My research focuses on learning and decision making under uncertainty in children and adults, with particular interests in curiosity and anxiety.
I joined the University of Stirling as a lecturer in 2022. I teach on the Developmental Psychology module and the Child Development MSc theme as well as supervising research projects.
Before joining Stirling, I held postdoctoral positions at the University of Birmingham, the University of Southern California, the University of Reading and the University of Exeter between 2014 and 2021. In these roles, I worked on a range of projects relating to decision making across the lifespan. I completed my PhD in Psychology at the University of Sheffield in 2015 looking at the development of cognitive flexibility in children.
I am passionate about robust, open, and replicable science and started the ReproducibiliTea journal club at the University of Reading. I am also a keen interdisciplinarian - I was one of the founding members of the iCog network for early career researchers in cognitive science and organised two of their conferences.
Outside of work, I enjoy rock climbing, cycling, cooking (and eating) and crafty things like knitting. Together these activities fulfil my basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and connection.
My research focuses on learning and decision making under uncertainty in children and adults. I investigate the behavioural, cognitive, and emotional processes involved with responding to uncertain situations. I address this overarching topic from multiple angles including curiosity, adventurous play, risk taking, and counterfactual, hypothetical, and strategic reasoning. I also examine the attentional and executive processes that underpin these thoughts and behaviours, and the downstream effects of exposure and responses to uncertainty on learning and wellbeing.
You can read more about my recent Froebel Trust funded project "Illustrating adventurous play for children's self-report" by following the link below. The resulting illustrated toolkit aims to bring children's perspectives on adventurous play into research and practice. https://www.froebel.org.uk/research-library/illustrating-adventurous-play-for-young-childrens-self-report
Illustrating adventurous play
PI: Dr Lily FitzGibbon
Funded by: Froebel Trust
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Article
Ryan ZJ, Dodd HF & FitzGibbon L (2024) Uncertain world: How children’s curiosity and intolerance of uncertainty relate to their behaviour and emotion under uncertainty. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1177/17470218241252651
Article
A scoping review of methods and measures used to capture children's play during school breaktimes
FitzGibbon L, Oliver B, Nesbit R & Dodd H (2024) A scoping review of methods and measures used to capture children's play during school breaktimes. Educational Review. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2024.2306944
Article
Encouraging willingness to try insect foods with a utility-value intervention
Stone H, FitzGibbon L, Millan E & Murayama K (2023) Encouraging willingness to try insect foods with a utility-value intervention. Appetite, 190, Art. No.: 107002. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2023.107002
Article
Uncertainty drives exploration of negative information across younger and older adults
Yagi A, FitzGibbon L, Murayama K, Shinomori K & Sakaki M (2023) Uncertainty drives exploration of negative information across younger and older adults. Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13415-023-01082-8
Review
Counterfactual curiosity: Motivated thinking about what might have been
FitzGibbon L & Murayama K (2022) Counterfactual curiosity: Motivated thinking about what might have been. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 377 (1866), Art. No.: 20210340. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2021.0340
Article
Child’s Play: Examining the Association Between Time Spent Playing and Child Mental Health
Dodd HF, Nesbit RJ & FitzGibbon L (2022) Child’s Play: Examining the Association Between Time Spent Playing and Child Mental Health. Child Psychiatry & Human Development. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-022-01363-2
Article
Curious to eat insects? Curiosity as a Key Predictor of Willingness to try novel food
Stone H, FitzGibbon L, Millan E & Murayama K (2022) Curious to eat insects? Curiosity as a Key Predictor of Willingness to try novel food. Appetite, 168, p. 105790. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2021.105790
Article
Children’s Play and Independent Mobility in 2020: Results from the British Children’s Play Survey
Dodd HF, FitzGibbon L, Watson BE & Nesbit RJ (2021) Children’s Play and Independent Mobility in 2020: Results from the British Children’s Play Survey. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18 (8), p. 4334. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18084334
Dataset
British Children's Play Survey, 2020
Article
The Lure of Counterfactual Curiosity: People Incur a Cost to Experience Regret
FitzGibbon L, Komiya A & Murayama K (2021) The Lure of Counterfactual Curiosity: People Incur a Cost to Experience Regret. Psychological Science, 32 (2), pp. 241-255. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797620963615
Article
The seductive lure of curiosity: information as a motivationally salient reward
FitzGibbon L, Lau JKL & Murayama K (2020) The seductive lure of curiosity: information as a motivationally salient reward. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, 35, pp. 21-27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cobeha.2020.05.014
Article
Process Account of Curiosity and Interest: A Reward-Learning Perspective
Murayama K, FitzGibbon L & Sakaki M (2019) Process Account of Curiosity and Interest: A Reward-Learning Perspective. Educational Psychology Review, 31 (4), pp. 875-895. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-019-09499-9
Article
Counterfactual curiosity in preschool children
FitzGibbon L, Moll H, Carboni J, Lee R & Dehghani M (2019) Counterfactual curiosity in preschool children. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 183, pp. 146-157. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2018.11.022
Article
Future planning in preschool children
Moffett L, Moll H & FitzGibbon L (2018) Future planning in preschool children. Developmental Psychology, 54 (5), pp. 866-874. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000484
Article
Cognitive Flexibility in Young Children: Beyond Perseveration
Carroll DJ, Blakey E & FitzGibbon L (2016) Cognitive Flexibility in Young Children: Beyond Perseveration. Child Development Perspectives, 10 (4), pp. 211-215. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdep.12192
PSYU901 - Introduction to Psychology - cognitive development; PSYU9AO - Developmental Psychology; PSYU9X8_EL17LF - Science of Motivation; PSYU917 - Dissertation; PSYU918 - Research Project; PRMP133 - Child Development
