Dr Ralph Pawling
School of Psychology
Faculty of Health
Email: R.Pawling@ljmu.ac.uk
Telephone: 0151 904 6318
Dr Ralph Pawling completed his PhD in 2013 at Bangor University, where his research focused on processes involved in learning about others through non-verbal social cues, such as facial expressions, pupil size change and gaze direction. He then completed two postdoctoral positions at Liverpool John Moores University in the School of Psychology, the first funded by the Leverhulme Trust and the second by the BIAL foundation. These projects examined the 'Social Touch Hypothesis' and the role of C-tactile afferent touch receptors in conveying the emotional qualities of gentle touch. In 2016 he took up a position as Lecturer in the School of Psychology, and in 2023 a position as Principal Lecturer. His research uses a combination of psychophysiological and behaviour paradigms and focuses on questions related to the processing of non-verbal social cues (facial expressions, touch, gaze, pupil size) in everyday functioning and in states of social exclusion, and to the objective measurement of human emotional responses.
Degrees
2013, Bangor University, United Kingdom, PhD Psychology
2008, Bangor University, United Kingdom, MSc Foundations of Clinical Psychology
2006, Liverpool John Moores University, United Kingdom, BSc Applied Psychology
Academic appointments
Principal Lecturer in Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, 2023 - present
Lecturer in Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, 2016 - 2023
Post Doctoral Research Associate, School of Natural Sciences and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, 2013 - 2016
Highlighted publications
Pawling R, Trotter PD, McGlone FP, Walker SC. 2017. A positive touch: C-tactile afferent targeted skin stimulation carries an appetitive motivational value Biological Psychology, 129 :186-194 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Pawling R, Cannon PR, McGlone FP, Walker SC. 2017. C-tactile afferent stimulating touch carries a positive affective value PLoS ONE, 12 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Journal article
Drummond J, Makdani A, Pawling R, Walker SC. 2024. Congenital Anosmia and Facial Emotion Recognition Physiology & Behavior, 278 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Walker SC, Marshall A, Pawling R. 2021. Psychophysiology and motivated emotion: testing the affective touch hypothesis of C-tactile afferent function Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, 43 :131-137 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Ogden R, Turner F, Pawling R. 2021. Exploring the role of overt attention allocation during time estimation: an eye-movement study Timing and Time Perception, 10 :17-39 DOI Publisher Url Public Url
Ogden R, Turner F, Pawling R. 2021. An absence of a relationship between overt attention and emotional distortions to time: an eye-movement study Timing and Time Perception, DOI Publisher Url Public Url
Baker C, Pawling R, Fairclough SH. 2020. Assessment of threat and negativity bias in virtual reality Scientific Reports, 10 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Pawling R, Trotter PD, McGlone FP, Walker SC. 2017. A positive touch: C-tactile afferent targeted skin stimulation carries an appetitive motivational value Biological Psychology, 129 :186-194 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Pawling R, Cannon PR, McGlone FP, Walker SC. 2017. C-tactile afferent stimulating touch carries a positive affective value PLoS ONE, 12 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Pawling R, Kirkham AJ, Hayes AE, Tipper SP. 2017. Incidental retrieval of prior emotion mimicry. Experimental Brain Research, 235 :1173-1184 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Pawling R, Kirkham AJ, Tipper SP, Over H. 2017. Memory for incidentally perceived social cues: Effects on person judgment British Journal of Psychology, 108 :169-190 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Manssuer LR, Pawling R, Hayes AE, Tipper SP. 2016. The role of emotion in learning trustworthiness from eye-gaze: Evidence from facial electromyography COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE, 7 :82-102 DOI Author Url Publisher Url
Kirkham AJ, Hayes AE, Pawling R, Tipper SP. 2015. Facial Mimicry and Emotion Consistency: Influences of Memory and Context PLOS ONE, 10 DOI Author Url Publisher Url
Saville CWN, Pawling R, Trullinger M, Daley D, Intriligator J, Klein C. 2011. On the stability of instability: Optimising the reliability of intra-subject variability of reaction times PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES, 51 :148-153 DOI Author Url Publisher Url
Adams A-M, Simmons F, Willis C, Pawling R. 2010. Undergraduate students' ability to revise text effectively: relationships with topic knowledge and working memory JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN READING, 33 :54-76 DOI Author Url Publisher Url
Poster
Pawling R, Wolohan F, Tipper S. 2019. Pupil Size Changes Influence Lasting Person Perceptions Experimental Psychology Society Public Url
Research Grants Awarded:
Edge Hill University RIF Grant, The influence of probiotics on cognition: A psychophysiological investigation of the vagally mediated gut brain axis., Dr Felicity Wolohan, Edge Hill University, Grant value (£): £14, 861.45, Duration of research project: 0 years / 11 months. 2019
Experimental Psychology Society, Modulation of facial mimicry by facial trustworthiness, Grant value (£): £3500, Duration of research project: 1 year / 0 months. 2019
BIAL, Affiliative Touch & Emotion Regulation, Prof. Francis McGlone, Dr Susannah Walker, Liverpool John Moores University; Dr Peter Cannon, Massey University, Grant value (£): 50,000 Euro, Duration of research project: 1 year. 2014
External collaboration:
http://www.massey.ac.nz/massey/expertise/profile.cfm?stref=848040, Massey University, New Zealand, Dr Peter Cannon. 2013