Research Associate
Biography
Emily is a part-time Research Associate for the Body, Mind, and Behaviour Laboratory. She is currently working with a research team directed by Professor Simone Schnall, investigating the beneficial cognitive, affective, and behavioural effects of appreciating art, aesthetic objects, and environments. This research is part of the interdisciplinary project “Higher Values: Aesthetic Experiences, Transcendence, and Prosociality”, funded by the Templeton Religion Trust.
Emily also works as a part-time Post-Doctorial Research Fellow at Anglia Ruskin University supporting the ARU Centre for Societies and Groups (ARU-CSG). She supports members of the Applied Social Change and Empowerment and Social Justice research hubs with research related activities, including designing research, collecting/analysing data, writing-up publications, and organising events.
Emily completed her PhD at Anglia Ruskin University and in September 2023, she successfully defended her thesis is entitled: "A Fascinating Measure of Restoration? Using eye-tracking to assess effortless attention during controlled and field-based exposure to outdoor environments". Her thesis research aimed to test hypotheses in Attention Restoration Theory that direct and indirect exposure to fascinating environments (both natural and man-made) can be attentionally restorative, using a combination of eye-tracking and behavioural measures of attentional capacity.
Research
Moral psychology; aesthetics and architecture; Attention Restoration Theory; real-world eye-tracking; face perception; pro-social behaviour; environmental and cognitive psychology.
Publications
McKendrick, E. S., Pearson, D. G., Pake, J. M., & Keyes, H. (in preparation). A Fascinating Measure of Restoration? Using Eye-tracking to Assess Effortless Attention During Controlled and Field-based Exposure to Outdoor Environments.
McKendrick, E. S., Pearson, D. G., Pake, J. M., & Keyes, H. (in preparation). Photograph Database Depicting Perceived Restorative Potential of Outdoor Environments in the UK.
Other Professional Activities
RESEARCH FUNDING
ARU Faculty Research Pump Priming Programme 2022/23 – Successful application for £9341 received for project: “The Link Between Nature-Based Activity, Stress and Cortisol: Measuring Stress Reduction Using Saliva and Hair Biomarkers”. Research Team: David Pearson, Matt Bristow, Christine Bryson, Nic Gibson, and Emily McKendrick.
ARU Faculty Research Pump Priming Programme 2023/24 – Successful application for £9924 received for project: “Looking At Voices: Exploring Eye Movements and Auditory Hallucinations in Schizophrenia and Borderline Personality Disorder”. Research Team: David Pearson, David Ho (Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust), and Emily McKendrick.
CONFERENCES
British Feeding and Drinking Group ECR conference (2024) - Organising Committee for the British Feeding and Drinking Group Early Careers Researchers’ 2024 conference.
European Workshop of Imagery and Cognition (2023) - Conference ambassador and oral presentation entitled “A fascinating measure of restoration? Using eye-tracking to assess effortless attention during controlled and field exposure to outdoor environments”.
European Workshop of Imagery and Cognition PGR conference (2021) – Gave an online oral presentation entitled: “Examining the effectiveness of eye-movements for measuring effortless attention while viewing photographs of fascinating environments”
