Dr Joanna Wincenciak

  • Senior Lecturer (Education)
  • Associate (School of Health & Wellbeing)

Biography

I am a member of the People, Place and Social Change Research Group in the School of Education, and offer teaching across PGT and UG/ITE provision in the areas of research methods, child development and cognition. I am also the Director of Learning and Teaching.

I trained as an experimental psychologist, and during my PhD I investigated the brain mechanisms underlying the perception and understanding of emotional and social signals from faces and body cues. In this work I combined psychophysics with virtual reality methods. After my PhD I worked as a post-doctoral fellow on the ESRC and then ERC funded projects investigating the neurobiological basis of human behaviour and social perceptions at the Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Glasgow. Following this, I worked as research associate in Clinical Ageing Research Unit, Institute of Neuroscience at the Newcastle University, where I examined age related changes in emotion perception and the impact of neurogenerative conditions, such as Parkinson’s Disease on emotion and cognition. I joined the School of Education in 2017, where I established an active research programme centring around emotion, cognition and technology, and their impact on learning and development.

My current research projects include:

  • Developmental changes in socio-emotional development, and the impact of art interventions on children’s emotional well-being (Puppetry and Emotional Resilience Project)
  • Developmental trajectories in social perception, including perception of trust and authenticity
  • Human computer interaction: the impact of technology on our behaviour and leaning and evaluation of usability and leaning design on online learning

I am a researcher who is committed to impact and believe in civic ethics of research. I work closely with local partners, communities and organisations to deliver targeted engagement programmes, develop collaborative projects and promote well-being. My outreach work include, for example, collaborative work with Arts Organisations (Manipulate Arts), charity partners (St Andrew’s Children’s Society), local schools and education centres. I am also a finalist of the Aspect Research Commercialisation (ARC) Accelerator programme, which supports social science and humanities researchers to transform their research-based ideas into social enterprise.

 

Research interests

I am interested in supervising PhD students in the areas listed below. I have a limited capacity for 2025/26; prospective students are requested to email me their cv and a research proposal (approximately 2,000 words). If the proposal is aligned with my research expertise I will invite them to an informal zoom call.

 

My research focuses broadly on emotion, cognition and technology. In particular, I am interested in understanding how we perceive and interpret behaviour of other people in everyday life and how we interact with technology around us.

I investigate the developmental trajectories of socio-emotional development; I am particularly interested in children’s social and emotional skills during school transition. I am also interested in examining how people interact with information technology and issues around trust and transparency in human-computer interaction.

I typically use methods from experimental and social psychology, I combine modelling, computer science, survey data and psychological experimentation, and intervention design.  

I am a researcher committed to impact and I believe that research should have real-world applications. I am currently developing interventions for increasing social and emotional competence in children. I am also actively engaged in outreach activities, and I participated in events such as ESRC Festival of Social Sciences (FoSS), The Middle of Scotland Science Festival (MoSSFest), Explorathon. 

Child playing with a puppet

 Image: Child playing with a puppet during the FoSS 2022. Author: Joanna Wincenciak

Publications

List by: Type | Date

Jump to: 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2019 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013
Number of items: 16.

2023

Balatia, H., Wincenciak, J. and Buck, T. (2023) The associations of anger and hope with project retention decisions: a case study. PLoS ONE, 18(4), e0283322. (doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0283322) (PMID:37075009) (PMCID:PMC10115263)

2022

Wincenciak, J. , Palumbo, L., Epihova, G., Barraclough, N. E. and Jellema, T. (2022) Are adaptation aftereffects for facial emotional expressions affected by prior knowledge about the emotion? Cognition and Emotion, 36(4), pp. 602-615. (doi: 10.1080/02699931.2022.2031907) (PMID:35094648)

Assiri, F., Wincenciak, J. and Morrison-Love, D. (2022) Teachers’ continuance intention towards using Madrasati platform: a conceptual framework. International Journal of Computer and Information Engineering, 16(8), pp. 440-446.

2021

Hanna, C. R. , Boyd, K. A. , Wincenciak, J. , Graham, J., Iveson, T., Jones, R. J. and Wilson, R. (2021) Do clinical trials change practice? A longitudinal, international assessment of colorectal cancer prescribing practices. Cancer Treatment and Research Communications, 28, 100445. (doi: 10.1016/j.ctarc.2021.100445) (PMID:34425469)

2019

Tiffany Leung, H. T. and Wincenciak, J. (2019) Discrepancy between first impression and social description, and its effect on people’s attitude. Humanities and Social Sciences Reviews, 7(1), pp. 11-18. (doi: 10.18510/hssr.2019.712)

2017

Kandrik, M. , Hahn, A. C. , Han, C. , Wincenciak, J. , Fisher, C. I., Debruine, L. and Jones, B. C. (2017) Does the interaction between cortisol and testosterone predict men's facial attractiveness? Adaptive Human Behavior and Physiology, 3(4), pp. 275-281. (doi: 10.1007/s40750-017-0064-1)

Kandrik, M. , Hahn, A. C. , Fisher, C. I., Wincenciak, J. , Debruine, L. M. and Jones, B. C. (2017) Are physiological and behavioral immune responses negatively correlated? Evidence from hormone-linked differences in men's face preferences. Hormones and Behavior, 87, pp. 57-61. (doi: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2016.10.021) (PMID:27810343)

2016

Kandrik, M. , Hahn, A. C. , Wincenciak, J. , Fisher, C. I., Pisanski, K., Feinberg, D. R., Debruine, L. M. and Jones, B. C. (2016) Are men's perceptions of sexually dimorphic vocal characteristics related to their testosterone levels? PLoS ONE, 11(11), e0166855. (doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0166855) (PMID:27875569) (PMCID:PMC5119782)

Keefe, B. D., Wincenciak, J. , Jellema, T., Ward, J. W. and Barraclough, N. E. (2016) Action adaptation during natural unfolding social scenes influences action recognition and inferences made about actor beliefs. Journal of Vision, 16(9), p. 9. (doi: 10.1167/16.9.9) (PMID:27472496)

Wincenciak, J. , Ingham, J., Jellema, T. and Barraclough, N. E. (2016) Emotional actions are coded via two mechanisms: with and without identity representation. Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 693. (doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00693) (PMID:27242606) (PMCID:PMC4862987)

2015

McDonald, C., Pearce, M. S., Wincenciak, J. , Kerr, S. R.J. and Newton, J. L. (2015) Ambulatory blood pressure variability increases over a 10-year follow-up in community-dwelling older people. American Journal of Hypertension, 29(5), pp. 560-567. (doi: 10.1093/ajh/hpv150) (PMID:26310662)

Jones, B. C. , Hahn, A. C. , Fisher, C. I., Wincenciak, J. , Kandrik, M., Roberts, S. C., Little, A. C. and Debruine, L. M. (2015) Facial coloration tracks changes in women's estradiol. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 56, pp. 29-34. (doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2015.02.021) (PMID:25796069)

Wincenciak, J. , Fincher, C. L., Fisher, C. I., Hahn, A. C. , Jones, B. C. and DeBruine, L. M. (2015) Mate choice, mate preference, and biological markets: the relationship between partner choice and health preference is modulated by women’s own attractiveness. Evolution and Human Behavior, 36(4), pp. 274-278. (doi: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2014.12.004)

2014

Keefe, B. D., Villing, M., Racey, C., Strong, S. S., Wincenciak, J. and Barraclough, N. E. (2014) A database of whole-body action videos for the study of action, emotion, and untrustworthiness. Behavior Research Methods, 46(4), pp. 1042-1051. (doi: 10.3758/s13428-013-0439-6)

Torrance, J. S., Wincenciak, J. , Hahn, A. C. , Debruine, L. M. and Jones, B. C. (2014) The relative contributions of facial shape and surface information to perceptions of attractiveness and dominance. PLoS ONE, 9(10), e104415. (doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0104415) (PMID:25349994) (PMCID:PMC4211661)

2013

Wincenciak, J. , Dzhelyova, M., Perrett, D.I. and Barraclough, N.E. (2013) Adaptation to facial trustworthiness is different in female and male observers. Vision Research, 87, pp. 30-34. (doi: 10.1016/j.visres.2013.05.007)

This list was generated on Wed Apr 16 09:28:42 2025 BST.
Jump to: Articles
Number of items: 16.

Articles

Balatia, H., Wincenciak, J. and Buck, T. (2023) The associations of anger and hope with project retention decisions: a case study. PLoS ONE, 18(4), e0283322. (doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0283322) (PMID:37075009) (PMCID:PMC10115263)

Wincenciak, J. , Palumbo, L., Epihova, G., Barraclough, N. E. and Jellema, T. (2022) Are adaptation aftereffects for facial emotional expressions affected by prior knowledge about the emotion? Cognition and Emotion, 36(4), pp. 602-615. (doi: 10.1080/02699931.2022.2031907) (PMID:35094648)

Assiri, F., Wincenciak, J. and Morrison-Love, D. (2022) Teachers’ continuance intention towards using Madrasati platform: a conceptual framework. International Journal of Computer and Information Engineering, 16(8), pp. 440-446.

Hanna, C. R. , Boyd, K. A. , Wincenciak, J. , Graham, J., Iveson, T., Jones, R. J. and Wilson, R. (2021) Do clinical trials change practice? A longitudinal, international assessment of colorectal cancer prescribing practices. Cancer Treatment and Research Communications, 28, 100445. (doi: 10.1016/j.ctarc.2021.100445) (PMID:34425469)

Tiffany Leung, H. T. and Wincenciak, J. (2019) Discrepancy between first impression and social description, and its effect on people’s attitude. Humanities and Social Sciences Reviews, 7(1), pp. 11-18. (doi: 10.18510/hssr.2019.712)

Kandrik, M. , Hahn, A. C. , Han, C. , Wincenciak, J. , Fisher, C. I., Debruine, L. and Jones, B. C. (2017) Does the interaction between cortisol and testosterone predict men's facial attractiveness? Adaptive Human Behavior and Physiology, 3(4), pp. 275-281. (doi: 10.1007/s40750-017-0064-1)

Kandrik, M. , Hahn, A. C. , Fisher, C. I., Wincenciak, J. , Debruine, L. M. and Jones, B. C. (2017) Are physiological and behavioral immune responses negatively correlated? Evidence from hormone-linked differences in men's face preferences. Hormones and Behavior, 87, pp. 57-61. (doi: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2016.10.021) (PMID:27810343)

Kandrik, M. , Hahn, A. C. , Wincenciak, J. , Fisher, C. I., Pisanski, K., Feinberg, D. R., Debruine, L. M. and Jones, B. C. (2016) Are men's perceptions of sexually dimorphic vocal characteristics related to their testosterone levels? PLoS ONE, 11(11), e0166855. (doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0166855) (PMID:27875569) (PMCID:PMC5119782)

Keefe, B. D., Wincenciak, J. , Jellema, T., Ward, J. W. and Barraclough, N. E. (2016) Action adaptation during natural unfolding social scenes influences action recognition and inferences made about actor beliefs. Journal of Vision, 16(9), p. 9. (doi: 10.1167/16.9.9) (PMID:27472496)

Wincenciak, J. , Ingham, J., Jellema, T. and Barraclough, N. E. (2016) Emotional actions are coded via two mechanisms: with and without identity representation. Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 693. (doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00693) (PMID:27242606) (PMCID:PMC4862987)

McDonald, C., Pearce, M. S., Wincenciak, J. , Kerr, S. R.J. and Newton, J. L. (2015) Ambulatory blood pressure variability increases over a 10-year follow-up in community-dwelling older people. American Journal of Hypertension, 29(5), pp. 560-567. (doi: 10.1093/ajh/hpv150) (PMID:26310662)

Jones, B. C. , Hahn, A. C. , Fisher, C. I., Wincenciak, J. , Kandrik, M., Roberts, S. C., Little, A. C. and Debruine, L. M. (2015) Facial coloration tracks changes in women's estradiol. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 56, pp. 29-34. (doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2015.02.021) (PMID:25796069)

Wincenciak, J. , Fincher, C. L., Fisher, C. I., Hahn, A. C. , Jones, B. C. and DeBruine, L. M. (2015) Mate choice, mate preference, and biological markets: the relationship between partner choice and health preference is modulated by women’s own attractiveness. Evolution and Human Behavior, 36(4), pp. 274-278. (doi: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2014.12.004)

Keefe, B. D., Villing, M., Racey, C., Strong, S. S., Wincenciak, J. and Barraclough, N. E. (2014) A database of whole-body action videos for the study of action, emotion, and untrustworthiness. Behavior Research Methods, 46(4), pp. 1042-1051. (doi: 10.3758/s13428-013-0439-6)

Torrance, J. S., Wincenciak, J. , Hahn, A. C. , Debruine, L. M. and Jones, B. C. (2014) The relative contributions of facial shape and surface information to perceptions of attractiveness and dominance. PLoS ONE, 9(10), e104415. (doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0104415) (PMID:25349994) (PMCID:PMC4211661)

Wincenciak, J. , Dzhelyova, M., Perrett, D.I. and Barraclough, N.E. (2013) Adaptation to facial trustworthiness is different in female and male observers. Vision Research, 87, pp. 30-34. (doi: 10.1016/j.visres.2013.05.007)

This list was generated on Wed Apr 16 09:28:42 2025 BST.

Grants

LSE/ARC Accelarator: Puppet Box Business Development grant (2024-2026, PI, £36,611.76)

ESRC CRoSS/GKEF: Puppet Box – Puppetry-based learning and socio-emotional development toolkit (2022-23, PI, £15,004.22)

ESRC IAA: Nurturing Schools - Supporting children’s emotional resilience and teacher’s self-efficacy using puppetry (2022, PI, £9100.00). 

Chancellor’s Fund: PGR Research un-conference (2021-2022, PI, £1000.00)

Experimental Psychology Society Research Grant: Developmental Trajectory of Emotion Perception (2021-2023, PI, £8718.00)

CoSS Strategic Research Fund: Puppetry and Emotional Resilience (2019-2020, PI, £3097.00)

LTDF: User-centered design for digital education – a combined UX and eye-tracking study (2019-2020, PI, 2846.40) 

ERSC IAA Business Boost Seed Funding: Trust in Digital Sector (2018-2019, PI, £2125.80)

School of Education Psychology Equipment Fund (PI, £2560)

School of Education Small Project Funding (Co-I, £5366.16)

Supervision

I am interested in supervising PhD students in the areas listed above. I have a limited capacity for 2025/26; prospective students are requested to email me their cv and a research proposal (approximately 2,000 words). If the proposal is aligned with my research expertise I will invite them to an informal zoom call.

 

Current PhD students:

Fiasal Abdullah Assiri - The Factors Impacting Secondary School Teachers’ Continuance with Online Learning

Yingkai Yan - Teachnology assisted teaching

Jiachen Wang - AI-based second language learning

Andrea Kyprianou - Smartphone Applications on Adult Learners’ Acquisition of Phrasal Verbs in English

 

Past PhD Students:

Heba Balatia - The Influences of Anger and Sunk Cost Bias on Project Status: An Extension to Portfolios of Projects

Farina Tavasolian - Gifted Young Children and the Early Years Curriculum

Ahmad Abotalib - Education Policy towards Teacher Preparation Teacher Effectiveness

 

Teaching

I teach on the MSc in Psychological Studies, MSc Education, Public Policy & Equity and MSc in Psychology (ODL). I offer Quanititative Methods training across UG, ITE and PGT provision.  

Additional information

Reviewer for: Body Image, British Journal of Psychology, Education Sciences, Evolution and Human Behavior, Evolutionary Behavioural Sciences, Human Ethology Bulletin, Internatonal Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Psychology, Crime and Law, SAGE Open, Sustainability, Vision Research

 


Joanna Wincenciak_square_image

Dr Joanna Wincenciak on Bluesky