Group
Ageing and Lifespan Research Group
Unit(s) of assessment: Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience
Research theme(s): Health Innovation
School: School of Social Sciences
Overview
Our lifespan research spans childhood to later life, examining how cognitive, motor, and sociocultural factors influence communication, mobility, learning, and wellbeing. We develop and evaluate inclusive, assistive frameworks, from touch-supported communication in autism to task-based supports for cognition and mobility in older adults, to enhance independence and everyday functioning. Across all stages, we explore how cultural contexts, compensatory strategies, and environmental supports shape resilience, identity, and the ageing experience. Our research is grounded in a mixed-methods approach, integrating behavioural experiments, imaging techniques (e.g. fMRI, EEG), and qualitative inquiry to capture both the mechanisms and lived experiences of psychological functioning across the lifespan.
Ageing
In the ageing phase of the lifespan, our research examines how cognitive and perceptual functions—including visual perception, attention, and memory—change with age, and how these changes impact everyday functioning. We focus on the mechanisms of age-related cognitive decline, including reductions in working memory and episodic memory, and consider the role of compensatory strategies and crystallised abilities in maintaining performance. A core element of this research explores applied approaches to the management of dementia, mild cognitive impairment, and healthy ageing, with particular attention to how environmental and task-based supports can sustain cognition, autonomy, and wellbeing in later life.
In parallel, we study the psychological and sensorimotor factors that influence balance and movement in older adulthood. This includes investigations into how attention, memory, and motor planning interact during everyday mobility, particularly in situations where dual-task demands—such as walking while thinking—can heighten the risk of instability and falls. We also examine the use of mobility aids in complex environments, with a focus on motorised mobility scooter users. This work highlights the real-world hazards they face, the adaptive strategies they adopt, and the ways in which public infrastructure and attitudes shape their confidence, safety, and independence. These areas are critical for reducing fall risk and supporting functional autonomy in later life.
Across the Lifespan
Our sociocultural strand of research explores how cultural context shapes psychological development, resilience, and well-being from early life through to older adulthood. This work examines how self, and family perceptions differ across cultural groups, with particular attention to how cultural values influence identity, familial roles, and intergenerational relationships. We also investigate resilience within indigenous communities, focusing on the cultural strengths that support adaptation and mental health in the face of adversity. In later life, our research examines positive ageing, including how older individuals make sense of their ageing experience within their cultural and social worlds.
Childhood and Adolescence
In the childhood and adolescence phase of the lifespan, our research focuses on how psychomotor factors shape communication, learning, and independence in individuals on the autistic spectrum and with other developmental disabilities. We explore how motor coordination, attention, and executive function interact to support or constrain expressive communication during development.
A key strand of this work investigates assistive frameworks—such as touch-supported typing—that aim to reduce motor and cognitive demands, enabling more fluent and autonomous expression. Using methods like stylometric analysis, we examine the presence of individual agency in supported communication, helping to identify when users are actively contributing to language production. This research informs the design of inclusive, developmentally supportive strategies that can be used in both educational and therapeutic settings to enhance participation and learning.
Press and news
New report calls for robust regulation of home care robots
Thu 3 Jul 2025
Brain function of older adults catching up with younger generations
Wed 24 Apr 2024
Study combines storytelling and movement to improve language and motor skills in early years
Wed 17 Jan 2024
People living in deprived areas more likely to suffer from poor sleep
Mon 7 Aug 2023
Our video
Researchers Supported by the BIAL Foundation – Suvo Mitra
Facilities
The group’s research facilities include dedicated laboratories for EEG (BioSemi), transcranial magnetic stimulation (MagStim), electromyography (Delsys), motion capture (Codamotion), audio-visual recoding suite, and ground reaction force (Kistler, AMTI) studies. In addition, members can utilise NTU’s magnetic resonance imaging facilities. Group members also have access to treadmills and mobile eye-tracking facilities for mobility research.
Research lead
Dr Stephen Badham is an Associate Professor in Psychology. His research investigates cognitive ageing and how older adults can use their knowledge and experience to reduce age deficits and improve wellbeing.
Research group staff
Suvo Mitra
Associate Dean for Research
School of Social Sciences
Miriam Sang-Ah Park
Principal Lecturer
School of Social Sciences
Duncan Guest
Associate Dean for Psychology
School of Social Sciences
Christopher Atkin
Research Assistant in Road Safety
School of Social Sciences
Hayley Boulton
Senior Lecturer
School of Social Sciences
Christina Howard
Associate Professor
School of Social Sciences
Gayle Dillon
Deputy Head of Department
School of Social Sciences
Andy Grayson
Associate Professor
School of Social Sciences
Kate Roberts
Associate Professor
School of Social Sciences
Vivienne Wenchong Du
Associate Professor
School of Social Sciences
Gary Jones
Professor
School of Social Sciences
Lai-Sang Iao
Senior Lecturer
School of Social Sciences
Clifford Stevenson
Professor
School of Social Sciences
Nathaniel Zuk
Senior Lecturer
School of Social Sciences
Angharad Williams
Senior Lecturer
Psychology
Jia Hoong Ong
Senior Lecturer
School of Social Sciences
Our partners
Funding bodies
- UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)
- Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
- Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC)
- National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)
- Biotechnology and Biological Science Research Council (BBSRC)
- Road Safety Trust
- BIAL
- Newton Fund
Charity partners
- AgeUK
- U3a
- Re-engage
- National Trust
Publications
Janes, M., Buckell, A., Jones, B. A., Sang-Ah Park, M., & Badham, S. P. (2025). Understanding the essential components and effectiveness of pre-assessment counselling (PAC) in providing a timely diagnosis according to NHS clinicians. Dementia, 14713012251345928.
Atkin, C., Stacey, J. E., Allen, H. A., Henshaw, H., Roberts, K. L., & Badham, S. P. (2024). Older adults do not show enhanced benefits from multisensory information on speeded perceptual discrimination tasks. Neurobiology of aging, 142, 65-72.
Nicoli, G., Pavon, G., Grayson, A., Emerson, A., & Mitra, S. (2023). Touch may reduce cognitive load during assisted typing by individuals with developmental disabilities. Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience, 17, 1181025.
Mitra, S., Vernon, M., & Boulton, H. (2022). The role of spatial alignment in posture-cognition dual task interaction. Gait & Posture, 93, 54-58.
Badham, S. P. (2024). The older population is more cognitively able than in the past and age-related deficits in cognition are diminishing over time. Developmental Review, 72, 101124.
Park, M. S. A., Badham, S., Vizcaino-Vickers, S., & Fino, E. (2024). Exploring older adults’ subjective views on aging positively: development and validation of the positive aging scale. The Gerontologist, 64(9), gnae088.
Vinter, L. P., Dillon, G., Winder, B., & Harper, C. A. (2025). A multi-perspective qualitative study about working with autistic individuals in prison-based interventions to address sexual offending. Sexual Abuse, 37(1), 30-57.
Zsido, R. G., Williams, A. N., Barth, C., Serio, B., Kurth, L., Mildner, T., ... & Sacher, J. (2023). Ultra-high-field 7T MRI reveals changes in human medial temporal lobe volume in female adults during menstrual cycle. Nature Mental Health, 1(10), 761-771.
Vagnetti, R., Camp, N., Story, M., Ait-Belaid, K., Mitra, S., Fowler Davis, S., ... & Magistro, D. (2024). Social Robots and Sensors for Enhanced Aging at Home: Mixed Methods Study With a Focus on Mobility and Socioeconomic Factors. JMIR aging, 7, e63092.
Harkin, L., Stuart, A., Stevenson, C., Talbot, C., Daly, R., Park, M. A., ... & Price, B. (2024). Being cut off from social identity resources has shaped loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic: A longitudinal interview study with medically vulnerable older adults from the United Kingdom. Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology, 34(1).
Ong, J. H., Zhao, C., Bacon, A., Leung, F. Y. N., Veic, A., Wang, L., ... & Liu, F. (2024). The relationship between autism and pitch perception is modulated by cognitive abilities. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 54(9), 3400-3411.
Badham, S. P., Atkin, C., Stacey, J. E., Henshaw, H., Allen, H. A., & Roberts, K. L. (2024). Age deficits in associative memory are not alleviated by multisensory paradigms. The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 79(7), gbae063.
Dai, X., Williams, G. J., Groeger, J. A., Jones, G., Brookes, K., Zhou, W., ... & Du, W. (2025). The role of circadian rhythms and sleep in the aetiology of autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: New evidence from bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis. Autism, 29(1), 76-86.
Iao, L. S. (2024). Wellbeing in parents of neurodivergent children. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 15, 1480313.
Ahmed, F., Nidiffer, A. R., O'Sullivan, A. E., Zuk, N. J., & Lalor, E. C. (2023). The integration of continuous audio and visual speech in a cocktail-party environment depends on attention. NeuroImage, 274, 120143.