Dr Sabrina Burr

School of Psychology

Lecturer in Psychology

Photo of Sabrina Burr
Profile picture of Photo of Sabrina Burr
s.burr@sheffield.ac.uk
Interdisciplinary Centre of the Social Sciences (ICOSS)

Full contact details

Dr Sabrina Burr
School of Psychology
Interdisciplinary Centre of the Social Sciences (ICOSS)
219 Portobello
Sheffield
S1 4DP
Profile

I am a cognitive scientist and member of the Sheffield Cognitive Development Research Group. My research focuses on cognitive development from both neural and behavioural perspectives. One strand of my research examines children’s numerical and mathematical cognition and the factors that influence mathematics achievement. Another explores how ADHD shapes learning, wellbeing, educational experiences, and academic outcomes from primary school through to university. I also have a strong interest in open and reproducible research, advanced quantitative methods, and interdisciplinary approaches to understanding cognition and development. 

I completed my BA (Hons) in Psychology at Western University, my MSc and EdS in Counselling and Human Systems at Florida State University, and my PhD in Cognitive Science at Carleton University. My doctoral research examined developmental trajectories of ADHD, anxiety, and depression symptoms, as well as academic achievement and school performance, among adolescents with and without ADHD who did and did not pursue postsecondary education. Following my PhD, I was a postdoctoral research and teaching fellow at the University of British Columbia, where I used functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to investigate the development of large-scale neural networks supporting key cognitive processes during the first two years of life.

 

Qualifications

PhD Cognitive Science (Carleton University, Canada)
EdS Counselling and Human Systems (Florida State University, USA)
MSc Counselling and Human Systems (Florida State University, USA)
BA Psychology (Western University, Canada)

Research interests

-Mathematical cognition
-Numerical development
-Cognitive development
-ADHD across development
-Learning and academic outcomes
-Wellbeing and mental health
-Educational interventions
-Neurodevelopmental differences
-Quantitative methods and open research

Publications

Journal articles

  • Denvir E, Di Lonardo Burr S, Rodgers LJ, Mills P, Wylie J & Xu C (2026) . Learning and Individual Differences, 128, 102921-102921.
  • Baig SS, Illingworth C, McQueen B, Gibbons A, Ravenscroft J, Morton C, Brittain G, Butters E, Di Lonardo Burr S, Ali AN , Majid A et al (2026) . Brain Sciences, 16(146).
  • Xu C, Di Lonardo Burr S, Rodgers LJ, Wylie J, Si J, Huang B, Guo K & Li H (2025) . Journal of Educational Psychology.
  • Xu C, Di Lonardo Burr S, McNally-Edwards N, McShane C, Wan L & Wylie J (2024) . Journal of Cognitive Psychology.
  • Susperreguy MI, Di Lonardo Burr SM, Xu C, Douglas HP, Bourque T, del Río MF, Salinas V & LeFevre J-A (2024) . Cognitive Development, 70.
  • Xu C, Di Lonardo Burr S, Li H, Liu C & Si J (2024) . Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 242.
  • Burr SM, Pirazzoli L, Dopierala AW, Bejjanki VR, Nelson CA, Emberson LL & The Gates Foundation fNIRS Consortium (2024) . Journal of Experimental Psychology. General, 153(3), 798-813.
  • Xu C, Li H, Di Lonardo Burr S, Si J, LeFevre J-A & Zhuo X (2024) . Journal of Cognition and Development, 25(1), 46-65.
  • Xu C, Di Lonardo Burr S & LeFevre J-A (2023) . Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology / Revue canadienne de psychologie expérimentale, 77(4), 284-295.
  • Xu C, LeFevre J-A, Di Lonardo Burr S, Maloney EA, Wylie J, Simms V, Skwarchuk S-L & Osana HP (2023) . Journal of Numerical Cognition, 9(2), 253-267.
  • Xu C, Di Lonardo Burr S, LeFevre J-A, Skwarchuk S-L, Osana HP, Maloney EA, Wylie J, Simms V, Susperreguy MI, Douglas H & Lafay A (2023) . Cognitive Development, 67.
  • Burr SM, LeFevre J-A, Arnold LE, Epstein JN, Hinshaw SP, Molina BSG, Hechtman L, Hoza B, Jensen PS, Vitiello B , Pelham WE et al (2022) . Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 61(10), S37-S37.
  • Di Lonardo Burr SM, Xu C, Douglas H, LeFevre J-A & Susperreguy MI (2022) . Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 222.
  • Xu C, Di Lonardo Burr S, Skwarchuk S-L, Douglas H, Lafay A, Osana HP, Simms V, Wylie J, Maloney EA & LeFevre J-A (2022) . Journal of Educational Psychology, 114(6), 1321-1342.
  • Di Lonardo Burr SM, LeFevre J, Arnold LE, Epstein JN, Hinshaw SP, Molina BSG, Hechtman L, Hoza B, Jensen PS, Vitiello B , Pelham WE et al (2022) . Child Development, 93(5), e563-e580.
  • Di Lonardo Burr SM, Xu C, Li H, Si J, LeFevre J & Wang Y (2022) . British Journal of Educational Psychology, 92(4), 1335-1353.
  • Xu C, Li H, Di Lonardo Burr S, Si J, LeFevre J-A & Huang B (2022) . Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 217.
  • Susperreguy MI, Di Lonardo Burr S, Douglas H, Xu C, LeFevre J-A, del Río MF & Salinas V (2022) . Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 59, 84-95.
  • Xu C, Lafay A, Douglas H, Di Lonardo Burr S, LeFevre J-A, Osana HP, Skwarchuk S-L, Wylie J, Simms V & Maloney EA (2022) . Journal of Educational Psychology, 114(3), 513-539.
  • MacLeod B & Di Lonardo Burr SM (2022) . Journal of Phonetics, 92.
  • Di Lonardo Burr SM, Turner J, Nietmann J & LeFevre J-A (2021) . Journal of Numerical Cognition, 7(3), 259-274.
  • Retanal F, Johnston NB, Di Lonardo Burr SM, Storozuk A, DiStefano M & Maloney EA (2021) . Education Sciences, 11(10).
  • Di Lonardo Burr SM & LeFevre J-A (2021) . Cognition and Emotion, 35(7), 1334-1349.
  • Xu C, LeFevre J-A, Skwarchuk S-L, Di Lonardo Burr S, Lafay A, Wylie J, Osana HP, Douglas H, Maloney EA & Simms V (2021) . Developmental Psychology, 57(7), 1067-1079.
  • Song CS, Xu C, Maloney EA, Skwarchuk S-L, Di Lonardo Burr S, Lafay A, Wylie J, Osana HP, Douglas H & LeFevre J-A (2021) . Cognitive Development, 59.
  • Xu C, Burr SDL, Douglas H, Susperreguy MI & LeFevre J-A (2021) . Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 208.
  • Di Lonardo Burr S & LeFevre J-A (2021) . Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 74(3), 523-535.
  • Di Lonardo Burr SM, Douglas H, Vorobeva M & Muldner K (2020) . Journal of Numerical Cognition, 6(3), 355-377.
  • Silinskas G, Di Lonardo Burr S, Douglas H, Xu C, LeFevre J-A, Garckija R, Gabrialaviciute I & Raiziene S (2020) . Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 53, 484-495.
  • Susperreguy MI, Di Lonardo Burr S, Xu C, Douglas H & LeFevre J (2020) . Child Development, 91(5), 1663-1680.
  • Di Lonardo Burr SM & LeFevre J-A (2020) . Learning and Individual Differences, 77.
  • Di Lonardo Burr SM, Huebner MG, Newman K & LeFevre J-A (2020) . Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 73(2), 279-294.
  • Di Lonardo Burr S, Xu C, Li H, Si J, Huang B & Guo K () . Learning and Instruction.
  • Di Lonardo Burr S, Xu C & Susperreguy MI () . Journal of Experimental Child Psychology.
  • Xu C, Di Lonardo Burr S, Yu S, LeFevre J-A, Li H, Si J, Wang Y & Wu S () . Developmental Psychology.
  • Lafay A, Adrien E, Di Lonardo Burr S, Douglas H, Provost-Larocque K, Xu C, LeFevre J-A, Maloney EA, Osana HP, Skwarchuk S-L & Wylie J () . Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 174702182311743-174702182311743.

Book chapters

  • Di Lonardo Burr SM, Xu C, Susperreguy MI, Skwarchuk S-L & LeFevre J-A (2025) , Literacy Studies (pp. 69-84). Springer Nature Switzerland
Research group

Cognitive and neural processes across the lifespan

Current PhD students:

•        Rosemary Wareham-O’Brien: How deaf infants learn to communicate during parent-infant interaction. Co-supervised by Prof. Danielle Matthews
•        Ben Burrell: Predictors of success and struggle in children's fraction learning. Co-supervised by Dr. Emma Blakey
•        Minjia Lu: Immersive technology in children's piano education. Co-supervised by Drs. Jennifer MacRitchie and Maria Stratigou
•        Lisa Jane Rodgers (Queen's University Belfast): The development of mathematical equivalence understanding in primary school children. Co-supervised by Drs. Chang Xu and Judith Wylie
•        Heli Nurminen (University of Turku): Developing adaptive computer tutors for children's fraction learning. Co-supervised by Prof. Jake McMullen and Dr. Jo Van Hoof

Grants
  • • University of Sheffield Higher Education Innovation Fund (2026-27). Converging perspectives: Aligning cognitive mechanisms with the lived experiences of conversational difficulty in ADHD (PI; £10,750).
    • Jacobs Foundation LEVANTE (2026-28). Mathematical literacy and 21st-century skill development in students aged 8 to 12: Examining the role of metacognitive strategies in students’ mathematics learning in Colombia and the UK (Co-PI; ₣112,500 CHF).
    • Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC; 2022-2024) Postdoctoral Fellowship. The development of large-scale neural networks during the first two years of life (PI; $90,000 CAD).
    • Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC; 2019-2021) Doctoral Fellowship. Learning from mistakes: Intelligent tutors for common math misconceptions (PI; $60,000 CAD).
     
Teaching activities

I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. 

I teach and supervise on modules at both the undergraduate and postgraduate level.

Undergraduate:
• PSY1004 (Developmental Psychology)
• PSY1005 and PSY2005 (Research Methods)
• PSY346 (Undergraduate Research Project)
• Personal tutor 

Postgraduate:
• PSY402 (Research Methods in Cognitive Neuroscience)
• PSY6121 (Research Methods)
• PSY6422 (Data Management and Visualisation)
• MSc Research Projects
 

PhD Opportunities

I am happy to receive applications for PhD study in my area of research.