![Sabrina Cohen-Hatton](https://profiles-cardiff.imgix.net/attachments/5554?w=200&h=200&auto=format&crop=faces&fit=crop&q=90")
Overview
Research summary
Decision making is a fundamental aspect of human and animal cognition which results in the initiation of specific goal directed behaviours. My research has involved exploring the mechanisms underlying such behaviours in human, rat and canine models.
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 in both human and animal cognition, 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.
Publication
2023
- Butler, P. C., Bowers, A., Smith, A. P., Cohen-Hatton, S. R. and Honey, R. C. 2023. Decision making within and outside standard operating procedures: Paradoxical use of operational discretion in firefighters. Human Factors 65(7), pp. 1422-1434. (10.1177/00187208211041860)
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)
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.
Articles
- Butler, P. C., Bowers, A., Smith, A. P., Cohen-Hatton, S. R. and Honey, R. C. 2023. Decision making within and outside standard operating procedures: Paradoxical use of operational discretion in firefighters. Human Factors 65(7), pp. 1422-1434. (10.1177/00187208211041860)
- 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)
- 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)
- 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)
- 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)
Thesis
- Cohen, S. R. 2013. Understanding the origin of Pavlovian-instrumental interactions. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University.
Research
Research themes: Neuroscience and Cognitive Science
My research interests involve how animals and people adapt to their environments: how learning and memory influence behaviour and decision-making. These interests are pursued from a variety of perspectives including brain systems and behavioural experiments in laboratory and real-world settings with humans, rats and dogs.
A current research stream has extended to canine models, investigating dogs displaying adverse behaviours and methods to successfully modify behaviours and the welfare implications of doing so.
I have a particular interest in Pavlovian to Instrumental Transfer and its implications in real world settings to influence behaviours, in both human and animal models.
I collaborate with Human Factors Excellence (HuFEx) at Cardiff University and the Cardiff University Centre for Artifical Intelligence, Robotics and Human-Machine Systems (IROHMS). Summaries of research coproduced with the National Fire Chiefs Council and UK Fire and Rescue Services can be found in the following links:
- https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/research/impact-and-innovation/research-impact/improving-decision-making-in-the-emergency-services
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5F7P2qJBGXs
Funding
- ESRC Impact Acceleration Account (ES/M500422/1): Promoting THINCS nationally and internationally (2020-2022; joint with Prof Rob Honey and Dr Sabrina Cohen-Hatton); value: £8700.
- BBSRC Innovator of the Year 2018 prize funding: Behavioural neuroscience underpins new guidance for firefighters and the emergency services; with Prof Rob Honey; total value: £20000; for Overall Winner and Social Impact Winner.
- ESRC Impact Acceleration Account (ES/M500422/1): Multi-agency decision making at major incidents (2018; joint with Prof Rob Honey, Byron Wilkinson, and Philip Butler); value: £6400.
- ESRC Impact Acceleration Account (ES/M500422/1): UK Fire and Rescue Service Behavioural Marker System Mobile App (2017-2018; joint with Prof Rob Honey and Philip Butler); value: £8852.
- ESRC Impact Acceleration Account (ES/M500422/1): Decision making at emergency incidents (2015-2016; Joint with Prof Rob Honey); value: £3662.
- Chief Fire Officer Association: Industry funding secured in order to conduct research into decision making in Fire and Rescue Service; value £100,000
Biography
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 (Work-based learning), Middlesex University
Honours and awards
National and International Prizes
- Finalist for the Welsh Government St David Awards 2022 in the category of Innovation, Science and Technology. With Sabrina Cohen-Hatton, Byron Wilkinson and Philip Butler.
- BBSRC Innovator of the Year 2018; Overall Winner and Social Impact Winner for: Behavioural neuroscience underpins new guidance for firefighters and the emergency services. With Rob Honey.
- New Process Award; Business and Education Partnership Awards; Insider Media (2017). With Rob Honey.
- Raymond S. Nickerson Prize for the best paper in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied. Awarded in 2017 for: Cohen-Hatton, S.R., & Honey, R.C. (2015). Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 21, 395-406. The prize recognizes an article as having the potential for enduring impact in the area of applied experimental psychology.
- American Psychological Association New Investigator award for Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied (2017).
- Cardiff University Innovation & Impact Awards (2017); Innovation in Policy Award for “Decision making in the UK fire and rescue service”; also overall winner and ‘People’s Choice’.
- NFCC Personal Contribution Award in recognition of a significant contribution to firefighter safety (2016)
- Fire Magazine/Gore research award (2014) for “Decision making in the UK fire and rescue service”
- JURY Prize (School of Psychology, Cardiff University) for postgraduate research (2013).
Academic positions
2023 - Honorary Professor School of Psychology, Cardiff University.
2018 - Honorary Fellow, Cardiff University.
2017 - Honorary Research Fellow, School of Psychology, Cardiff University.
2015 - Honorary Research Associate, School of Psychology, Cardiff University.
Industry Positions
2019 - Chief Fire Officer, West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service
2019 - Deputy Chief Fire Officer, Surrey Fire and Rescue Service
2015 - Deputy Assistant Commissioner, London Fire Brigade
2001 - South Wales Fire and Rescue Service
Supervisions
- Yan Shan Tai. Rapid information integration in support of situational awareness and spatial behaviour. EPSRC studentship.
- Erik Kambarian. A comparison of firefighting cultures. Externally funded.
Current supervision
Yan Tai
Graduate Tutor
Erik Kambarian
Research student
Past projects
- Philip C. Butler (2021). Development and evaluation of a behavioural marker system for UK fire and rescue service incident commanders. ESRC 1+3 ‘Type 2’ Studentship. Lecturer at Cardiff University.
- Byron Wilkinson (2020). Understanding how groups make strategic decisions in emergencies. Self-funding/School of Psychology Studentship. Emergency Planning Manager, Carmarthenshire County Council.