Rate My Professor Michael Thomas

His research investigates the construction of the human cognitive system, including genetic influences, gene-learning interactions, cultural and environmental impacts, cognitive development across ages, individual variability, and neurodevelopmental disorders. Thomas utilizes computational models to simulate these processes, integrating behavioral, neuroimaging, and genetic methods. Notable publications include Neuroconstructivism-I: How the brain constructs cognition (2007, Oxford University Press), "Using developmental trajectories to understand developmental disorders" (2009), "Annual research review: Educational neuroscience: Progress and prospects" (2019, Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry), and "Language switching costs in bilingual visual word recognition" (2000, Journal of Memory and Language). The Developmental Neurocognition Laboratory was co-recipient of the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher Education in 2006. Thomas holds qualifications as a Chartered Psychologist, Fellow of the British Psychological Society, Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science, and Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. He teaches modules on cognitive neuroscience, cognitive development, and computational modelling, and serves as Director of the PhD programme in Psychological Sciences.