Dr Rachel Horsley

Lecturer in Psychology
PhD (University of Nottingham) Photograph of Dr Rachel Horsley.

Contact

Email: rrh10@aber.ac.uk
Office: 0.18
Phone: +44 (0) 1979 621919

Teaching Areas

Dr Horsley’s primary teaching responsibilities include convening biopsychologically oriented modules such as Brain and Behaviour and Perspectives on Psychobiology and Cognition. Dr Horsley also contributes to undergraduate modules in quantitative research methods.
Research

 

Research

Dr Horsley’s research interests have centred on associative learning and neuropsychopharmacological models of schizophrenia.  More recently, Dr Horsley has been investigating the fundamental learning processes involved in conditions with impulsive and/or compulsive aspects (such as atypical gambling, AD/HD, eating and self-harm).

Staff Publications

Horsley, R.R., Osborne, M., Norman, C., and Wells, T. (2012). High frequency gamblers show increased resistance to extinction following partial, but not continuous reinforcement. Behavioural Brain Research, 229(2), 438-442.

Radburn, B. & Horsley, R.R. (2011). Gamblers, Grinders and Mavericks: The use of membership categorisation by professional poker players. Journal of Gambling Studies, 26, 30-50.

Nelson, A.J.D., Thur, K.E., Horsley, R.R., Spicer, C., Marsden, C.A., Cassaday, H.J. (2011)  Reduced dopamine function within the medial shell of the nucleus accumbens enhances latent inhibition. Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior. 98 (1), 1-7.

Whitt, E. J., Jones, P. M., Horsley R.R. & Robinson, J. (2010). Excitotoxic lesions of the perirhinal cortex attenuate rats’ generalization of familiarity among auditory stimuli. Behavioural Neuroscience, 124 (5): 587-599.

Cassaday, H. J., Nelson, A. J. D., Thur, K. E., Horsley, R. R., Spicer, C., Marsden, C. A. (2010). Enhanced latent inhibition after haloperidol microinjection in shell, but not core, of the nucleus accumbens: comparison with the effects of 6-hydroxydopamine. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 24 (3, supplement).

Horsley, R.R., & Norman, C. (2010). Communication within the Brain. In: Banyard, P., Davies, M.N.O., Norman, C., Winder, B. (eds.) Essential Psychology: A Concise Introduction. London: Sage.

Horsley, R.R., Traynor, H., Wells, T., & Norman, C. (2009). Low sensitivity to reward enhances learning in a latent inhibition task. Journal of Psychopharmacology 23 (3, supplement).

Horsley, R.R., & Cassaday, H.J., (2008). Amphetamine effects in appetitive acquisition depend on the modality of the stimulus rather than its relative validity. Progress In Neuro-Psychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry, 32 (4), 1057-1063.

Cassaday, H. J., Finger, B., & Horsley, R.R., (2008). Methylphenidate and nicotine focus responding to an informative discrete CS over successive sessions of appetitive conditioning. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 22 (8), 849-859.

Horsley, R.R., Norman C., & Cassaday, H.J. (2007). Lesions of the nucleus accumbens shell can reduce activity in the elevated plus-maze. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry 31, 906-914.

Horsley, R.R., & Cassaday, H.J. (2007). Methylphenidate can reduce selectivity in associative learning in an aversive trace conditioning task. Journal of Psychopharmacology 21 (5), 492-500.

Horsley, R.R., Finger, B., & Cassaday, H.J. (2007). Nicotine dose dependently focuses responding over successive sessions of appetitive conditioning. Journal of Psychopharmacology 21 (3, supplement).

Horsley, R.R., & Cassaday, H.J. (2006). Methylphenidate reduces selectivity in aversive and appetitive trace conditioning procedures. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 20 (3, supplement).

Cassaday, H.J., Horsley, R.R., & Norman, C. (2005). Electrolytic lesions to nucleus accumbens core and shell have dissociable effects on conditioning to discrete and contextual cues in aversive and appetitive procedures respectively. Behavioral Brain Research, 160: 222-235.

Horsley, R.R., Norman, C., & Cassaday, H.J. (2005). Shell lesions of the nucleus accumbens reduce activity on the elevated plus-maze. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 19 (3, supplement)

Horsley, R.R., Cassaday, H.J., & Norman, C. (2004). Electrolytic lesions of the shell (but not core) sub-territory of the nucleus accumbens potentiate contextual conditioning in trace conditioned rats. Journal of Psychopharmacology 18(3, supplement).

Horsley, R.R., & Cassaday, H.J. (2003). Preliminary experiment finds no effect of 1mg/kg of d-amphetamine on overshadowing in the rat. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 17 (3, supplement).

Horsley, R.R., & Cassaday, H.J. (2002). Correlational and salience overshadowing in the rat. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 16 (3, supplement).

Regel, S., Woodward, L., Horsley, R.R. & Brunsden, V. (2001). An Audit of Operational Stressors and Post-Traumatic Reactions in Firefighters and Control Room Staff. Nottingham Trent University; Centre for Traumatic Studies, Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust.

Conference Presentations

Dunn, T., Baguley, T., Horsley, R.R., and Lansdale, M. Spatial memory exclusivity: Investigating the effect of semantics and distinctiveness on location memory integration. (International Conference on Spatial Cognition, 2012).

Bloxsom, C.A.J., Beal., K., Auty, J., & Horsley, R. Attachment and anger in the murder of a love rival: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. (British Psychological Society, Forensic Division, 2010).

Dunn, T., Baguley, T., Horsley, R.R., and Lansdale, M. The role of semantics and expertise when integrating two spatial memories for a single object. (British Psychological Society Meeting Cognitive Section, 2010).

Nelson, A.J.D., Thur, K.E., Horsley, R.R, Spicer, C., Marsden, C.A., & Cassaday, H.J. Enhanced latent inhibition after haloperidol microinjection in shell, but not core, of the nucleus accumbens; comparison with the effects of 6-OHDA. (British Association for Psychopharmacology Summer Meeting, 2010).

Horsley, R.R. Traynor, H., Wells, T., & Norman, C. (2009). Low sensitivity to reward enhances learning in a latent inhibition task. (Nottingham Institute of Neuroscience).

Horsley, R.R. (2007) Attentional effects of amphetamine and methylphenidate in a trace conditioning task. (School of Life Sciences, Nottingham Trent University).

Horsley, R.R. (2005). ) Effects of systemic amphetamine and accumbens lesions of overshadowing. (Nottingham Institute of Neuroscience).

Horsley, R.R., & Cassaday, H.J. (2003). Preliminary experiment finds no effect of 1mg/kg of d-amphetamine on overshadowing in the rat.  (Animal Learning Symposium, University of Cardiff).

Horsley, R.R. (2003). Systemic d-amphetamine and selective electrolytic lesions of the nucleus accumbens do not abolish stimulus selection based on salience. (School of Psychology, University of Nottingham).

Horsley, R.R. (2002) Some effects of variations in CS informativeness and intensity on appetitive Pavlovian learning in the rat. (School of Psychology, University of Nottingham).

Cassaday, H.J., Norman, C., Kantini, E., &  Horsley, R.R. (2002). Some effects of amphetamine on conditioning in the rat.  (Animal Learning Symposium, University of Cardiff).
 

Grants

2011: Stimulating Innovation and Success Grant (£10,000, NTU). Phenomenology of emotion and control in convicted murderers (in collaboration with HMPS Gartree).

2010: SPUR Summer Studentship (£2,000 approx, NTU). Associative learning basis of gambling behavior.

2009: Psychology Development Grants (£3000, NTU). Neural correlates of the simple prediction task.

2008: Proctor & Gamble (£16,000). Womens experience of hair colouring.