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Staff Profile

Dr Hannah Roome

Lecturer in Psychology

  • Address: School of Psychology
    4th Floor
    Dame Margaret Barbour Building
    Wallace Street
    Newcastle upon Tyne
    NE2 4DR
Background


I describe myself as a developmental cognitive psychologist. My research encompasses the study of the contribution of long-term memory to the development of working memory capacity, and the development of memory circuits that support navigational and spatial memory. 

I joined the School of Psychology at Newcastle University on June 1st, 2022 as a Lecturer in Psychology. Prior to this, I completed my PhD at Lancaster University investigating the accessibility of memory items in children's working memory. Following this, I went on to work at Loughborough University on the Skills Underlying Maths (SUM) Project, and the development of spatial cognition at Durham University.  Finally, I completed a postdoctoral position at the University of Texas at Austin, where I studied the neurodevelopment of spatial cognition. 




Research

My research comprises developmental psychology, cognitive psychology and cognitive neuroscience to study the development of learning and memory systems.


Children are proficient at immediately recalling a small number of items, but after a short delay the ability to retrieve the same information significantly declines. My research argues that children's reduced retrieval of longer-term memories is not necessarily because they have been forgotten, but is constrained by accessibility. I am currently interested in how the development of different working memory processes (storage, processing speed, attentional control) and the accessibility of memory items is linked to the development of creative skills (divergent and convergent thinking).

My research also used virtual reality paradigms and developmental neuroimaging techniques to examine a neurodevelopmental account of spatial cognition. The main focus of this work is to examine the neural mechanisms supporting the development of spatial coding in the developing human brain. Here I show that the structural and functional development of the medial temporal lobe and parietal cortex play a key role in age-related differences in spatial memory precision. I am currently interested in the impact of GPS devices on spatial memory across the lifespan.

A significant component of my research involves Science Adventures —an outreach program designed to engage primary school-aged children and their families in science-focused activities, while also contributing to research on cognitive development. SA enables participants to experience science firsthand through demonstrations and hands-on activities, with a strong emphasis on inclusivity and promoting STEM engagement. This program not only serves as an outreach initiative but also provides valuable data on how early exposure to scientific concepts may shape cognitive development, curiosity, and learning.






Teaching

I am currently the module leader for Stage 1 Research Methods and Data Analysis B (PSY1014). I also help to teach on:


Stage 1:

Research Methods and Data Analysis A (PSY1013)

Foundations in Developmental Psychology (PSY1017)

Psychological Inquiry (PSY1018)

Stage 2:

Developmental Psychology (PSY2001).


I am also an undergraduate and MRes supervisor for these projects:

The cognitive architecture of creativity (children 5-11 years)

The development of accessibility of memory items in working memory (children 5-11 years)

The impact of external GPS aids on spatial memory across the lifespan. (children 5-11 years, young and older adults)


Publications