew, C. (2019). Effects of vicarious disgust learning on the development of fear, disgust and attentional biases in children. Emotion, 19(7), 1268-1283. doi: 10.1037/emo0000511

Reynolds, G., Askew, C., & Field, A. P. (2018). Behavioral inhibition and the associative learning of fear. In K. Perez-Edgar & Fox, N. A. (Eds.) Behavioral inhibition. Integrating theory, research, and clinical perspectives. pp. 263-282. Springer. 

Reynolds, G., & Reed, P. (2018). The effect of stimulus duration on overselectivity: Evidence for the role of within-compound associations. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Learning and Cognition, 44(3), 293-308. doi: 10.1037/xan0000175.

Powell, P. A., Wills, O., Roberts, J., Reynolds, G., & Puustinen-Hopper, K. (2018). The effects of exposure to images of others' suffering and vulnerability on altruistic, trust-based, and reciprocated economic decision making. Plos One. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0194569

Ekert, J., Gould, R. L., Reynolds, G., & Howard, R. (2018). TNF alpha inhibitors in Alzheimer’s disease: a systematic review. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 33(5):688-694. doi: 10.1002/gps.4871

Tunvirachaisakul, C., Gould, R. L., Coulson, M. C., Ward, E. V., Reynolds, G., Gathercole, R. L., Grocott, H., Supasitthumrong, T., Tunvirachaisakul, A., & Howard, R. J. (2017). Predictors of treatment outcome in depression in later life: A systematic review. Journal of Affective Disorder, 227, 164-182. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2017.10.008

Reynolds, G., Wasely, D., Dunne, G., & Askew, C. (2017). A comparison of positive vicarious learning and verbal information for reducing vicariously learned fear. Cognition and Emotion, 19, 1-12. doi: 10.1080/02699931.2017.1389695.

Dunne, G., Reynolds, G., & Askew, C. (2017). Stimulus fear relevance and the speed and robustness of vicarious fear learning in childhood. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 95, 1-18. doi: 10.1016/j.brat.2017.05.002.

Reynolds, G., Field, A. P., & Askew, C. (2017). Learning to fear a second-order stimulus following vicarious learning. Cognition and Emotion, 31 (3), 572-579. doi: 10.1080/02699931.2015.1116978.

Reynolds, G., Field, A. P., & Askew, C. (2016). Reductions in children's vicariously learnt avoidance and heart rate responses using positive modeling. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 23, 1-14. doi: 10.1080/15374416.2016.1138410.

Askew, C., Reynolds, G., Fielding-Smith, S., & Field, A. P. (2016). Inhibition of vicariously learned fear in children using positive modeling and prior exposure. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 125, 279-291. doi: 10.1037/abn0000131.

Reynolds, G., Field, A. P., & Askew, C. (2015). Preventing the development of observationally learnt fears in children by devaluing the model’s negative response. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 43, 1355-1367. doi: 10.1007/s10802-015-0004-0.

Reynolds, G., Field, A., & Askew, C. (2014). Effect of vicarious fear learning on children's heart rate responses and attentional bias for novel animals. Emotion, 14, 995-1006. doi: 10.1037/a0037225.

Askew, C., Taskiran, C., Poldsam, L., & Reynolds, G. (2014). The effect of adult disgust modelling on children's fear and disgust for animals. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 123, 566-577. doi: 10.1037/a0032714.

Askew, C., Dunne, G., Ozdil, Z., Reynolds, G., & Field, A. (2013). Stimulus fear -relevance and the vicarious learning pathway to childhood fears. Emotion, 13, 915-925. doi: 10.1037/a0032714.

Reynolds, G., & Reed, P. (2012). Effect of a surprising downward shift in reinforcer value on stimulus over-selectivity. Learning and Motivation, 44, 31-45. doi: 10.1016/j.lmot.2012.05.007.

Reed, P., Reynolds, G., & Fermandel, L. (2012). Revaluation manipulations produce emergence of under-selected stimuli following simultaneous discrimination in humans. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 65(7), 1345-1360. doi: 10.1080/17470218.2012.656663.

Reynolds, G., Watts, J., & Reed, P. (2012). Lack of evidence for inhibitory processes in over - selectivity. Behavioural Processes, 89, 14-22. doi: 10.1016/j.beproc.2011.09.008.

Reynolds, G., Reed, P. (2011). Effects of schedule of reinforcement on over-selectivity. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 32, 2489-2501. doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2011.07.011.

Reynolds, G., & Reed, P. (2011). The strength and generality of stimulus over-selectivity in simultaneous discrimination procedures. Learning and Motivation, 42, 113-122. doi: 10.1016/j.lmot.2010.12.001.

Conferences and Invited Talks

Reynolds, G., & Ewing, D. (2017). The influence of trait and state sleepiness on vicarious fear learning. British Psychological Society (BPS) Developmental Section Annual Conference. Stratford upon Avon.

Reynolds, G., & Askew, C. (2017). Attentional Bias towards Threat: A Comparison of Fear and Disgust Vicarious Learning. British Psychological Society (BPS) Developmental Section Annual Conference. Stratford upon Avon.

Reynolds, G., & Ewing, D. (2017). Sleep problems and sleepiness as predictors and moderators of vicarious fear learning. Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) Biennial Meeting. Texas, USA.

Askew C , Reynolds G, Fielding-Smith S, Wasely D, Dunne G, Field A. Prevention and reversal of vicarious fear learning in 6-11 year olds. Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) Biennial Meeting. Texas, USA.

Reynolds, G.  (2017). Vicarious learning and unlearning of childhood fears. Invited talk. Queens University Belfast.

Reynolds, G., Field, A. P., & Askew, C. (2016). Reducing vicariously acquired fears via verbal information or positive modelling. European Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies (EABCT) Annual Congress. Stockholm, Sweden. 

Reynolds, G., Wasely, D., Dunne, G., & Askew, C. (2016). Stimulus fear relevance and the speed and robustness of vicarious fear learning in childhood. European Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies (EABCT) Annual Congress. Stockholm, Sweden. 

Askew, C., Reynolds, G., & Field, A. P. (2016). The prevention and reduction of vicariously learned fears in childhood. European Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies (EABCT) Annual Congress. Stockholm, Sweden.

Reynolds, G., Field, A. P., & Askew, C. (2015). Second-order learning following fear-related vicarious learning in children. British Psychology Society (BPS) Developmental and Social Annual Conference. Manchester, UK.

Askew, C., Reynolds, G., & Field, A. P. (2015). The prevention and reversal of vicarious learning of fear in children aged 6 - 11 years. British Psychology Society (BPS) Developmental and Social Annual Conference. Manchester, UK.

Askew, C., Reynolds, G., & Field, A. P. (2015). Vicarious learning and un-learning of fear-related behavioral avoidance, heart rate, and attentional bias in 7- to 11-year-olds. Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) Biennial Meeting. Philadelphia, USA.

Reynolds, G., Field, A. P., & Askew, C. (2014). Unlearning of vicariously acquired fear responses via counter-conditioning but not direct extinction. European Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies (EABCT) Annual Congress. Den Haag (Netherlands).

Askew, C., Reynolds, G., & Field, A. P. (2014). The effects of observational fear learning on children’s heart rate responses and attentional bias for animals. European Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies (EABCT) Annual Congress. Den Haag, Netherlands.

Reynolds, G., Field, A. P., & Askew, C. (2014). The inflation of fear responses due to US revaluation following vicarious learning. British Psychological Society (BPS) Developmental Section Annual Conference. Amsterdam (Netherlands).

Askew, C., Reynolds, G., & Field, A. P. (2014). Effects of vicarious learning on childhood fear acquisition and fear reversal. British Psychological Society (BPS) Developmental Section Annual Conference. Amsterdam, Netherlands. 

Reynolds, G., Field, A. P., & Askew, C. (2014). Prevention of fear-related vicarious learning via latent inhibition and immunisation. British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP) Annual Conference. Birmingham, UK.

Reynolds, G., Field, A. P., & Askew, C. (2013). The effect of vicarious fear learning on children's heart rate responses and attentional bias for novel animals. International Congress of Cognitive Psychotherapy. Hong Kong

Reynolds, G., Field, A. P., & Askew, C. (2013). The effect of vicarious fear learning on children's heart rate responses and attentional bias for novel animals. European Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies (EABCT) Annual Conference. Marrakech, Morocco.

Reynolds, G., Field, A. P., & Askew, C. (2013). The effect of vicarious learning on the fear emotion in children. British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP) Annual Conference. London, UK.

Askew, C., Reynolds, G., & Field, A. P. (2013). Vicarious fear learning in children: fear-relevant vs. fear-irrelevant stimuli. British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP) Annual Conference. London, UK.

Reynolds, G., & Reed, P. (2012). The effect of a surprising downward shift in reinforcer value on stimulus over-selectivity in a simultaneous discrimination procedure. ABAI 6th Annual Autism Conference, Philadelphia, U.S.A.

Reynolds, G., & Reed, P. (2011). The strength and generality of stimulus over-selectivity in simultaneous discrimination procedures. British Psychological Society Cognitive Conference, Keele University, U.K.

Reynolds, G., & Reed, P. (2010). The effects of inhibitory processes and schedule of reinforcement on stimulus over-selectivity. PsyPAG Annual Conference, Sheffield, U.K.

Reynolds, G., & Reed, P. (2010). The effects of inhibitory processes and schedule of reinforcement on stimulus over-selectivity. British Psychological Society Cognitive Conference, Cardiff, U.K.

Reynolds, G., & Reed, P. (2010). The effects of inhibitory processes on stimulus over-selectivity. British Psychological Society Developmental Conference, London Goldsmiths, U.K.

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