
Dr Sabrina Cohen-Hatton
Honorary Research Fellow
- cohensr@cardiff.ac.uk
- +44 (0)29 2087 4007
- Adeilad y Tŵr, Plas y Parc, Caerdydd, CF10 3AT
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Research summary
Decision making is a fundamental aspect of human and animal cognition which results in the initiation of specific goal directed behaviours. This process can have far reaching consequences, particularly in dangerous or risky situations. It is essential for Fire and Rescue Services to prepare Incident Commanders to be able to make decisions in dangerous, fast-moving, emotionally charged situations, even with incomplete or inaccurate information. The cost of not getting this right is high. Human factors have been confirmed as the cause of 80% of industrial accidents, and it has been recognised that most firefighter injuries are influenced by the same factors.
In order to understand the mechanisms of decision making it is important to consider learning about related environmental cues, and how this influences responding. For example, cues that people are exposed to (in this case, at an incident) can form strong associations with other cues, outcomes, or even emotions and physiological reactions, that can later bias the response made at a different point in time. My research focuses on exploring the mechanisms that underpin such interactions (such as Pavolvian-Instrumental transfer), and the role of major pre-frontal neurological structures in this process.
I have published my findings in several scientific journals, and presented internationally at such events as the Federation of European Neuroscience, the European Brain and Behaviour Society meeting and the Associative Learning Symposium. I was also awarded the JURY prize in recognition of this research from the School of Psychology, Cardiff University.
As an operational officer undertaking this research, the ultimate motivation has always been firefighter safety and developing a greater understanding of psychological processes that may further mitigate risk when we deal with incidents. I am currently exploring the application of this research to support effective incident command and safety management.
Bywgraffiad
Undergraduate education
2009 - 1st Class, Psychology (BSc Hons), Open University.
Postgraduate education
2013 - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), School of Psychology, Cardiff University
2005 - MA, International Fire Service Development
Employment
2015 - Honorary Research Associate, School of Psychology, Cardiff University.
2015 - Deputy Assistant Commissioner, London Fire Brigade.
Cyhoeddiadau
2022
- Wilkinson, B., Cohen-Hatton, S. R. and Honey, R. C. 2022. Variation in exploration and exploitation in group decision making: Evidence from immersive simulations of major incident emergencies. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management 30(1), pp. 82-91. (10.1111/1468-5973.12355)
2021
- Butler, P. C., Bowers, A., Smith, A. P., Cohen-Hatton, S. R. and Honey, R. C. 2021. Decision making within and outside standard operating procedures: Paradoxical use of operational discretion in firefighters. Human Factors (10.1177/00187208211041860)
2020
- Butler, P. C., Honey, R. and Cohen-Hatton, S. R. 2020. Development of a behavioral marker system for incident command in the UK Fire and Rescue Service: THINCS. Cognition, Technology and Work 22(1), pp. 1-12. (10.1007/s10111-019-00539-6)
2015
- Cohen-Hatton, S. R. and Honey, R. . 2015. Goal-oriented training affects decision-making processes in virtual and simulated fire and rescue environments. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied 21(4), pp. 395-406. (10.1037/xap0000061)
- Cohen-Hatton, S. R., Butler, P. C. and Honey, R. C. 2015. An investigation of operational decision making in situ: Incident command in the UK Fire and Rescue Service. Human Factors 57(5), pp. 793-804. (10.1177/0018720815578266)
2013
- Cohen, S. R. and Honey, R. C. 2013. Renewal of extinguished instrumental responses: independence from Pavlovian processes and dependence on outcome value. Learning & Behavior 41(4), pp. 379-389. (10.3758/s13420-013-0113-y)
- Cohen, S. R., Haddon, J. E., George, D. N. and Honey, R. C. 2013. Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer: paradoxical effects of the Pavlovian relationship explained. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes 39(1), pp. 14-23. (10.1037/a0030594)
- Cohen, S. R. 2013. Understanding the origin of Pavlovian-instrumental interactions. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University.