Projects per year
Personal profile
Research Interests
Much of my research has focused on the development of different aspects of temporal cognition in young children. I am interested in children's thinking and reasoning about time, and how this affects their decision making. My research on children's decision making, conducted with Cristina Atance, Patrick Burns, Aidan Feeney, and Sarah Beck, has focused on intertemporal choice as well as the role of regret in children's decisions. Research on mathematical cognition with Kinga Morsanyi and Patrick O'Connor has examined how representing and processing temporal order information may be important in the development of maths skills.
I have an established interest in interdisciplinary research with philosophy, and have worked with Christoph Hoerl on a variety of interdisciplinary topics including time, memory, and counterfactuals.
Teaching
I teach developmental psychology primarily at MSc level.
Particulars
I completed my undergraduate degree and PhD at the Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Cambridge. After a year lecturing at the University of Kent, I moved to the University of Warwick to work as a postdoctoral researcher with Gordon Brown. In 2000, I was appointed as a lecturer at Warwick, before moving to Queen's University Belfast in 2002. I was promoted to Reader and then to Professor of Cognitive Development in 2010.
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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- 1 Similar Profiles
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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R2064PSY: Royal Society of Chemistry LGBT+ Inclusion
Latu, I. (PI), Kavanagh, P. (CoI), McCormack, T. (CoI) & Turner, R. (CoI)
25/09/2023 → …
Project: Research
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R1748PSY: Mind Wandering and Metacognition in Children
Graham, A. (PI) & McCormack, T. (CoI)
26/09/2022 → …
Project: Research
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R2469PSY: The Nature and Function of Relief
Feeney, A. (PI) & McCormack, T. (CoI)
10/05/2018 → …
Project: Research
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R1936PSY: Inclusion Really Does Matter: Improving Reactions to Gender Equality Initiatives Amongst Academics in Engineering and Physical Sciences
Latu, I. (PI), Arredondo, M. (CoI), McCartan, C. (CoI), McCormack, T. (CoI), Nanukuttan, S. (CoI), Rafferty, K. (CoI), Ranade, V. (CoI), Scott-Hayward, S. (CoI) & Turner, R. (CoI)
03/08/2018 → 23/09/2021
Project: Research
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R1689PSY: Time: Between Metaphysics and Psychology
McCormack, T. (PI)
31/10/2016 → 29/02/2020
Project: Research
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Discounting past experience and the utility of memory: an empirical study
Shardlow, J., Lee, R., O'Connor, P. A., Hoerl, C. & McCormack, T., 10 Apr 2025, In: Synthese. 205, 166.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile43 Citations (Scopus)1 Downloads (Pure) -
Episodic future thinking and delay of gratification in children: an individual differences study
Canning, C., Graham, A. & McCormack, T., 13 May 2025, (Accepted) In: Journal of Experimental Child Psychology.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Low mood, worry, and mind wandering in children
Teague, E., McCormack, T. & Graham, A. J., 31 Mar 2025, (Early online date) In: British Journal of Developmental Psychology. 19 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile1 Downloads (Pure) -
Testicular self-examination: the role of anticipated relief and anticipated regret
Lorimer, S., McCormack, T., Hoerl, C., Beck, S. R., Johnston, M. & Feeney, A., Feb 2025, In: British Journal of Health Psychology. 30, 1, 15 p., e12756.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile21 Downloads (Pure) -
The development of educational neuroscience research and practice in Ireland
Flynn, M., Wynne, O., Graham, A., McCormack, T., Senior, J., McMullen, J. & Downes, M., 21 Jan 2025, PublicPolicy.ie. 34 p.Research output: Book/Report › Other report
Open AccessFile38 Downloads (Pure)
Datasets
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Experimental data on time and interventions in children's causal structure learning
McCormack, T. (Creator) & Lagnado, D. (Creator), UK Data Service, Sept 2014
DOI: 10.5255/UKDA-SN-851417, http://reshare.ukdataservice.ac.uk/851417/ and one more link, http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk/project/8FE6A229-D57D-4EF0-9A72-83D4A650A6AE (show fewer)
Dataset
Activities
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Parent and Teacher Views of Mind-wandering and Learning in the First Two Years of Irish Classroom Settings
Graham, A. (Advisor), Flynn, M. (Presenter), Wynne, O. (Contributor), McCormack, T. (Advisor), Senior, J. (Advisor), McMullen, J. (Advisor) & Downes, M. (Advisor)
10 Apr 2025Activity: Talk or presentation types › Oral presentation
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Do STEM university departments communicate LGBTQ+ inclusion effectively? Perceptions of inclusion symbols in UK and US STEM departments
McKenna-Plumley, P. (Presenter), Kirby, T. A. (Contributor), McCormack, T. (Contributor), Turner, R. (Contributor) & Latu, I. (Contributor)
03 Sept 2024Activity: Talk or presentation types › Oral presentation
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Intertemporal Choice and Episodic Future Thinking
McCormack, T. (Invited speaker)
02 Dec 2023Activity: Talk or presentation types › Invited talk
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Psychological Society of Ireland Early Graduate Group Annual Conference 2023
Cherry, J. (Speaker), McCormack, T. (Contributor) & Graham, A. (Contributor)
09 Sept 2023Activity: Talk or presentation types › Oral presentation
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Can psychologists benefit from talking to philosophers about time?
McCormack, T. (Keynote speaker)
28 Aug 2023Activity: Talk or presentation types › Invited or keynote talk at national or international conference
Press/Media
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Empowering Learning Through Neuroscience
Graham, A., McCormack, T. & Downes, M.
21/05/2024
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Research
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QUB study explores the effect of daydreaming in young
Graham, A., Cherry, J. & McCormack, T.
26/04/2022
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Research
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Gesturing Left to Right for Passage of Time Occurs by Age 6
Burns, P., McCormack, T., Graham, A., O'Connor, P. & Caruso, E.
06/04/2022
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Research