Dr. Ben Harkin | Data Analysis Innovation | Best Researcher Award

Doctorate at Manchester Metropolitan University, United Kingdom

👨‍🎓 Profiles

Orcid Profile
Scopus Profile

👨‍🔬 Summary

Dr. Ben Harkin is an esteemed cognitive psychologist known for his work in selective reviews, meta-analyses, negative cognitions and behaviors, and behavior change through validated interventions. He earned his PhD in 2012 with a dissertation titled “A Cognitive Examination of Compulsive Checkers’ Working Memory and Inhibitory Performance,” leading to 7 peer-reviewed publications. His recent meta-analysis research employs a novel multidimensional approach to data extraction and analysis, offering new insights into key cognitive aspects of psychological phenomena.

🏆 Awards and Projects

Dr. Harkin was honored with an ESRC Future Leaders Research Award in 2013, focusing on developing interventions for individuals avoiding debt. His project involved creating and applying interventions in a laboratory setting to enhance financial decision-making for loan seekers at a local credit union in Chesterfield. This multidisciplinary effort required collaboration with academics, research assistants, stakeholders, and those in debt. Additionally, Dr. Harkin received a BA Grant alongside the ESRC award, which involved supervising research assistants and post-doctoral researchers, working within diverse communities, and disseminating results to both lay and academic audiences.

🎓 Education

• PhD in Psychology (2012): “A Cognitive Examination of Compulsive Checkers’ Working Memory and Inhibitory Performance,” University of Glasgow.
• MSc in Research Methods of Psychological Science (Distinction) (2008): “How Checking Breeds Doubt: Reduced Performance in a Simple Working Memory Task,” Behaviour Research and Therapy.
• MA in Psychology (First Class: Top Student) (2007): “Implicit Awareness of Ambiguity: A Role in the Development of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder,” Behaviour Research and Therapy.
• MA in Education (Distinction) (2022): “The Impact of Physical, Mental, Social and Emotional Dimensions of Digital Learning Spaces on Student’s Depth of Learning,” International Journal of Management and Applied Research.

📚 Key Publications

• Harkin, B., & Yates, A. (2024). “From Cognitive Function to Treatment Efficacy in Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder: Insights from a Multidimensional Meta-Analytic Approach,” Journal of Clinical Medicine.
• Harkin, B., Perrson, S., Yates, A., Ainara, J., & Kessler, K. (2023). “Top-Down and Bottom-Up Contributions to Memory Performance in OCD: A Multilevel Meta-Analysis with Clinical Implications,” Journal of Psychopathology and Clinical Science.
• Harkin, B. (2017). “Improving Financial Management via Contemplation: Novel Interventions and Findings in Laboratory and Applied Settings,” Frontiers in Psychology.
• Perrson, S., Yates, A., Kessler, K., & Harkin, B. (2021). “Modelling a Multi-Dimensional Model of Memory Performance in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A Multi-Level Meta-Analytic Review,” Journal of Psychopathology and Clinical Science.
• Harkin, B., Webb, T., Chang, B., Benn, Y., Sheeran, P., Connor, M., & Prestwich, J. (2016). “Does Monitoring Goal Progress Promote Goal Attainment? A Meta-Analysis of the Experimental Evidence,” Psychological Bulletin.
• Harkin, B. & Kessler, K. (2011). “The role of Working Memory in Compulsive Checking and OCD: A Systematic Classification of 58 Experimental Findings,” Clinical Psychology Review.

💰 Key Grants

• Primary Investigator: ESRC Future Leaders Award, examining insights from clinical OCD to understand debt avoidance and designing interventions.
• Primary Investigator: British Academy grant, “How Scientific Theories Disappear Down the ‘YouTube Rabbit Hole,’” exploring why people believe anti-science messages and proposing interventions and policies.

📖 Publications