Martyn’s research spans both basic and applied domains with a focus on Learning and Behaviour, Gambling Harm, and Individual Differences in Student Outcomes. His work integrates experimental methods with real-world applications, and has been supported by a range of funding bodies.
Learning & Behaviour
This research investigates how behavioural responses are acquired through associative learning. A central focus is on how individual differences in personality and mental health, such as anxiety, addiction, and schizotypy, shape these processes. Using controlled behavioural experiments and quantitative modelling, this work aims to refine theoretical accounts of learning while identifying mechanisms relevant to real-world behaviour.
Gambling Harm
This research examines the behavioural processes that underpin gambling behaviour, with a particular emphasis on pathways to harm. It explores how reinforcement learning, decision-making biases, and individual differences interact to increase vulnerability to problematic gambling, with the aim of informing prevention, policy and intervention strategies.
Individual Differences & Student Outcomes
This research explores how personality traits and other individual differences influence student engagement, wellbeing, and academic success. It also considers longer-term outcomes, including employability and career development, with the goal of improving student experiences and outcomes within higher education.
Papers
2026
Torrance, J., Quigley, M., Heath, C., Cousins, A., Dighton, G., Wright, S., … Newall, P. (2026). Relapse in disordered gambling: a systematic review from a biopsychosocial perspective. Addiction Research & Theory, 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/16066359.2026.2665613
Torrance, J., Wright, S., Newall, P., Crawford, T., Quigley, M., & Dymond, S. (2026). (Mis)comprehension and (mistaken) attractiveness of financial gambling inducements among UK bettors. Journal of Gambling Studies.
McGarrigle, J., SMITH, J., Griffiths, J., Torrance, J., Quigley, M., & Dymond, S. (2026). Dark patterns in online gambling: A scoping review and classification of deceptive design practices. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 0 https://doi.org/10.1556/2006.2025.00096, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa71152
2025
Wright, S., Smith, J., Dighton, G., Quigley, M., & Dymond, S. (2025). Electronic Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (e-SBIRT) for Gambling Harm: A Mixed-methods Acceptability Study. Journal of Gambling Studies, 41(4), 1583-1596. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-025-10424-9, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa70217
Dighton, G., Whiteford, S., Quigley, M., & Dymond, S. (2025). Anxiety and Distress Tolerance as Mediators between Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms and Gambling Severity in Veterans. Journal of Gambling Studies, 0 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-025-10449-0, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa70772
Dymond, S., xia, W., Zuj, D., & Quigley, M. (2025). Between Scylla and Charybdis: Fixed-Ratio Avoidance Response Effort and Unavoidable Shock Extinction in Humans. Behavioural Brain Research, 477, 115299. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbr.2024.115299, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa68028
Quigley, M., Dymond, S., Kiely, K., Bradley, A., & Haselgrove, M. (2025). Attribute Conditioning is insensitive to cue competition and is not predicted by the Big Five Personality Traits. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 0, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1177/01461672241308921, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa68513
Boldrin, L., Quigley, M., & Dymond, S. (2025). Symbolic or Derived Generalization of Fear and Avoidance in Humans: A Systematic Review. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 35, 100869. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcbs.2024.100869, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa68651
2024
Zuj, D., Cameron, G., Quigley, M., & Dymond, S. (2024). Renewal of threat expectancy in an online contextual avoidance paradigm. Learning and Motivation, 88, 102044 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lmot.2024.102044, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa67465
Dymond, S., Cuddihy, G., Zuj, D., & Quigley, M. (2024). Far from the threatening crowd: Generalisation of conditioned threat expectancy and fear in COVID-19 lockdown. Learning & Behavior, 52(3), 262-271. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13420-024-00625-4, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa65538
Quigley, M. & Whitt, E. (2024). Perfect Assessment and Feedback in Psychology: Students’ Perspectives. Practitioner Research in Higher Education, 0 SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa67464
https://ojs.cumbria.ac.uk/index.php/prhe/article/view/771
Playfoot, D., Quigley, M., & Thomas, A. (2024). Hey ChatGPT, give me a title for a paper about degree apathy and student use of AI for assignment writing. The Internet and Higher Education, 62, 100950 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2024.100950, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa63962
Quigley, M., Smith, C., Stocker, E., & Bradley, A. (2024). University students' perceptions of graduate employer selection tests. Education + Training, 66(1), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1108/et-05-2022-0188, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa65129
Whiteford, S., Quigley, M., Dighton, G., Wood, K., Kitchiner, N., Armour, C., & Dymond, S. (2024). Anxiety, distress tolerance, and the relationship between complex posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and alcohol use in veterans. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 80(1), 158-169. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.23604, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa64796
2023
Quigley, M., Bradley, A., & Haselgrove, M. (2023). Schizotypy dimensions do not predict overshadowing. Behavioural Brain Research, 453, 114631 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbr.2023.114631, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa64079
Quigley, M. & Haselgrove, M. (2023). Overshadowing, but not relative validity, between the elements of an outcome during human associative learning. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, 203, 107790 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nlm.2023.107790, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa63683
Quigley, M., Whiteford, S., Cuddihy, G., Zuj, D., & Dymond, S. (2023). Longitudinal assessment of COVID-19 fear and psychological wellbeing in the United Kingdom. Journal of Health Psychology, 28(8), 726-738. https://doi.org/10.1177/13591053221134848, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa61671
Bradley, A. & Quigley, M. (2023). Governments harnessing the power of data to get ‘value for money’: a simulation study of England’s Office for Students B3 Proceed Metric. Studies in Higher Education, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2023.2196292, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa63079
Cameron G., Quigley, M., Zuj, D., & Dymond, S. (2023). Online counterconditioning with COVID-19-relevant stimuli in lockdown: Impact on threat expectancy, fear, and persistent avoidance. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 78, 101801
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbtep.2022.101801, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa61772
2022
Quigley, M., Bradley, A., Playfoot, D., & Harrad, R. (2022). Personality traits and stress perception as predictors of students' online engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic. Personality and Individual Differences, 194, 111645 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2022.111645, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa59782
Cameron, G., Zuj, D., Dymond, S., & Quigley, M. (2022). Remote, online assessment of avoidance learning. Learning and Motivation, 78, 101805 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lmot.2022.101805, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa59787
2021
Bradley, A., Priego-Hernández, J., & Quigley, M. (2021). Evaluating the efficacy of embedding employability into a second-year undergraduate module. Studies in Higher Education, 47(11), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2021.2020748, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa59056
2020
Quigley, M. & Haselgrove, M. (2020). Interactions between the elements of an outcome in human associative learning.. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Learning and Cognition, 46(3), 297-313. https://doi.org/10.1037/xan0000248, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa54549
Bradley, A., Beevers-Cowling, F., Norton, C., Hill, C., Pelopida, B., & Quigley, M. (2020). Falling at the first hurdle: undergraduate students’ readiness to navigate the graduate recruitment process. Studies in Higher Education, 46(9), 1827-1838. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2019.1709164, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa53168
2019
Reed, P. & Quigley, M. (2019). Over-selectivity decreases with increased training: A role for within-compound associations. Acta Psychologica, 198, 102868. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2019.102868, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa50926
Bradley, A., Quigley, M., & Bailey, K. (2019). How well are students engaging with the careers services at university?. Studies in Higher Education, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2019.1647416, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa51731
Quigley, M., Eatherington, C., & Haselgrove, M. (2019). Learned changes in outcome associability. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 72(2), 209-221. https://doi.org/10.1080/17470218.2017.1344258, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa51734
2017
Quigley, M. & Reed, P. (2017). Over-selective Responding in a Diagnostic Judgment Task. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 31(5), 558-564. https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.3341, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa38867
Book Chapters
Dymond, S. & Quigley, M. (Forthcoming, 2026). Respondent Extinction. Encyclopedia of Psychotherapy, Second edition.
Commentary / Opinion
Bradley, A. & Quigley, M. (2024, December 5). We need to look at representation ratios as well as awarding gaps. Wonkhe. https://wonkhe.com/blogs/we-need-to-look-at-representation-ratios-as-well-as-awarding-gaps/
2025 - Bristol Hub for Gambling Harms Research GamPIT Impact: Building Capacity through Networks and Funding Pathways. Quigley (PI), M., Torrance, J. & Dymond, S. (Co-Is). £11,200
2024 - Bristol Hub for Gambling Harms Research: GamPiT: Evaluating the impact of gambling advertising on behaviours. Quigley (PI), M., Torrance, J. & Dymond, S. (Co-Is). £10,000
2024 - International Centre for Responsible Gaming (ICRG): Evaluating the Impact of Environmental Gambling Cues with Pavlovian-Instrumental Transfer. Quigley (PI), M., Torrance, J. & Dymond, S. (Co-Is). £34,000
2021 - Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (Higher Education Investment and Recovery, HEIR): Leaving lockdown and living with COVID-19. Dymond, S., Zuj, D. V., Quigley, M (Co-PIs). £20,353
2020 - Welsh Government Office for Science (Sêr Cymru Tackling Covid-19): Leaving lockdown and living with COVID-19. Dymond, S., Zuj, D. V., Quigley, M (Co-PIs). £65,000.
2015 - Economic and Social Research Council Doctoral Training Centre, University of Nottingham + 3 PhD Studentship: £52,000.
Professor Simon Dymond | Swansea University
Professor Mark Haselgrove | University of Nottingham
Professor Phil Reed | Swansea University
Professor Robin Murphy | University of Oxford
Dr Jamie Torrance | Swansea University
Dr Alex Bradley | University of Portsmouth
Dr Daniel Zuj | University of Tasmania (Australia)
Assoc Prof. Paula M Moran | Hon. Associate Professor and Reader in Behavioural Neuroscience, Nottingham
Assoc Prof. Emma Whitt | University of Nottingham
Dr Andrew G. Thomas | Swansea University
Dr David Playfoot | Swansea University
Dr Seb Whiteford | Swansea University
Imersifi (https://imersifi.com/) - Immersive Learning Technology
Journals (reviewed for)
Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology
Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Learning & Cognition
Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception & Performance
Learning & Motivation
Frontiers - Health Psychology
Personality and Individual Differences
Journal of Behaviour Therapy and Experimental Psychology
Computers and Education
The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher
Cognitive Neuropsychiatry
Behavioural Brain Research
BMC Psychology
Behaviour Research & Therapy (BRAT)
Scientific Reports
Schizophrenia Research
Journal of Anxiety Disorders (JAD)
L'Année Psychologique / Topics in Cognitive Psychology
Grants
UKRI - ESRC Responsive Mode
UKRI - ESRC Impact Acceleration Accounts (IAAs)
UKRI - ESRC WGSSS
DFG (Germany Research Foundation)
Society for the Study of Addiction (SSA)
Some select recent examples:
Invited Talk: University of Oxford (2026): Evaluating the impact of Gambling cues using Pavlovian-instrumental transfer. Hosted by Prof. Robin Murphy.
Invited Talk: University of Cambridge (2026): Evaluating the impact of Gambling cues using Pavlovian-instrumental transfer. Hosted by Prof. Camilla Nord.
Conference Presentation: Quigley, M., Dymond, S., Kiely, K., Bradley, A., & Haselgrove, M. (2025). Attribute Conditioning is insensitive to cue competition and is not predicted by the Big Five Personality Traits. Experimental Psychology Society (EPS), United Kingdom.