The Future of Education

Kate Cockcroft is a Professor in the Department of Psychology, School of Human and Community Development, at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Kate’s research and teaching are situated in the overlapping areas of Cognitive Psychology, Neuroscience, Developmental Psychology and Psychological Assessment. Her scholarly work addresses some pressing theoretical and practical issues of local and global relevance in developmental cognitive neuropsychology. Specifically, it relates to the key role of working memory, particularly in early and middle childhood, as it forms the basis for effective learning and language development and is implicated in many neurodevelopmental disorders. Related to this is the promise of working memory assessments as an equitable means of tapping the cognitive abilities and potential of children and young adults from diverse socio-economic and language backgrounds. She has published widely in this area.

Areas of expertise: cognitive neuroscience; developmental cognitive psychology; cognitive assessment; learning; working memory.