Psychology

Profile

Background

Following my PhD (Sussex) I completed research at the University of Birmingham on an AERC (Alcohol Education Research Council) project examining factors important in alcohol consumption.  I joined the Psychology department at Portsmouth as a Research Fellow in 2005 and in addition to my own research I am involved in teaching on the undergraduate psychology degree.  I am a member of the British Feeding and Drinking Group (BFDG) which is an international group interested in all aspects of food and drink. I am also member of the association for Chemosensory Sciences (AChems).

Teaching Responsibilities

My responsibilities include lecturing on the Introduction to experimental psychology unit (year 1), co-ordinating Psychology Practicals 3 and 4 (year 2) and supervision of 3rd year projects.  Additionally, I am the co-ordinator of the department's participant pool which utilises an Electronic Participant pool System (EPS, see Victory for further information).  I supervise research projects at undergraduate and postgraduate level mainly within the areas of my interests below.

Research

My research interests include cognitive processes (attention and memory) involved in addiction and eating behaviour. I also have further interests in olfaction and the study of emotion.  For my PhD, I researched factors important in caffeine reinforcement in humans in terms of mood and performance. Additionally my thesis investigated cognitive mechanisms important in sustaining caffeine use.d cognitive mechanisms important in sustaining caffeine use.

Research Funding

Alcohol Education Research Council (AERC),  £4,839, Feb-Apr 2010, Pilot study investigating the influence of music volume on the estimation of alcohol strength in young drinkers.

Nuffield Foundation Research Bursary (Summer 2006).  The effects of cannabis abstinence on attentional bias, withdrawal and craving in heavy users in a residential setting.

Recent Publications

More recent publications

Conference Presentations

Stafford, L.D. (2011).  Pleasantness of food odor negatively associated with hunger, AChems annual conference.

Stafford, L.D., Fernandes, M., Agobiani, E. (2010).  Sense and sensitivity:  How distraction impairs judgement of alcohol strength,  BPS Psychobiology Section, Conference and proceeding.

Stafford, L.D., Welbeck, K. (2010).  Olfactory sensitivity related to hunger state, BMI and negative mood, AChems annual conference.

Stafford, L.D. (2009).  To smell per chance to dream:  Effects of odour on lexical processing, Dresden Olfactory summer school conference

Stafford, L.D., Wright, C., Yeomans, M.R. (2009).  The Drink Remains The Same:  Implicit positive associations in high but not moderate or non caffeine consumers, British Feeding and Drinking Group conference  

Stafford, L.D., Mccance, M., Straw, J. (2008).  Auditory biases in attention by hunger state:  A preliminary study, Appetite, 50, 2-3, 566.  

Stafford, L.D., Higgs, S., Terry, P. (2005).  Effects of the alcohol content of a beverage on drinking rate, Appetite, 45, 362-377.   

Stafford, L.D. (2005).  Can ambient odours induce mood congruent effects on cognition? BPS Psychobiology Section, Conference and proceedings

Stafford, L.D., Yeomans, M.R. (2003). Can caffeine deprivation state predict attentional bias to caffeine related stimuli, Appetite, 41, 219-226.

Stafford, L.D., Yeomans, M.R. (2002). Does caffeine's effect on mood and performance explain its ability to alter drink preference, Journal of Psychopharmacology, 16(3): G1 Suppl.