Katie Carpenter

Katie Carpenter is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the School of Psychology. Katie is currently working on a project run by Dr Kirsten Abbot-Smith exploring the cognitive constraints that determine success in conversational topic maintenance.

Prior to this, Katie completed her Economic and Social Research Council funded PhD project at the University of Kent, which focused on metacognition among autistic adults. Katie has also worked in a variety of clinical settings as an Assistant Psychologist, working alongside individuals with a range of mental health difficulties and developmental differences. 

Katie’s experience in clinical settings has led to her to research the cognitive underpinnings of developmental differences, specifically among autistic people. Katie’s PhD thesis explored the relationship between mindreading and metacognition among autistic and typically developing adults.

Katie is now focusing on exploring the cognitive constraints that determine success in conversational topic maintenance. This project is examining various cognitive constraints, such as cognitive flexibility and attention, on autistic and typically developing children’s ability to maintain conversations. 

Funding

Economic and Social Research Council (+3 studentship)