B.A., Ph.D. (Queensland), Dip. Illustn (London Art College)
Teaching
Undergraduate modules: Biological basis of behaviour; Perception, learning & memory; Lifespan development; Cognitive neuroscience & neuropsychology; Thinking and reasoning; Dissertation supervision
Postgraduate: current supervision of 5 PhDs: developmental and/or cognitive neuroscience (previous: 8 PhDs to successful completion)
Began career at the University of Queensland (Brisbane). Moved to a lecturing post and Directorship of Centre for Applied Studies in Early Childhood (research and consultancy centre) at Queensland University of Technology. Was foundation Vice-President of the Australasian Human Development Association. Moved to UK in 1996 to Senior Lectureship-Research Fellow post and in 1999 to University of Gloucestershire (currently a Reader). Founder member & co-coordinator of the Centre for Research in Applied Cognition, Knowledge, Learning and Emotion (CRACKLE).
Above Left: Testing Alexandra in study of visual attention in the Infant Laboratory; Above Right: Di Catherwood applying a sensor net to a participant in the EEG Lab.
Research areas and interests
My research interests broadly focus on how the brain deals with visual information. I have been particularly interested in how colour is processed by the infant brain but currently I am also investigating how top-down factors (knowledge, emotion, attentional or response bias) may influence adult response to information in the visual field. For example, colleagues and I are using dense-array EEG technology to assess how the adult brain responds to sudden change or uncertainty in available information. We are assessing adult cognition and decision-making in both laboratory and natural contexts such as that of the fireground. I conduct my research as a member of the Centre for Research in Applied Cognition, Knowledge, Learning and Emotion (CRACKLE) in the Department of Natural & Social Sciences.
Research Grants
I have obtained competitive research grants both in Australia (e.g., Australian Research Council grants) and UK (e.g., ESRC and British Academy awards, as well as a Wellcome Trust project). Recent grants include an MoD Competition of Ideas grant of £247,000 with Graham Edgar (senior investigator) to study EEG patterns related to aspects of “situation awareness” in contexts of threat or risk, as well as an ESRC grant with Dr. Anna Franklin (Surrey University) investigating hemispheric biases in infant and adult spatial cognition. I am also currently working with the Gloucestershire and other European Fire and Rescue Services to develop a research project in fireground decision-making.
Samples of Publications:
Catherwood, D., Sallis, G., Edgar, G., & Medley, A. (2011). Scoping and Bias in the Fireground: A new approach to understanding fireground “situation awareness”. Fire, January, 27-29
Catherwood, D. (2011). Prenatal development and Infancy. In R. Gillibrand, et al. (eds.) Developmental Psychology. London: Pearson.
Franklin, A., Catherwood, D., James Alvarez, J., & Axelsson, A. (2010). Hemispheric asymmetries in categorical perception of orientation. Neuropsychologia, 48, 2648-2657.
Catherwood, D., Franklin, A., Axelson, E., & Alvarez, J. (2009). Assessing Orientation Categorisation in the Left and Right Hemispheres of the Infant Brain. Cognitive Processing (2009), 10,s151.
Catherwood, D. (2007) The rivalry between chromatic and spatial attributes in infant response to the visual field. In N. Pitchford & C. Biggam (eds.), Progress in Colour Studies 2: Psychological Aspects. Amsterdam: John Benjamin (pp. 91-100).
Catherwood, D., Cramm, A., & Foster, H. (2003). Asymmetry in infant hemispheric readiness after exposure to a visual stimulus. Developmental Science, 6, 62-66.
Catherwood, D., Green, V., Foster, H., & Holt, C. (2003). How the infant cerebral hemispheres might respond to coloured facial patterns. In O. Pascalis & A. Slater (eds.), Face processing in infancy. New York: Nova Science.
Catherwood, D., Freiberg, K., Green, V., & Holt, C. (2001). Intra-hemispheric dynamics in infant encoding of coloured facial patterns. Infant and Child Development, 19, 47-57.
Sample of Conference presentations:
Edgar, G., Catherwood, D., Alford, C., Nikolla, Edgar, H., Brookes, D. (2011). Brain activity linked to the filtering of visual information under uncertain conditions. Society for Applied Neuroscience Conference, Thessaloniki, Greece.
Edgar, G., Catherwood, D., Nikolla, D., Chris Alford, C., et al (2010). Situation awareness, information use, and EEG.It’s not what you have, it’s what you do with it. British Association Cognitive Neuroscience Conference, University West England, Bristol.
Catherwood, D., Edgar, G., Sallis, G., & Medley, A. (2010). Scoping the Fireground: the range and bias of information used in decision-making in simulated fireground exercises. 27th International Congress Applied Psychology, Melbourne, Australia
Catherwood, D., Franklin, A., Axelson, E., & Alvarez, J. ( 2009). Assessing Orientation Categorisation in the Left and Right Hemispheres of the Infant Brain. 4th International Conference on Spatial Cognition. University of Rome.
Edgar, G., Catherwood, D., Edgar, H., Nikolla, D., Alford, C., & Brookes, D. (2008) Use it or lose it: Selection of information in Decision-making. 6th International Conference on Thinking, Venice International University,Italy.
Catherwood, D., Edgar, G. K., & Foster, H. (2007). Dorsal and ventral stream processing in infant encoding of colour in the visual field. 7th World Congress of Neuroscience, Melbourne., Australia
Edgar, G., Catherwood, D., Stiller, J., & Brookes, D. (2006). Facing up to limitations on attention and working memory: infant and adult encoding of coloured faces on coloured grounds. European Symposium on Working Memory, University of Genoa, Italy.
Catherwood, D., & Edgar, G. (2005) The relative processing of “background” and “foreground” features of visual patterns in infants and adults. Poster, XIIth European Conference on Developmental Psychology, La Laguna University, Santa Cruz, Tenerife.
Catherwood, D., Edgar, G., & Stiller, J. (2004). Top-down and bottom-up effects on visual target detection in infants and adults. 18th International Society for Study of Behavioural Development Conference, Ghent, Belgium.
Catherwood, D. (2004). The rivalry between chromatic and spatial features in infant response to the visual field. Progress in Colour Studies Conference, Glasgow Uni.
Catherwood, D., Edgar, G. K. & Foster, H. (2003). Hemispheric asymmetry in infant encoding of rapidly-presented stimuli. XIth European Conference on Developmental Psychology, Milan, Italy.
Consultancies
These include work for a children's TV programme (The BookPlace), as well as work dealing with adult response in road traffic environments.
Di working at conference (Rome University) & Di (not working) in Australia