My team and I study socially relevant psychological signals, from basic perception (e.g., of bodily signals, faces), to higher-order cognition (e.g., decision-making, mentalising), and behaviour (e.g., masking, pro-environmental). We are also interested in how these processes differ between neurodivergent people and thereby aim to improve understanding of mental health conditions.
I teach undergraduate and postgraduate modules in Applied Psychology.
I have restricted interests in the K&A towpath, Epicurean philosophy, and birds of prey in Bath.
Papers
* Joint Contribution
Waldren, L. H., Livingston, L. A., & Shah, P. (under review). Is there an optimal self-report measure to investigate autism-related sex differences?
Player, L. K., Prosser, A. M. B., Thorman, D., Tirion, A., Whitmarsh, L., Kurz, T.*, & Shah, P* (under review). Quantifying the importance of socio-demographic, travel-related, and psychological predictors of low emission zone acceptability.
Livingston, L. A., Waldren, L. H, Walton, E., & Shah, P. (accepted). Emotion processing differences mediate the link between sex and autism spectrum disorder traits in young adulthood. JCPP Advances.
Waldren, L. H., Livingston, L. A., Leung, Y. N., & Shah, P. (accepted). Using network analysis to improve understanding and utlity of the the 10-item autism-spectrum quotient (AQ10). Experimental Results.
Taylor, E. C., Farmer, G. D., Livingston, L. A., Callan, M. J.*, & Shah, P*. (2022). Rethinking fast and slow processing in autism. Journal of Abnormal Psychology.
Waldren. L.H., Livingston, L. A., Clutterbuck, R. A., Callan, M. J., Walton, E., & Shah, P. (2022, preprint). Using incorrect cut-off values in autism screening tools: the consequences for psychological science.
Clutterbuck, R. A., Livingston, L. A., & Shah, P. (2022). The Four-Item Mentalising Index (FIMI) is a valid, reliable, and practical way to assess mentalising: Reply to Murphy et al. (2022). Psychological Assessment.
Hobbs, C., Shah, P., & Button, K. (2022). Is depression associated with reduced optimistic belief updating? Royal Society Open Science.
Burton, J., Harris, A. J. L., Shah, P., & Hahn, U. (2022). Optimism where there is none: Asymmetric belief updating observed with valence-neutral life events. Cognition.
Taylor, E. C., Livingston, L. A., Callan, M. J., Hanel, P. H. P., & Shah, P. (2021). Do autistic traits predict pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors, and climate change belief? Journal of Environmental Psychology.
White, R., Livingston, L. A., Taylor, E. C., Close, S. A., Shah, P.*, Callan, M. J.* (in press). Understanding the contributions
of trait autism and anxiety to extreme demand avoidance in adulthood. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.
Waldren, L. H., Clutterbuck, R. A, Shah, P. (2021). Erroneous NICE guidance on autism screening. The Lancet Psychiatry.
Clutterbuck, R. A.*, Shah, P.*, Leung, H. S, Callan, M. J., Gjersoe, N., Livingston, L. A. (2021). Anthropomorphic tendencies in autism: A conceptual replication and extension of White and Remington (2019) and preliminary development of a novel anthropomorphism measure. Autism.
Livingston, L. A.*, Shah, P.*, White, S., & Happé, F. (2021). Further developing the Frith-Happé animations: A quicker, more objective, and web-based test of theory of mind for autistic and non-autistic adults. Autism Research.
Taylor, E. C., Livingston, L. A., Callan, M. J., Ashwin, C., & Shah, P. (2021). Autonomic dysfunction in autism: The roles of anxiety, depression, and stress. Autism
Clutterbuck, R. A., Callan, M. J., Taylor, E. C., Livingston, L. A., & Shah, P. (2021). Development and validation of the four-item mentalising index (FIMI). Psychological Assessment. [Online Questionnaire][Downloadable Questionnaire].
Livingston, L. A., Kumarendran, S., & Shah, P. (2021). Compensation. Cortex.
Shand, A. J.*, Close, S. A. D.*, & Shah, P. (2020). Greater autism knowledge and contact with autistic people are independently associated with favourable attitudes towards autistic people. Experimental Results.
Taylor, E.C., Clutterbuck, R. A., Player, L., Shah, P., & Callan, M. J. (2020). The role of karmic beliefs in immanent justice reasoning. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality.
Hanel, P. H. P. & Shah, P. (2020). Simplifying the measurement of attitudes towards autistic people. Experimental Results.
Livingston, L. A., Ashwin, C., & Shah, P. (2020). Electronic communication in autism spectrum conditions. Molecular Autism.
Taylor, E. C, Livingston, L. A., Clutterbuck, R. A., & Shah, P. (2020). Psychometric concerns with the 10-item Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ10) as a measure of trait autism in the general population. Experimental Results.
Livingston, L. A., Shah, P., Milner, V., & Happé (2020). Quantifying compensatory strategies in adults with and without diagnosed autism. Molecular Autism.
Taylor, E. C., Livingston, L. A., Callan, M. J., & Shah, P. (2019). Divergent contributions of autistic traits to social psychological knowledge. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Livingston, L. A., Shah, P., & Happé, F. (2019). Compensatory strategies below the behavioural surface in autism. The Lancet Psychiatry.
Shah, P*., Livingston, L. A.*, Callan, M. J., & Player, L. (2019). Trait autism is a better predictor of empathy than alexithymia. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.
Livingston, L.A., Carr, B., & Shah, P. (2019). Recent advances and new directions in measuring theory of mind in autistic adults. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.
Livingston, L.A., Shah, P., & Happé, F. (2018). Compensation in autism is not consistent with social motivation theory. Behavioral and Brain Sciences.
Ventura, P., Livingston, L. A., & Shah, P. (2018). Adults have moderate-to-good insight into their face recognition ability: Further validation of the 20-item prosopagnosia index (PI20) in a portuguese sample. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology.
Livingston, L. A. & Shah, P. (2017). People with and without prosopagnosia have insight into their face recognition ability. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology.
Shah, P, Catmur, C., & Bird, G. (2017). From heart to mind: Linking interoception, emotion, and theory of mind. Cortex.
Shah, P, Catmur, C., & Bird, G. (2016). Emotional decision-making in Autism Spectrum Disorder: The roles of interoception and alexithymia. Molecular Autism.
Shah, P., Harris, A. J. L, Bird, G., Catmur, C., & Hahn, U. (2016). A pessimistic view of optimistic belief updating. Cognitive Psychology.
Shah, P. (2016). Book review: Interoception - the eighth sensory system. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.
Shah, P., Hall, R., Catmur, C., & Bird, G. (2016). Alexithymia, not autism, is associated with impaired interoception. Cortex.
Shah, P., Bird, G., & Cook, R. (2016). Face processing in autism spectrum disorder: Reduced integration of cross-feature dynamics. Cortex.
Shah, P. (2016). Identification, diagnosis and treatment of developmental prosopagnosia. The British Journal of Psychiatry.
Shah,P., Sowden, S., Gaule, A., Catmur, C., & Bird, G., (2015). The twenty-item prosopagnosia index: Relationship to the Glasgow Face Matching Test. Royal Society Open Science. [Download Questionnaire]
Shah, P., Gaule, A., Sowden, S., Bird, G., & Cook, R. (2015). The twenty-item prosopagnosia index (PI20): A self-report instrument for identifying developmental prosopagnosia. Royal Society Open Science.
Shah, P., Happé, F., Sowden, S., Cook, R., & Bird, G. (2015). Orienting towards face-like stimuli in early childhood. Child Development.
Shah, P. & Sowden, S. (2015). Insights into social perception in autism. The Journal of Neuroscience.
Shah, P., Gaule, A., Gaigg, S., Bird, G., & Cook, R. (2015). Probing short-term face memory in developmental prosopagnosia. Cortex.
Sowden, S., & Shah, P. (2014). Self-other control: a candidate mechanism for social cognitive function. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.
Santiesteban, I., Shah, P., White, S., Bird, G., & Heyes, C. (2014). Mentalizing or submentalizing in a communication task? Evidence from autism and a camera control. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review.
Cook, R.*, Brewer, R.*, Shah, P.*, & Bird, G. (2014). Intact facial adaptation in autistic adults. Autism Research.
Shah, P., Gaule, A., Bird, G., & Cook, R. (2013). Robust orienting to protofacial stimuli in autism. Current Biology. Commentary by Johnson (2014).
Harris, A. J. L, Shah, P., Catmur, C., Bird, G., & Hahn, U. (2013). Autism, optimism and positive events: Evidence against a general optimistic bias. In M. Knauff, M. Pauen, N. Sebanz, & I. Wachsmuth (Eds.). Austin, TX: Cognitive Science Society.
Cage, E., Pellicano, E., Shah, P., & Bird, G. (2013). Reputation management: Evidence for intact ability but reduced propensity in adults with autism. Autism Research.
Cook, R.*, Brewer, R.*, Shah, P., & Bird, G. (2013). Alexithymia, not autism, predicts poor recognition of emotional facial expressions. Psychological Science.
Shah, P. (2012). Toward a neurobiology of unrealistic optimism. Frontiers in Psychology.
Media
Science Communication
Shah, P., Happe, F., & Bird, G. (2014) The social brain' and its disorders. Brain Awareness Day, King's College, London.
Shah, P. (2014). BSA/EPS Prize Talk: A pessimistic view of optimistic belief updating. British Science Festival, Birmingham.
Shah, P. (2015). Big Picture Prize: A baby’s view of the protoface. The Psychologist.
Shah, P. (2016). Guide to... you and your baby: Babies love faces. The Psychologist.
Shah, P. (2016). People with autism make more logical decisions. Scientific American.
Shah, P. (2017). Reality in the face of optimism. Wellcome Collection - When Species Meet: Hope, Wellcome Collection, London.
Livingston, L. A. & Shah, P. (2017). How coping mechanisms allow autistic people to manage their condition. The Conversation.
Shah, P. (in press). Face processing and social situations. The Psychologist.
Taylor, E., Livingston, L. A., & Shah, P. (2019). Autism is linked to lower levels of empathy – but that may not be a bad thing. The Conversation.
Livingston, L.A., Happé, F., Shah, P. (2019). How autism can be hidden from society using psychological strategies. The Conversation.
Livingston, L.A., Happé, F., Shah, P. (2019). How autistic people use compensatory strategies to cope with daily life. Spectrum.
Shah, P. (2019). Has 'mental health' awareness gone too far? TedXBath.
Clutterbuck, R., Taylor, E., & Shah, P. (2020). Are autistic personality tests reliable? The Conversation.
Shah, P. (2020). Staff Spotlight on... Punit Shah, Senior Lecturer, Psychology.
Clutterbuck, R., Livingston, L. A., Callan, M. J., & Shah (2021). The science of ‘mind-reading’: our new test reveals how well we understand others. The Conversation.
Waldren, L., Clutterbuck, R., & Shah, P. (2021). Mistake discovered in autism guidelines – many could have missed a diagnosis. The Conversation.
Team
 Florence Leung (BSc Bristol, MSc York, PhD Reading) - Post-doc - challenging behaviours in autistic children |  Rachel A Clutterbuck (BSc Cardiff, MA St Andrews) - ESRC PhD Student - Quantification of mind reading |  Lucy Waldren (MSci York) - ESRC MRes/ PhD Student - Advancing measurement of autism |
|---|---|---|
 Emily C Taylor (BSc Bath) - Whorrod PhD Student - Unimpaired processes and strengths in autism |  Ross Robinson (BSc, MSc Sussex) - DClinPsych Student - Social cognition in the clinic |  Lois Player (BSc Bath, MRes Bath - PhD Student - Psycho(patho)logical predictors of environmental behaviours |
 Sanjay Kumarendran - MSci Student - Compensation in autism |  Victoria Coleman (BSc Bath, MPhil Cantab) - PhD Student - hidden strenghts in neurodevelopmental conditions |  Rhianna White (BA Cantab, MSc Exeter) - ESRC PhD Student - Avoidance behaviours in autism |
 Alanna Shand - Research Assistant - Attitudes to Autism |
I welcome interest from students/ fellows interested in (social) cognition, autism, neurodevelopmental conditions and, more generally, experimental psychology and mental health. I am also happy to support undergraduate and masters students who are interested in a research rotation. Please send your cv and an email request to p.shah@bath.ac.uk.