Jen stands side on and smiles at the camera. She is wearing a tweed suit jacket and glasses and has long brown hair

Dr Jen Mayer

Head of School of Human and Social Sciences
School of Human and Social Sciences
jen.mayer@uwl.ac.uk

Dr Jen Mayer recently joined the University of West London as Head of the School of Human and Social Sciences. Prior to this Jen was the at the University of Roehampton for 10 years where she was the Deputy Dean of the School of Psychology following on from her role as a Principal Lecturer and Programme Convener for the BSc Psychology. Jen completed her PhD "Exploring speech processing in high-functioning adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders: The cognitive, behavioural and clinical correlates associated with atypical auditory processing" at Goldsmiths College, University of London.

Dr Jen Mayer's research explores cognitive, behavioural and clinical correlates associated with atypical sensory processing in adults with ASD, with a focus on how sensory information may impact learning and development. Jen is also involved in research examining self-developed coping mechanisms in adults with ASD and experiences of receiving a diagnosis. Further research examines the broader autism phenotype, including the relationship between autistic traits and sensory processing, alexithymia, emotion processing and attachment.

  • Qualifications

    • BSc (hons) Psychology
    • MSc Research Methods and Statistics in Psychology
    • PhD

  • Memberships

    British Psychological Society (BPS)
    Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

Research

  • Research and publications

    Skripkauskaite, S., Slade, L., & Mayer, J. (2021). Attentional shifting differences in autism: Domain general, domain specific or both? Autism, 25(6), 1721-1733.

    Skripkauskaite, S., Slade, L., & Mayer, J. L. (2020). Brief article: typical hierarchical processing in autistic adults. Journal of Cognitive Psychology, 1-7.

    Mayer, J. L. (2017). The Relationship Between Autistic Traits and Atypical Sensory Functioning in Neurotypical and ASD Adults: A Spectrum Approach. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 47, 316-327.

    Mayer, J. L., Hannent, I., & Heaton, P. F. (2015). Mapping the developmental trajectory and correlates of enhanced pitch perception on speech processing in adults with ASD. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 46(5), 1562–1573. 

    Mayer, J., Pauli, R., Worrell, M., & Carr, A. (2015). Psychology undergraduate research apprenticeship scheme. In. Taylor, J. and Hulme, J.A. (2015). Psychological Literacy: A Compendium of Practice.

    Mayer, J. L., & Heaton, P. F. (2014). Age and sensory processing abnormalities predict declines in encoding and recall of temporally manipulated speech in high‐functioning adults with ASD. Autism Research, 7(1), 40-49.

    Custance, D., Mayer, J. L., Kumar, E., Hill, E., & Heaton, P.(2014). Do children with autism re‐enact object movements rather than imitate demonstrator actions?. Autism Research, 7(1), 28-39.

    Custance, D., & Mayer, J. (2012). Empathic-like responding by domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) to distress in humans: an exploratory study. Animal Cognition, 15(5), 851-859.

  • Conferences

    Mayer J. (November, 2017). Sensory atypicalities in high-functioning adults with ASD and the broader Autism phenotype: An exploration across modalities. Invited Talk. Middlesex University.

    Skripkauskaite, S., Slade, L. & Mayer, J. (September 2016). Attentional deficits in ASD: Domain general, domain specific, or absent?. BPS Developmental Section Conference, Belfast.

    Mayer, J. & Dickerson, P. (September 2016). Self-developed coping mechanisms in adults with ASD. BPS Developmental Section Conference, Belfast.

    Mayer, J. & Slade, L. (September 2016). Social interaction and emotion understanding: Exploring the relationship between autistic traits, alexithymia and attachment. BPS Developmental Section Conference, Belfast.

    Skripkauskaite, S., Rundblad, G. & Mayer, J. (June 2016). ‘I’ve got a feeling: Semantic processing and categorisation of emotion words in ASD. UK Cognitive Linguistics Conference, Bangor.

    Mayer, J. & Dixon, P. (September 2015). The Janus Face of adult ASD diagnosis. BPS Developmental Section Conference, Manchester.

    Mayer, J. & Rundblad, G. (June 2015). Deconstructing Emotions in Autism. Attention, Brain, and Cognitive Development, Cambridge.

    Mayer, J. (September 2012). Mapping the developmental trajectory of auditory processing in children, adolescents, and adults with ASD. BPS Developmental Section Conference, Glasgow.

    Mayer, J. & Heaton, P. (August 2012). Testing semantic and perceptual processing biases in ASD and typical populations using an auditory Stroop paradigm. BPS Cognitive Section Conference, Glasgow.

    Mayer, J. (July 2012). Mapping the developmental trajectory of auditory processing in children, adolescents, and adults with ASD. PsyPAG Annual Conference, Newcastle.

    Mayer, J. & Heaton, P. (May 2012). Do perceptual and grammatical manipulations impair word recall in high-functioning ASD?. Novartis Conference, London.

    Mayer, J. & Heaton, P. (April 2012). Sentence recall in intellectually high functioning adults with ASD: Are pragmatic language deficits and perceptual difficulties associated with reduced recall of grammatically complex sentences?. BPS Annual Conference, London.

    Mayer, J. & Heaton, P. (September 2011). Atypical speech perception in adults with ASD. BPS Developmental Section Conference, Newcastle.

    Mayer, J. & Heaton, P. (September 2011). Atypical speech perception in adults with ASD. BPS Cognitive Section Conference, Keele.

    Mayer, J. (July 2011). Atypical speech perception in adults with ASD. PsyPAG Annual Conference, Bangor.

    Mayer, J. (July 2010). Atypical language processing in autism: the effects of speech complexity. PsyPAG 25th Annual Conference, Sheffield.

    Custance, D. & Mayer, J. (May 2009). Cross-species empathy in domestic dogs. Novartis Conference, London.

  • Research degree supervision

    Supervision Areas:

    • Autism Spectrum Disorders
    • Autistic Traits
    • Neurodevelopmental Disorders
    • Sensory Processing
    • Alexithymia
    • Attachment
    • Cognitive Decline
    • Emotion Processing
    • Auditory Perception

    Jessics Gash; In progress; PsychD Co-Supervisor, University of Roehampton

    • Project Title: ‘A Theory Building Case Study: School Based Humanistic Counselling for Adolescents on the Autistic Spectrum’

    Dr Simona Skripkauskaite; Awarded 2018; PhD Primary Supervisor, University of Roehampton

    • Project Title: ‘Domain general attention processes and stimuli properties underlying atypical social attention in high-functioning adults with ASD’

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