Staff Profile

I came to the University of Newcastle in 2013 following eight years as a lecturer at the University of Hull. I have experience of teaching and research in a range of areas of psychology. I have published on topics including working memory and executive functions, mental toughness, burnout, and the benefits of psychology placements. I am also interested in the teaching and learning of psychology, including assessment and employability.  

I am an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. I have also held a number of external roles, including as external examiner. I was a member of the British Psychological Society Cognitive Section Committee from 2010 until 2017, and am currently Co- Deputy Chair of the British Psychological Society Undergraduate Education Committee. I have a number of editorial responsibilities, including for Educational Psychology. 

I am a member of the Behavioural Sciences and Psychology Research Theme. 

I am particularly interested in psychology applied to education. I am interested in the concept of mental toughness, describing how we deal with stress and pressure irrespective of prevailing circumstances. I have carried out research concerned with mental toughness in educational settings but am also interested in mental toughness applied to other areas including cognition and health.

Some of my other research is concerned with working memory, a cognitive system used for storing and processing information during cognitive tasks. I am interested in the cognitive underpinnings of working memory and performance on working memory tasks, and how working memory (and associated executive functions) relate to children's educational achievement.

I am also interested in the teaching and learning of psychology, and a member of a special interest group for educational research in psychology. I am interested in several aspects of teaching and learning, including assessment and feedback, and work placements and employability.

I currently supervise two PhD students researching psychological constructs that are relevant to educational settings. 

Current modules

PSY3000 Psychology Professional Placement Year

PSY3027 Disorders of Development: A Psychological Perspective

PSY3031 The Psychology of Teaching and Learning 

PSY8044 Advanced Topics in Disorders of Development

PSY3097 and PSY8037 Project Supervision 

Teaching leadership 

UG Chair of Board of Examiners  

Director of Education for Psychology 

• Articles

  • St Clair-Thompson H. Personal extenuating circumstances processes in higher education: Are they helping or hindering?. Studies in Higher Education 2024, (ePub ahead of Print), 1-13.
  • Grebby J, Slack EL, Wells-Dean N, St Clair-Thompson H, Pearce MS. Exploring the relationship between early cognitive ability and age-60 sleep quality: The Newcastle Thousand Families Study birth cohort. Sleep Health 2024, 10(5), 594-601.
  • St Clair-Thompson H, London J. Does mental toughness predict happiness over and above resilience, self-efficacy and grit?. New Ideas in Psychology 2024, 74, 101093.
  • Shaw L, Hansen H, St Clair-Thompson H. Mental toughness is a mediator of the relationship between positive childhood experiences and wellbeing. European Journal of Developmental Psychology 2023, 20(1), 130-146.
  • St Clair-Thompson H, Devine L. Mental toughness in higher education: exploring the roles of flow and feedback. Educational Psychology 2023, 43(4), 326-343.
  • Turkington GD, Tinlin-Dixon R, St Clair-Thompson H. A mixed-method exploration of mental toughness, perceived stress and quality of life in mental health workers. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing 2023, 30(6), 1152-1169.
  • MacMillan G, St Clair-Thompson H. The relationship between mental toughness and subjective mental illness recovery. New Ideas in Psychology 2021, 63, 100881.
  • Burnett M, Sheard I, St Clair-Thompson H. The prevalence of compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction and perceived stress, and their relationships with mental toughness, individual differences and number of self-care actions in a UK police force. Police Practice and Research: An International Journal 2020, 21(4), 383-400.
  • Sheard I, Burnett M, St Clair-Thompson H. Psychological distress constructs in police with different roles. International Journal of Emergency Services 2019, 8(3), 264-279.
  • St Clair-Thompson H, Chivers C. Perceived advantages and disadvantages of taking a psychology professional placement year. Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning 2019, 13(6), 766-775.
  • St Clair-Thompson H, McGeown S. Mental toughness in education. Oxford Research Encylopedia of Education 2019.
  • St Clair-Thompson H, Chivers C. Characteristics of students who consider taking a psychology placement year. Studies in Higher Education 2019, 44(11), 1889-1899.
  • McGeown S, St Clair-Thompson H, Putwain DW. The Development and Validation of a Mental Toughness Scale for Adolescents. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment 2018, 36(2), 148-161.
  • Ward F, St Clair-Thompson H, Postlethwaite A. Mental Toughness and Perceived Stress in Police and Fire Officers. Policing: An International Journal 2018, 41(6), 674-686.
  • St Clair-Thompson H, Graham A, Marsham S. Exploring the Reading Practices of Undergraduate Students. Education Inquiry 2018, 9(3), 284-298.
  • McGeown SP, Putwain D, St Clair-Thompson H, Clough P. Understanding and supporting adolescents' mental toughness in an educational context. Psychology in the Schools 2017, 54(2), 196-209.
  • St Clair-Thompson H, Giles R, McGeown S, Putwain D, Clough P, Perry J. Mental toughness and transitions to high school and to undergraduate study. Educational Psychology 2017, 37(7), 792-809.
  • McGeown SP, StClair-Thompson H, Clough P. The study of non-cognitive attributes in education: proposing the mental toughness framework. Educational Review 2016, 68(1), 96-113.
  • Bugler M, McGeown S, StClair-Thompson H. An investigation of gender and age differences in academic motivation and classroom behaviour in adolescents. Educational Psychology 2016, 36(7), 1196-1218.
  • St Clair-Thompson H, Bugler M, Robinson J, Clough P, McGeown SP, Perry J. Mental toughness in education: Exploring relationships with attainment, attendance, behaviour and peer relationships. Educational Psychology 2015, 35(7), 886-907.
  • Bugler M, McGeown S, StClair-Thompson H. Gender differences in adolescents’ academic motivation and classroom behaviour. Educational Psychology 2015, 35(5), 541-556.
  • St Clair-Thompson HL. Establishing the reliability and validity of a computerized assessment of children's working memory for use in group settings. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment 2014, 32(1), 15-26.
  • St Clair-Thompson HL, Allen RJ. Are forwards and backwards recall the same? A dual-task study of digit recall. Memory and Cognition 2013, 41(4), 519-532.
  • St Clair-Thompson HL, Overton T, Bugler M. Mental capacity and working memory in chemistry: Algorithmic versus open-ended problem solving. Chemistry Education Research and Practice 2012, 13(4), 484-489.
  • St Clair-Thompson HL. Ascending versus randomised list lengths in working memory span tasks. Journal of Cognitive Psychology 2012, 24(3), 335-341.
  • St Clair-Thompson HL. Executive functions and working memory behaviours in children with a poor working memory. Learning and Individual Differences 2011, 21(4), 409-414.
  • St Clair-Thompson HL, Sykes S. Scoring methods and the predictive ability of working memory tasks. Behavior Research Methods 2010, 42, 969-975.
  • St Clair-Thompson HL, Overton T, Botton C. Information processing; A review of implications of Johnstone's model for science education. Research in Science and Technological Education 2010, 28(2), 131-148.
  • St Clair-Thompson HL, Stevens R, Hunt A, Bolder E. Improving children's working memory and classroom performance. Educational Psychology 2010, 30, 203-220.
  • St Clair-Thompson HL. Backwards digit recall: A measure of short-term memory or working memory?. European Journal of Cognitive Psychology 2010, 22(2), 286-297.
  • St Clair-Thompson HL, Botton C. Working memory and science education: Exploring the compatibility of theoretical approaches. Research in Science and Technological Education 2009, 27, 139-150.
  • St Clair-Thompson HL. The influence of strategies upon relationships between working memory and cognitive skills. Memory 2007, 15, 353-365.
  • St Clair-Thompson HL. The effects of cognitive demand upon relationships between working memory and cognitive skills. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology 2007, 60, 1378-1388.
  • St Clair-Thompson HL, Gathercole SE. Executive functions and achievements in school: Shifting, updating, inhibition and working memory. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology 2006, 20, 745-759.

• Authored Book

  • Ball LJ, Butler LT, Sherman SM, St Clair-Thompson HL. Cognitive Psychology in a Changing World. London: Routledge, 2023.

• Book Chapters

  • St Clair-Thompson H. Developing Mental Toughness. In: Doug Strycharczyk; Toni Molyneux, ed. A Thriving Mind: A Practical Guide to Developing Resilience and Positivity in Young Children. UK: Resilient Hedgehog, 2023, pp.140-146.
  • St Clair-Thompson H, Wen Y. Assessment of Executive Functions in Children. In: Limpo T; Olive T, ed. Executive Functions and Writing. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2021, pp.79-102.
  • Clough P, Oaks S, Dagnall N, St Clair-Thompson H, McGeown S. The Study of Non-cognitive Attributes in Education: Proposing the Mental Toughness Framework. In: M. S. Khine & S. Areepattamannil, ed. Non-Cognitive Skills and Factors in Educational Attainment. Sense Publishers, 2016, pp.315–329.
  • St Clair-Thompson H, McGeown S. Mental toughness: Correlates with educational outcomes. In: M. S. Khine & S. Areepattamannil, ed. Non-Cognitive Skills and Factors in Educational Attainment. Sense Publishers, 2016, pp.331–353.
  • McGeown S, St Clair-Thompson H, Putwain D, Clough P. Individual differences in education outcomes: Applying a model of mental toughness. In: E. Roberson, ed. Psychology of Individual Differences: New research. NovaScience Publishers, 2016, pp.69-92.
  • St Clair-Thompson HL. Mental toughness in secondary schools. In: D. Strycharczyk & P. Clough, ed. Developing Mental Toughness in Young People: Approaches to Achievement, Well-being and Positive Behaviour. London: Karnac Books, 2014, pp.149-156.
  • St Clair-Thompson HL. Mental toughness in higher education. In: D. Strycharczyk & P. Clough, ed. Developing Mental Toughness in Young People: Approaches to Achievement, Well-being and Positive Behaviour. London: Karnac Books, 2014, pp.157-162.
  • St Clair-Thompson HL. Working Memory and Children's Scholastic Attainment from 7 to 15 Years of Age: Developmental Differences and the Contribution of Speed of Processing. In: H.L. St Clair-Thompson, ed. Working Memory: Developmental Differences, Component Processes and Improvement Mechanisms. Novascience, 2013, pp.1-16.
  • St Clair-Thompson HL. Working memory span tasks: The effects of task structure and administration and scoring procedures. In: D. Hendrix & O. Holcomb, ed. The Psychology of Memory. Hauppage, New York: Nova Science, 2012, pp.183-206.
  • Bugler M, St Clair-Thompson HL, McGeown SP. Sex, gender identity and adolescent's academic motivation and classroom behaviour. In: S.P. McGeown, ed. The Psychology of Gender Differences. New York: Novascience, 2012, pp.107-130.
  • St Clair-Thompson HL, Holmes J. Improving short-term and working memory: Methods of memory training. In: N.B. Johansen, ed. New Research in Short-Term Memory. Novascience, 2008.

• Edited Book

  • St Clair-Thompson HL, ed. Working memory: Developmental differences, component processes, and improvement mechanisms. New York: Novascience, 2013.