A psychologist at Stirling University has won a prestigious award for her research into the working memory of children.

The British Science Association gave the Joseph Lister Award to Tracy Alloway, director of the new Centre for Memory and Learning in the Lifespan.

She has conducted research into how working memory affects learning, looking at children with ADHD, language impairments, dyspraxia, and learning disorders. She has developed the world’s first standardised working memory tests for educators. “We are on the cusp of a new scientific revolution in understanding how the brain works that will come to have a profound effect on everything from learning in the classroom to succeeding in the boardroom,” she said. “My research shows how working memory, our ability to remember and manipulate information, is at the centre of this revolution.

The BSA was impressed by Dr Alloway’s ability to communicate ideas to non- specialist audiences.

“The importance of working memory has long been known among scientists and psychologists, but it has not yet been made accessible to the general public,” she said. “My research seeks to unlock the power of working memory in an easy-to-understand manner for parents of young children who want to improve in the classroom, to adults who want to do better in their jobs.”

- The new centre will be launched at 6pm on May 13 at Stirling Management Centre with a free lecture by Baroness Susan Greenfield.

T: 01786 467640

E: psych-enquiries@stir.ac.uk.