Dr Sarah Grainger completed her PhD at the University of Queensland in November 2017. Her research to date has focused primarily on how social cognitive function– which broadly refers to our ability to detect and respond appropriately to social cues– is affected by normal adult ageing. In addition to using traditional behavioural measures to assess social cognition, Sarah also has experience with sophisticated experimental techniques including eye-tracking, facial electromyography, psychopharmacological interventions, and hormonal assessments. A key focus of her research is understanding how traditional lab-based social cognition tasks predict real world social functioning.
Sarah is currently employed as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow on an ARC funded Discovery Research Project led by Professor Julie Henry (ARC Future Fellow, UQ), Scientia Professor Perminder Sachdev (Co-Director of the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA) and Clinical Director of the Neuropsychiatric Institute at the Prince of Wales Hospital, UNSW) and Dr. Karen Mather (Leader, Genetics & Epigenomics Group, CHeBA, UNSW). A key focus of this project is trying to identify cognitive, genetic and biomedical predictors of successful social cognitive ageing.
Journal Article: Sleep, Stress and Aggression: Meta-Analyses Investigating Associations and Causality
Demichelis, Olivia P., Grainger, Sarah A., McKay, Kate T., Bourdaniotis, Xanthia E., Churchill, Emily G. and Henry, Julie D. (2022). Sleep, Stress and Aggression: Meta-Analyses Investigating Associations and Causality. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 139 104732, 1-19. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104732
Journal Article: How Does Ageing Affect Social Attention? A Test of Competing Theories using Multi-Level Meta-Analysis
McKay, Kate T, Talipski, Louisa A, Grainger, Sarah A, Alister, Manikya and Henry, Julie D (2022). How Does Ageing Affect Social Attention? A Test of Competing Theories using Multi-Level Meta-Analysis. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B. doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbac052
Journal Article: Visual attentional orienting by eye gaze: a meta-analytic review of the gaze-cueing effect
McKay, Kate T., Grainger, Sarah A., Coundouris, Sarah P., Skorich, Daniel P., Phillips, Louise H. and Henry, Julie D. (2021). Visual attentional orienting by eye gaze: a meta-analytic review of the gaze-cueing effect. Psychological Bulletin, 147 (12), 1269-1289. doi: 10.1037/bul0000353
Applying ecologically valid approaches to social cognitive ageing
(2022–2025) ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award
Reducing social frailty in late adulthood
(2020–2025) ARC Linkage Projects
Social cognition, psychiatric comorbidities and quality of life in people with multiple sclerosis
(2019–2021) Multiple Sclerosis Research Australia
Social frailty and ageing
Doctor Philosophy
A multidimensional model of social cognitive ageing.
Doctor Philosophy
Eye Gaze Perception and Social Visual Attentional Orienting
Doctor Philosophy
Sleep, Stress and Aggression: Meta-Analyses Investigating Associations and Causality
Demichelis, Olivia P., Grainger, Sarah A., McKay, Kate T., Bourdaniotis, Xanthia E., Churchill, Emily G. and Henry, Julie D. (2022). Sleep, Stress and Aggression: Meta-Analyses Investigating Associations and Causality. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 139 104732, 1-19. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104732
McKay, Kate T, Talipski, Louisa A, Grainger, Sarah A, Alister, Manikya and Henry, Julie D (2022). How Does Ageing Affect Social Attention? A Test of Competing Theories using Multi-Level Meta-Analysis. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B. doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbac052
Visual attentional orienting by eye gaze: a meta-analytic review of the gaze-cueing effect
McKay, Kate T., Grainger, Sarah A., Coundouris, Sarah P., Skorich, Daniel P., Phillips, Louise H. and Henry, Julie D. (2021). Visual attentional orienting by eye gaze: a meta-analytic review of the gaze-cueing effect. Psychological Bulletin, 147 (12), 1269-1289. doi: 10.1037/bul0000353
Affective empathy in neurodegenerative disorders: the importance of measurement type
Wright, Janet K. X., Grainger, Sarah A., Coundouris, Sarah P. and Henry, Julie D. (2021). Affective empathy in neurodegenerative disorders: the importance of measurement type. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 127, 808-819. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.05.020
Profiling Social Cognition in Premanifest Huntington's Disease
Turner, Kate, Bartlett, Danielle, Grainger, Sarah A., Eddy, Clare, Reyes, Alvaro, Kordsachia, Catarina, Turner, Mitchell, Stout, Julie C., Georgiou-Karistianis, Nellie, Henry, Julie D., Ziman, Mel and Cruickshank, Travis (2021). Profiling Social Cognition in Premanifest Huntington's Disease. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 28 (3), 1-13. doi: 10.1017/s1355617721000357
Chander, Russell J., Mather, Karen A., Cleary, Rhiagh, Grainger, Sarah A., Thalamuthu, Anbupalam, Numbers, Katya, Kochan, Nicole A., Armstrong, Nicola J., Brodaty, Henry, Henry, Julie D. and Sachdev, Perminder S. (2021). The influence of rs53576 polymorphism in the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) gene on empathy in healthy adults by subtype and ethnicity: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Reviews in the Neurosciences, 33 (1), 43-57. doi: 10.1515/revneuro-2021-0038
The relationship between testosterone and social cognition in younger and older adults
Grainger, Sarah A., Mead, Jessica K., Vanman, Eric J. and Henry, Julie D. (2021). The relationship between testosterone and social cognition in younger and older adults. Biological Psychology, 161 108072, 1-5. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2021.108072
Empathy and schizotypy following acquired brain damage
Kgolo, Tumelo, Grainger, Sarah A. and Henry, Julie D. (2021). Empathy and schizotypy following acquired brain damage. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 60 (1) bjc.12274, 116-128. doi: 10.1111/bjc.12274
Acting with the future in mind: testing competing prospective memory interventions
Henry, Julie D., Hering, Alexandra, Haines, Simon, Grainger, Sarah A., Koleits, Nick, McLennan, Skye, Pelly, Rachel, Doyle, Colleen, Rose, Nathan S, Kliegel, Matthias and Rendell, Peter G (2021). Acting with the future in mind: testing competing prospective memory interventions. Psychology and Aging, 36 (4), 491-503. doi: 10.1037/pag0000593
Event-based but not time-based prospective memory is related to oral health in late adulthood
Manchery, Nithin, Nangle, Matthew R., Grainger, Sarah A., Haines, Simon, Pradhan, Archana, Rendell, Peter G. and Henry, Julie D. (2021). Event-based but not time-based prospective memory is related to oral health in late adulthood. Gerontology, 67 (1), 1-9. doi: 10.1159/000511607
Tears of sadness reduce others' gazing toward the eyes
Grainger, Sarah A., Vanman, Eric J. and Henry, Julie D. (2020). Tears of sadness reduce others' gazing toward the eyes. Emotion. doi: 10.1037/emo0000926
Gaze patterns to emotional faces throughout the adult lifespan
Grainger, Sarah A. and Henry, Julie D. (2020). Gaze patterns to emotional faces throughout the adult lifespan. Psychology and Aging, 35 (7), 981-992. doi: 10.1037/pag0000571
Implementation intentions and prospective memory function in late adulthood
Henry, Julie D., Terrett, Gill, Grainger, Sarah A., Rose, Nathan S., Kliegel, Matthias, Bugge, Melissa, Ryrie, Clare and Rendell, Peter G. (2020). Implementation intentions and prospective memory function in late adulthood. Psychology and Aging, 35 (8), 1105-1114. doi: 10.1037/pag0000563
Chander, Russell J., Grainger, Sarah A., Crawford, John D., Mather, Karen A., Numbers, Katya, Cleary, Rhiagh, Kochan, Nicole A., Brodaty, Henry, Henry, Julie D. and Sachdev, Perminder S. (2020). Development of a short-form version of the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test for assessing theory of mind in older adults. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 35 (11) gps.5369, 1322-1330. doi: 10.1002/gps.5369
Empathy and Theory of Mind in Alzheimer’s Disease: A Meta-analysis
Demichelis, Olivia P., Coundouris, Sarah P., Grainger, Sarah A. and Henry, Julie D. (2020). Empathy and Theory of Mind in Alzheimer’s Disease: A Meta-analysis. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 26 (10), 1-15. doi: 10.1017/s1355617720000478
Grainger, Sarah A., Rakunathan, Vidhya, Adams, Alexandra G., Canty, Alana L. and Henry, Julie D. (2020). An assessment of age differences in theory of mind using the virtual assessment of mentalizing ability. Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition, 28 (1), 1-11. doi: 10.1080/13825585.2020.1713290
An investigation into early-life stress and cognitive function in older age
Grainger, Sarah A., Crawford, John D., Kochan, Nicole A., Mather, Karen A., Chander, Russell J., Draper, Brian, Brodaty, Henry, Sachdev, Perminder S. and Henry, Julie D. (2019). An investigation into early-life stress and cognitive function in older age. International Psychogeriatrics, 32 (11), 1-5. doi: 10.1017/s1041610219001583
Social perceptual function in Parkinson’s disease: a meta-analysis
Coundouris, Sarah P., Adams, Alexandra G., Grainger, Sarah A. and Henry, Julie D. (2019). Social perceptual function in Parkinson’s disease: a meta-analysis. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 104, 255-267. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.07.011
The influence of tears on older and younger adults' perceptions of sadness
Grainger, Sarah A., Vanman, Eric J., Matters, Gabriella and Henry, Julie D. (2019). The influence of tears on older and younger adults' perceptions of sadness. Psychology and Aging, 34 (5), 665-673. doi: 10.1037/pag0000373
Empathy for others’ pain is disrupted at the neurophysiological level in schizophrenia
Varcin, Kandice J., Grainger, Sarah A., Bailey, Phoebe E., Richmond, Jenny L. and Henry, Julie D. (2019). Empathy for others’ pain is disrupted at the neurophysiological level in schizophrenia. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 58 (4) bjc.12220, 406-426. doi: 10.1111/bjc.12220
A role for affectivity in rapid facial mimicry: an electromyographic study
Varcin, Kandice J., Grainger, Sarah A., Richmond, Jenny L., Bailey, Phoebe E. and Henry, Julie D. (2019). A role for affectivity in rapid facial mimicry: an electromyographic study. Social Neuroscience, 14 (5), 1-10. doi: 10.1080/17470919.2018.1564694
Oral health and cognitive function in older adults: a systematic review
Nangle, Matthew R., Riches, Julia, Grainger, Sarah A., Manchery, Nithin, Sachdev, Perminder S. and Henry, Julie D. (2019). Oral health and cognitive function in older adults: a systematic review. Gerontology, 65 (6), 1-14. doi: 10.1159/000496730
Grainger, Sarah A., Henry, Julie D., Steinvik, Henriette R. and Vanman, Eric J. (2018). Intranasal oxytocin does not alter initial perceptions of facial trustworthiness in younger or older adults. Journal of Psychopharmacology , 33 (2), 026988111880630-254. doi: 10.1177/0269881118806303
The role of social attention in older adults' ability to interpret naturalistic social scenes
Grainger, Sarah, Steinvik, Henriette, Henry, Julie D. and Phillips, Louise (2018). The role of social attention in older adults' ability to interpret naturalistic social scenes. The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 72 (6), 174702181879177-1343. doi: 10.1177/1747021818791774
Intranasal oxytocin does not reduce age-related difficulties in social cognition
Grainger, Sarah A., Henry, Julie D., Steinvik, Henriette R., Vanman, Eric J., Rendell, Peter G. and Labuschagne, Izelle (2018). Intranasal oxytocin does not reduce age-related difficulties in social cognition. Hormones and Behavior, 99, 25-34. doi: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2018.01.009
Implicit false belief tracking is preserved in late adulthood
Grainger, Sarah A., Henry, Julie D., Naughtin, Claire K., Comino, Marita S. and Dux, Paul E. (2018). Implicit false belief tracking is preserved in late adulthood. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 71 (9), 174702181773469-1987. doi: 10.1177/1747021817734690
Age deficits in facial affect recognition: the influence of dynamic cues
Grainger, Sarah A., Henry, Julie D., Phillips, Louise H., Vanman, Eric J. and Allen, Roy (2015). Age deficits in facial affect recognition: the influence of dynamic cues. Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 72 (4), 622-632. doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbv100
Intranasal Oxytocin and Social Perceptual Processing in Late Adulthood
Grainger, S., Henry, J., Vanman, E., Scott, J. and Labuschagne, I. (2016). Intranasal Oxytocin and Social Perceptual Processing in Late Adulthood. -, -, -. Cary, NC United States: Oxford University Press.
Social cognitive functioning in late adulthood
Grainger, Sarah (2017). Social cognitive functioning in late adulthood. PhD Thesis, School of Psychology, The University of Queensland. doi: 10.14264/uql.2018.5
Are there age differences in emotional responding?
Grainger, Sarah (2012). Are there age differences in emotional responding?. Honours Thesis, School of Psychology, The University of Queensland.
Applying ecologically valid approaches to social cognitive ageing
(2022–2025) ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award
Reducing social frailty in late adulthood
(2020–2025) ARC Linkage Projects
Social cognition, psychiatric comorbidities and quality of life in people with multiple sclerosis
(2019–2021) Multiple Sclerosis Research Australia
Oral care capacity and oral health in late adulthood
(2018) Australian Dental Research Fund Inc
Social frailty and ageing
Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor
Other advisors:
A multidimensional model of social cognitive ageing.
Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor
Other advisors:
Eye Gaze Perception and Social Visual Attentional Orienting
Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor
Other advisors: