Dr Naira Taroyan MSc, PhD, PgCert (LTHE)
Senior Lecturer in Psychology
Summary
I started at SHU in 2007 as a lecturer in Psychology. I have PhD in Psychophysiology (1995) and Cognitive Neuroscience (2008).
About
I obtained my undergraduate degree in Biology and MSc in Psychophysiology at Yerevan Sate University, Armenia. My PhD work in Visual Psychophysiology was carried out at Moscow State University. After postdoctoral research at Neuroscience Department of Brown University (USA), I worked at the University of Sheffield on psychophysical aspects of Stereo Vision with a subsequent PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience of Dyslexia. I joined Ï㽶ÊÓƵ in 2007.
My expertise is in brain-behaviour correlation of human visual perception and cognitive performance. I have always been fascinated in how visual sensory information is processed in our brain, both in norm and pathology.
Particularly, I am interested in behavioural and neurophysiological aspects of stereo and motion perception, visual-spatial attention and other higher level cognitive functions, such as reading.
I investigate the underlying mechanisms of Dyslexia and Alzheimer’s disease using this combined brain/behaviour approach, i.e, by means of recording electrophysiological, such as electroencephalogram (EEG) and event related potentials (ERP), and behavioural (response accuracy, RT) indices of the performance. Using high temporal resolution EEG and ERP methods is particularly useful in these disorders, where deviations in brain function are subtle and often cannot be picked by behavioural techniques.
I am also interested in hemispheric lateralisation of visual-spatial perception and lexical and non-lexical word processing mechanisms.
I am a member of the British Association of Cognitive Neuroscience (BACN), the International Brain Ï㽶ÊÓƵ Organisation (IBRO) and the Organisation for Human Brain Mapping.
Specialist area of interest
- perception
- cognitive neuroscience
- cognitive psychology
- lifespan developmental psychology
- research methods and statistics
- brain-behaviour correlation of human visual perception and cognitive performance
- behavioural and neurophysiological aspects of stereo and motion perception, visual-spatial attention and other higher level cognitive functions, such as reading
- underlying mechanisms of Dyslexia and Alzheimer’s disease
- hemispheric lateralisation of visual-spatial perception and lexical and non-lexical word processing mechanisms
Teaching
Sheffield Institute of Social Sciences
College of Social Sciences and Arts
Psychology
MSc Clinical Cognitive Neuroscience
I am a module leader for Perception and Cognition across Lifespan (Level 7) and Electrophysiology (Level 7) modules on MSc Clinical Cognitive Neuroscience course. I am a personal tutor for many PG and UG students from Level 4 to level 7.
Ï㽶ÊÓƵ
I am interested in various cognitive function in norm and abnormality and is passionate about research in using electrical brain activation recordings, such as EEG and ERP. My particular interests include reading, dyslexia, stereovision and motion perception.
Combined brain-behaviour approach is at the core of my research expertise.
Publications
Journal articles
Acaster, S., Taroyan, N., Soranzo, A., & Reidy, J. (2021). . Experimental Brain Ï㽶ÊÓƵ, 239 (11), 3205-3220.
Soranzo, A., Acaster, S., Taroyan, N., & Reidy, J. (2020). . Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 2114.
Taroyan, N.A., Butnicu, B., Ypsilanti, A., & Overton, P.G. (2020). . Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 14, 7.
Veltri, T., Taroyan, N., & Overton, P. (2017). . Journal of Psychopharmacology, 31 (7), 861-872.
Lethbridge, E., Richardson, P., Reidy, L., & Taroyan, N. (2017). . Europe's Journal of Psychology, 13 (1), 162-172.
Taroyan, N. (2015). . Visual Cognition, 23 (5), 577-596.
Taroyan, N.A., Nicolson, R.I., & Buckley, D. (2011). . Dyslexia, 17 (3), 282-290.
Porrill, J., Duke, P.A., Taroyan, N.A., Frisby, J.P., & Buckley, D. (2010). . Vision Ï㽶ÊÓƵ, 50 (12), 1140-1157.
Taroyan, N.A., & Nicolson, R.I. (2009). . International Journal of Psychophysiology, 74 (3), 199-208.
Taroyan, N. (2007). . Clinical Neurophysiology, 118 (4), 845-855.
Taroyan, N.A., Thiyagesh, S., Vigon, L., Buckley, D., Woodruff, P.W.R., Young, C., ... Frisby, J.P. (2004). . DOCUMENTA OPHTHALMOLOGICA, 108 (3), 185-196.
Vigon, L., Saatchi, R., Mayhew, J.E.W., Taroyan, N.A., & Frisby, J.P. (2002). . Medical & biological engineering & computing, 40 (2), 260-268.
Vigon, L., Saatchi, R., Mayhew, J., Taroyan, N., Frisby, J., Johnston, D., & Pascalis, O. (2000). . ELECTRONICS LETTERS, 36 (12), 1006-1007.
Taroyan, N. (2000). . Vision Ï㽶ÊÓƵ, 40 (24), 3373-3390.
Grigoryan, V.G., Agababyan, A.R., & Taroyan, N.A. (1997). Characteristics of evoked potentials in extra- and introverts in the course of monotonous activity. Psikhologicheskii Zhurnal, 18 (3), 121-125.
Grigoryan, V.G., Agababuan, A.R., Taroyan, N.A., & Arakelyan, A.N. (1996). The individual typological characteristics of computer operators during long-term monotonous activity. Zhurnal Vysshei Nervnoi Deyatelnosti Imeni I.P. Pavlova, 46 (5), 864-865.
Conference papers
Taroyan, N., Acaster, S., Soranzo, A., & Reidy, J. (2019). . Perception, 48 (S1), 90.
Acaster, S., Soranzo, A., Taroyan, N., & Reidy, J. (2018). . In 41st European Conference on Visual Perception, Trieste, Italy, 26 August 2018 - 30 August 2018.
Acaster, S., Soranzo, A., Taroyan, N., & Reidy, J. (2015). . In ECVP 2015 ; European Conference on Visual Perception, Liverpool (UK), 23 August 2015 - 27 August 2015.
Taroyan, N.A., Frisby, J.P., & Buckley, D. (1998). Cyclopean and frontoparallel plane equidistance horopters measured with the sequential stereopsis paradigm. PERCEPTION, 27, 106-107.
Theses / Dissertations
Acaster, S. (2018). . (Doctoral thesis). Supervised by Taroyan, N.
Lethbridge, E.M. (2015). . (Doctoral thesis). Supervised by Richardson, P., Reidy, L., & Taroyan, N.
Presentations
Ypsilanti, A., Shaban, U., Darbishire, B., Serby, M., & Taroyan, N. (2018). Choosing your battles: Investigating positivity bias in older adults using a lexical decision task. Presented at: International Federation on Ageing 14th Global Conference, Toronto, Canada
Postgraduate supervision
Naira supervises three PhD students who are carrying out projects in research areas of Reading and Language and Visual Perception.