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Dr Kate Lawrence

Senior Lecturer - Psychology

Dr Kate Lawrence

About Research

Email: kate.lawrence@stmarys.ac.uk
Tel: 020 8240 4354

Biography

 

Kate gained her BA (Hons) First Class in Psychology at Oxford University in 1997. From there she worked at Great Ormond Street Hospital and the Institute of Child Health, and was awarded her PhD, in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, at UCL in 2003. Here she conducted research into social and emotional skills on individuals with Autistic Spectrum Disorders, Turner syndrome, and typically developing children, adolescents and adults. She was involved in a number of National and International multidisciplinary collaborative projects incorporating Psychology, Genetics and Neuroscience.

After a short career-break to be a full-time Mum, Kate taught at Royal Holloway and Goldsmiths Universities, achieving Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (HEA) in 2012. She came to St Mary’s in September 2013 and works as a lecturer on the Psychology programme. She is also actively involved in research, recently publishing interesting discoveries about the influence of age, gender and puberty on emotional development, together with collaborators at UCL. Kate is currently working on a project with a nutritional therapist, Jeannette Hyde, looking at the influence of dietary microbiome manipulations on physical and emotional wellbeing.

In Sept 2016 she took up a role with Foods Matter as Research Editor. Kate is enthusiastic about communicating science more effectively to the general public, which she has developed through her role with Foods Matter, writing for a children’s science journal, being interviewed for numerous radio programmes, and giving talks at local schools. Kate reviews articles for several journals including: Autism, Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, Journal of Early Adolescence, Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, Journal of Research on Adolescence, and Perception.

Programme Responsibilities:

  • Module convenor for 'Everyday Psychology'
  • Careers Liason tutor for Psychology
  • Kate was involved in the development of the first ever MSS Careers Fair, which received a highly commended prize for the St Henry Walpole award for Teaching and Learning, 2015.
  • She set up and runs an ever-growing LinkedIn networking group for present and past St Mary's psychology students and staff.
  • Kate organises various forums and research talks with St Mary's alumni and Professional Psychologists.

Research

Research profile

Kate's research interests lie within the area of developmental cognitive neuroscience. She has a particular interest in the development of social skills and face and emotion recognition abilities, in childhood and adolescence.

She is also interested in the influence of diet and nutrition on mental health and emotional wellbeing, with a focus being on the therapeutic benefits of microbiome manipulations.

Profiles: Twitter | Researchgate

Professional Memberships:

  • Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA)
  • Member – Society for Research on Adolescence (SRA)

Publications:

  • Can children see emotion in faces? K Lawrence, R Campbell, D Skuse. Frontiers for Young Minds (2016).
  • Age, gender and puberty influence the development of facial emotion recognition. K Lawrence, R Campbell, D Skuse. Frontiers in Psychology 6: 761 (2015).
  • Social communication competence and functional adaptation in a general population of children: preliminary evidence for sex-by-verbal IQ differential risk. DH Skuse, W Mandy, C Steer, LL Miller, R Goodman, K Lawrence, A Emond, J Golding. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 48 (2), 128-137 (2009).
  • Can autistic children read the mind of an animated triangle? G Salter, A Seigal, M Claxton, K Lawrence, D Skuse Autism 12 (4), 349-371(2008).
  • Changing abilities in recognition of unfamiliar face photographs through childhood and adolescence: Performance on a test of non-verbal immediate memory (Warrington RMF) from 6 to 16 years. K Lawrence, D Bernstein, R Pearson, W Mandy, R Campbell, D Skuse. Journal of Neuropsychology 2 (1), 27-45 (2008).
  • The development of mental state attributions in women with X-monosomy, and the role of monoamine oxidase B in the sociocognitive phenotype. K Lawrence, A Jones, L Oreland, D Spektor, W Mandy, R Campbell, D Skuse. Cognition 102 (1), 84-100 (2007).
  • Identification of EFHC2 as a quantitative trait locus for fear recognition in Turner syndrome. LA Weiss, S Purcell, S Waggoner, K Lawrence, D Spektor, MJ Daly, P Sklar, D. Human molecular genetics 16 (1), 107-113 (2007).
  • Understanding the social meaning of the eyes: Is Williams syndrome so different from autism. E Tsirempolou, K Lawrence, K Lee, S Ewing, A Karmiloff-Smith. World Journal of Pediatrics 2, 288-296. (2006).
  • Charting the development of emotion recognition from 6 years of age. AM Wade, K Lawrence, W Mandy, D Skuse. Journal of Applied Statistics 33 (3), 297-315 (2006).
  • Meanings in motion and faces: Developmental associations between the processing of intention from geometrical animations and gaze detection accuracy. R Campbell, K Lawrence, W Mandy, C Mitra, L Jeyakuma, D Skuse. Development and Psychopathology 18 (01), 99-118 (2006).
  • Measuring social-cognitive functions in children with somatotropic axis dysfunction. D Skuse, K Lawrence, J Tang. Hormone Research in Paediatrics 64 (Suppl. 3), 73-82 (2006).
  • Behavioural phenotypes. D Skuse, K Lawrence. Psychiatry 4 (7), 65-68 (2005).
  • What can studies on Turner syndrome tell us about the role of X-linked genes in social cognition? DH Skuse, S Purcell, MJ Daly, RJ Dolan, JS Morris, K Lawrence, ES Lander, P. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part B-Neuropsychiatric Genetics 130 (2004).
  • Interpreting gaze in Turner syndrome: impaired sensitivity to intention and emotion, but preservation of social cueing. K Lawrence, R Campbell, J Swettenham, J Terstegge, R Akers, M Coleman, D Skuse. Neuropsychologia 41 (8), 894-905 (2003).
  • The amygdala and development of the social brain D Skuse, J Morris, K Lawrence. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 1008 (1), 91-101 (2003).
  • Dosage-sensitive X-linked locus influences the development of amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex, and fear recognition in humans. CD Good, K Lawrence, NS Thomas, CJ Price, J Ashburner, KJ Friston, RSJ. Brain 126 (11), 2431-2446 (2003).
  • Face and emotion recognition deficits in Turner syndrome: a possible role for X-linked genes in amygdala development. K Lawrence, J Kuntsi, M Coleman, R Campbell, D Skuse. Neuropsychology 17 (1), 39 (2003).
  • The classification of fear from faces is associated with face recognition skill in women. R Campbell, K Elgar, J Kuntsi, R Akers, J Terstegge, M Coleman, D Skuse. Neuropsychologia 40 (6), 575-584 (2002).
  • Are you looking at me? Accuracy in processing line–of–sight in Turner syndrome. K Elgar, R Campbell, D Skuse Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences.(2002).
  • Impaired processing of direction of gaze in Turner syndrome-Evidence for amygdala dysfunction. K Elgar, R Campbell, J Terstegge, R Akers, M Coleman, D Skuse. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 21-21 (2002).
  • Annotation: The cognitive neuroscience of face recognition: Implications for developmental disorders K Elgar, R Campbell. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 42 (6), 705-717 (2001).
  • The development of face-identification skills: what lies behind the face module? K Elgar, R Campbell. Infant and Child Development 10 (1?2), 25-30 (2001).
  • Effects of dosage insufficiency of X linked genes on brain structures and visual processing style. J Kuntsi, K Elgar, C Good, D Skuse. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry 71 (1), 140-140 (2001).
  • Gene–brain mechanisms in Turner syndrome DH Skuse, CD Good, K Elgar, NS Thomas, JS Morris. Genesis conference (2001).
  • Gene deletion mapping of the X chromosome CD Good, J Kuntsi, R Akers, K Elgar, C Price, J Ashburner, KJ Friston, RSJ. NeuroImage 13 (6), S793-S793 (2001).
  • Ring-X chromosomes: their cognitive and behavioural phenotype. J Kuntsi, D Skuse, K Elgar, E Morris, C Turner. Annals of human genetics 64 (4), 295-305 (2000).
  • Distinctive patterns of memory function in subgroups of females with Turner syndrome: evidence for imprinted loci on the X-chromosome affecting neurodevelopment. DVM Bishop, E Canning, K Elgar, E Morris, PA Jacobs, DH Skuse. Neuropsychologia 38 (5), 712-721 (2000).
  • Phenotype-karyotype relationships in Turner syndrome. D Skuse, D Bishop, K Elgar, E Morris. Therapeutic Outcome of Endocrine Disorders, 69-82 (2000).
  • Quality of life in Turner syndrome is related to chromosomal constitution: implications for genetic counselling and management. D Skuse, K Elgar, E Morris. Acta Paediatrica 88, 110-113 (1999).
  • Growth hormone and growth factors in endocrinology and metabolism-how to measure quality of life in children-quality of life in Turner syndrome is related to chromosomal constitution. D Skuse, K Elgar, E Morris. Acta Paediatrica-International Journal of Paediatrics-Supplements, 110-113 (1999).
  • Book chapter in The Development of Face Processing in Infancy and Early Childhood. Editors: Olivier Pascalis and Alan Slater, pp. 179-187 (Nova Science Publishers, Inc.). K Lawrence, R Campbell (2003).

Conference Papers:

  • ‘A family study of genetic susceptibility to autistic traits’ ‘Nancy Lurie Marks Family Foundation Autism symposium on Autism Susceptibility Genes’ Hotel Commonwealth, Boston, MA, USA (Sept 2005).
  • ‘A family study of genetic susceptibility to autistic traits’ Institute of Child Health, London (Aug 2005).
  • ‘Genetic influences on socio-cognitive processing’ Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck college, London (May 2003).
  • ‘X-linked genes influence social cognition and amygdala development’. Wellcome Department of Cognitive Neurology, London (June 2002).
  • ‘X-linked genes influence amygdala development and social cognition’ National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA (April 2002).
  • ‘The genetic substrate of a two process theory of face recognition development’ Institute of Child Health, London (March 2001) Oral presentation – awarded ICH prize for poster of same title.
  • ‘The Psychological Well-being of Adult Women with Turner Syndrome’. Child Growth Foundation Annual Conference, Hilton International, Coventry (October 1999).
  • ‘How to measure quality of life in children’. International Symposium - Quality of Life in Patients with Endocrine Diseases, Buenos Aires, Argentina (August 1998).
  • ‘Quality of life in Turner syndrome: Relationship to karyotype’. International Symposium - Quality of Life in Patients with Endocrine Diseases, Buenos Aires, Argentina (August 1998).
  • ‘Workshop on Turner syndome in childhood and adolesence – for parents’. Turner syndrome Society – International Conference, Warwick University (August 1997).

Media enquiries

For media enquiries, please contact our Press Office Team by emailing press.office@stmarys.ac.uk.