Dr Erica Lucas

Senior Lecturer

Health, Education, Policing and Sciences

I graduated from the University of Derby in 1995. I worked at University of Derby as a technician for a couple of years whilst doing a part-time PhD and then as a lecturer until 2003. I was a senior lecturer at Nottingham Trent University from 2003- 2006. I moved to Staffordshire University in 2007 as senior lecturer.

Academic qualifications

• Ph.D. Relevance and rationalisation in the Wason Selection Task

• B.Sc. (Hons) Psychology

Research interests

My research interests lie in the area of human reasoning. My PhD work was on relevance and rationalisation processes on the Wason selection task. I am particularly interested in the use of difference methodologies that can be utilised to investigate such processes, such as eye-tracking and verbal protocol analysis, and the importance of using such methods together.

Publications

  • Ball, L.J., Lucas, E.J., Miles, J.N.V., & Gale. (2003). A. Inspection times and the selection task: What eye-movements reveal about relevance effects. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 56A, 1053-1077.

  • Lucas, E.J., & Ball, L.J. (2005). Think-aloud protocols and the selection task: Evidence for relevance effects and rationalisation processes. Thinking and Reasoning, 11, 35-66.

  • Ball, L. J., Lucas, E. J., & Phillips, P. (2005). Eye movements and reasoning: Evidence for relevance effects and rationalisation processes in deontic selection tasks. Chapter in B. G. Bara, L. Barsalou, & M. Bucciarelli (Eds.): Proceedings of the Twenty-Seventh Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society. Alpha, NJ: Sheridan Printing.

in the UK for Quality Education

Sustainable Development Goal 4, Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2023

for Career Prospects

Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2023

for Facilities

Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2023

for Social Inclusion

The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023

of Research Impact is ‘Outstanding’ or ‘Very Considerable’

Research Excellence Framework 2021

of Research is “Internationally Excellent” or “World Leading”

Research Excellence Framework 2021

Four Star Rating

QS Star Ratings 2021