Florence Stow
PhD Student
Profile
Biography
I completed my undergraduate degree in Psychology at University College, London where I became particularly interested in cognition and learning. I then began training as a Maths Teacher through Teach First and taught secondary school maths for three years, taking on a leadership role in my third year. Seeing the direct impact cognitive research has on educational practices reignited my passion for research.
I returned to University and completed an MSc in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of York in 2023-24. I was awarded ESRC funding to begin my PhD in 2025. My project, supervised by Dr Becky Jackson and Dr MaryAnn Noonan, investigates the neural and behavioural development of semantic control and how this relates to domain-general executive function.
I also work in the Numerical Cognition Lab with Professor Silke Goebel, where I assist on projects which investigate how children develop rational number processing, through a longitudinal study in schools and an eye-tracking study.
Career
- ESRC funded 3.75 years PhD in Psychology - University of York (2025 - Present)
- Research Support Assistant, Numerical Cognition Lab - University of York (2024 - Present)
- MSc Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience - University of York (2023-24)
- Teacher of Maths (Teach First) - Outwood Grange Academy (2020-2023)
- BSc Psychology - University College, London (2016-2019)
Departmental roles
- PhD Year 1 Representative (2025 - Present)
Research
Overview
- Understanding the Development of Semantic Control and its Neural Correlates
Projects
Effective communication between humans relies on the ability to retrieve the correct conceptual knowledge based on the context or task. Flexible control over stored concepts requires semantic control to select necessary features and inhibit irrelevant and distracting information. The neural networks driving this ability in adults is well-studied. However, how this ability develops in children,
both behaviourally and neurally, is not understood. My project aims to track age-related changes in semantic control abilities in children and identify the neural changes that are driving this development, elucidating its critical role in semantic cognition development.
Research group(s)
- NECSUS (NEuroComputational Strategy to Understand Semantics) Lab
Grants
- ESRC 3.75 Advanced Data Analytics (ADA) Scholarship
Collaborators
- Dr Becky Jackson
- Dr MaryAnn Noonan