Professor Eirini Mavritsaki
Professor of Cognitive Psychology, Director of Research and Enterprise and Director of Postgraduate Research Studies for the School of Social Sciences
School of Social Sciences
- Email:
- eirini.mavritsaki@bcu.ac.uk
- Phone:
- +44 (0)121 331 6361
Eirini chose to be academic because she is passionate for research and teaching and constantly searching for more approaches that will allow her to integrate them.
Eirini has been working more than 14 years in the area of Cognitive Psychology (Visual Attention), Neuropsychology and investigating disorders related to attentional function (e.g. ADHD and Alzheimer’s) and her work has been awarded by the British Psychological Society (Cognitive Section Award 2012). She sees the impact of her work in understanding further disorders related to attention and brain injury and further down the line developing approaches for personalized treatment using computational modelling.
Areas of Expertise
- Visual Cognition
- Attention
- Experimental Psychology
- Computational modelling
- Cognitive Computational Neuroscience
- Neuropsychology
- Disorder of attention (ADHD and Alzheimer’s)
- Research informed teaching
Qualifications
- PG Cert Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (2012-2013)
- Qualified Teacher Status (2012)
- PhD, Psychology University of Sheffield (1999-2004)
- BSc, Mathematics University of Crete (1995-1999)
Memberships
- Senior Fellow of Higher Education Academy (SFHEA)
- Chartered member (CPsychol) of the British Psychological Society
- Member of the Organization for Computational Neuroscience (CNS)
- Member of the Society for Neuroscience (SfN)
- Member of the Vision Sciences Society (VSS)
Teaching
- Brain and Cognition module in the MSc in Psychology
- Neuropsychology module in the BSc (Hons) Psychology, BSc (Hons) Psychology with Criminology
Research
Eirini is currently working in the areas of Visual Cognition, Neuropsychology and Computational Neuroscience. From the computational perspective she has developed the spiking Search over Time and Space (sSoTS) model that can be utilized to investigate attentional processes in both healthy and diseased brain.
The titles of Eirini's most recent research projects can be found below:
- ADHD and attentional processes
- Alzheimer’s disease and attentional processes
- Identifying and evaluating biomarkers in Alzheimer’s: Cross-disciplinary approach
- Cross-cultural differences in attention and Neuropsychology
- Cross-cultural differences and perceptual learning
- Neural decision-making: Modelling human choices
- Attention during risky decision-making: Insights from eye movements and neural modelling (funded by BA/Leverhulme)
- Metaphor understanding in metaphoric expressions
Postgraduate Supervision
- Ms Stephanie Chua – (co-supervised by Dr Panos Rentzelas and Prof. Maxine Lintern from BCU and Prof. Zoe Kourtzi from The University of Cambridge)
- Ms Jennifer Klein - New insights into ADHD through behavioural and modelling studies (co-supervised by Dr Amy Cook and Prof. John Clibbens from BCU and Dr Harriet Allen from The University of Nottingham)
- Mr Nirav Porwal - Investigating oscillatory behaviour in Alzheimer’s disease to establish biomarkers: an EEG and computational programme (co-supervised by Prof. Maxine Lintern from BCU and Prof. Howard Bowman and Prof. Kim Shapiro from University of Birmingham)
- Mr Panagiotis Sampanis - Cross-cultural differences and picture perception (co-supervised by Prof. Maxine Lintern and Dr Panos Rentzelas from BCU)
Publications
BOOKS
- Heinke, G. and Mavritsaki, E. (2009). Computational modeling in behavioral neuroscience: Closing the gap between neurophysiology and behaviour. London: Psychology Press.
JOURNALS
- Porwal N., Bowman H., Lintern M., Shapiro K and Mavritsaki E. (in press) A spiking neural network model of the N400 congruency effect. BMC Neuroscience.
- Chua S., Rentzelas P., Kourtzi Z., Lintern M, and Mavritsaki E. (in press) The influence of self-construal priming on visual perceptual learning. Journal of Vision.
- Mavritsaki E., Chua S., Kourtzi Z, Lintern M. and Rentzelas P. (2018). Cultural differences in perceptual learning. Journal of Vision, 18, p.p. 279. doi:10.1167/18.10.277
- Mavritsaki, E., Bridger, E. and Alrdovandi, E. (2017). Modelling human choices: MADeM and decision making. BMC Neuroscience, 18, p.18. Doi: 10.1186/s12868-017-0371-2
- Mavritsaki, E. and Rentzelas, P. (2017). Is object saliency perceived different cross-culturally? A computational modelling study. BMC Neuroscience, 18, p.p.60. Doi: 10.1186/s12868-017-0372-1
- Mavritsaki, E. and Humphreys, G.W. (2016). Temporal binding and segmentation in visual search: A computational neuroscience analysis. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 28(10), p.p. 1553-1567. Doi:10.1162/jocn_a_00984.
- Mavritsaki, E. and Rentzelas, P. (2015). Cross-cultural differences in visual attention: A computational modelling study. BMC Neuroscience, 16, p.p. 204-204. Doi: 10.3389/fncom.2016.00068.
- Mavritsaki, E., Cook, A. and Humphreys, G.W. (2015). Towards grasping the underlying processes in ADHD using visual search task: A computational modelling approach. Journal of Vision, 15(12), p.p. 1258-1258. Doi: 10.1167/15.12.1258.
- Mavritsaki, E. and Humphreys, G.W. (2013). Different functional roles of dopamine and acetylcholine in visual selection. Simulations of visual search in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. Journal of Vision, 13(9), p.p. 523-523. Doi: 10.1167/13.9.523
- Mavritsaki, E., Heinke, D., Allen, H.A., Deco, G. and Humphreys, G.W. (2011). Bridging the gap between physiology and behaviour: Evidence from sSoTS model of human attention. Psychological Review, 118(1), p.p. 3-41. Doi: 10.1037/a0021868.
- Mavritsaki, E., Allen, H.A. and Humphreys, G.W. (2010). Decomposing the neural mechanism of neural marking using an interconnected network of spiking neurons: The spiking search over time and space model (sSoTS). NeuroImage, 52(3), p.p. 934-946. Doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2010.03.044.
- Riddoch, M.J., Chechlasz, M., Mevorach, C., Mavritsaki, E. and Allen, H.A. (2010). The neural mechanisms of visual selection: The view from neuropsychology. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences¸1191(1), p.p. 156-181.
- Mavritsaki, E., Humphreys, G.W., Heinke, D. and Deco, G. (2009). Simulating posterior parietal damage in a biologically plausible framework: Neuropsychological tests of the sSoTS model. Cognitive Neuropsychology, 26(4), p.p. 343-390.
- Lepora, N.F., Mavritsaki, E., Porrill, J., Yeo, C.H., Evinger, L.C. and Dean, P. (2007). Evidence from retractor bulbi EMG for linearised motor control of conditioned nictitating membrane response. Journal of Neurophysiology, 98, p.p. 2075-2088. Doi:10.1152/jn.00210.2007.
- Mavritsaki, E., Heinke, D.G., Deco, G. and Humphreys, G.W. (2007) Suppressive effects in visual search: A neuro-computational analysis of preview search. Neurocomputing, 70, p.p.1925-1931. Doi:10.1016/j.neucom.2006.10.077
- Mavritsaki, E., Lepora, N.F., Porrill, J., Yeo, C.H. and Dean, P. (2007) Response linearity determined by recruitment strategy in detailed model of nictitating membrane control. Biological Cybernetics, 96(1), p.p. 39-57. Doi: 10.1007/s00422-006-0105-5.
- Mavritsaki, E., Heinke, D.G., Deco, G. and Humphreys, G.W. (2006) A computational model of visual marking using an interconnected network of spiking neurons: The spiking search over time and space model (sSoTS). Journal of Physiology Paris, 100, p.p. 110-124. Doi:10.1016/j.jphysparis.2006.09.003
BOOK CHAPTERS
- Mavritsaki E., Bowman H., and Li Su (accepted) Attentional deficits in Alzheimer’s: investigating the role of acetylcholine with computational modelling. In: Coutsoridis V., Handbook of Multi-Scale Models of Brain Disorders: From Microscopic to Macroscopic Assessment of Brain Dynamics, London: Spriger.
- Humphreys, G.W. and Mavritsaki, E. (2012). Modelling visual attention in search in multiple levels. In: M.I. Posner, ed., Cognitive Neuroscience of Attention, London: The Guilford Press, p.p. 57-75.
- Mavritsaki, E., Humphreys, G.W., Heinke, D. and Deco, G. (2010). Modelling neuropsychological deficits with a spiking neural network. In: N. Srinivasan, B.R. Kar and J. Pandey, ed., Advances in Cognitive Science, Volume 2, New Delhi: SAGE Knowledge, p.p. 150-178. Doi: 10.4135/9788132107910.n13
- Mavritsaki, E., Allen, H.A. and Humphreys, G.W. (2009). Decomposition of neural circuits of human attention using a model-based analysis: sSoTS model application to fMRI data. In: J. Mayor, N. Ruh and K. Plunkett, ed., Progress in Neural Processing: Connectionists model on behaviour and Cognition II, Oxford: World Scientific, 18, p.p. 401-414.
- Heinke, D., Mavritsaki, E., Backhaus, A. and Kreyling, M. (2009). The selective attention for identification model (SAIM): A framework for closing the gap between behaviour and neurological level. In: D.G. Heinke and E. Mavritsaki, ed., Computational modelling in behavioural neuroscience: Closing the gap between neurophysiology and behavior, London: Psychology Press, p.p. 80-106.
- Humphreys, G.W., Mavritsaki, E., Allen, H.A., Heinke, D.G. and Deco, G. (2009). Application of neural-level model to human visual search: Modelling the whole system behaviour, neuropsychological break down and BOLD signal activation. In: D.G. Heinke and E. Mavritsaki, ed., Computational modelling in behavioural neuroscience: Closing the gap between neurophysiology and behavior, London: Psychology Press, p.p 58-79.
- Mavritsaki, E., Allen, H.A. and Humphreys, G.W. (2008). Model based analysis of fMRI-data: Applying sSoTS framework to the neural basis of preview search. In: L. Paletta and J.K. Tsotsos, ed., Lecture Notes in Computer Science: Attention in Cognitive Systems, Berlin: Springer, 5395, p.p. 124-138