Prof. Brian Butterworth ‎

Emeritus Prof Brian Butterworth FBA is a professor at the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience ‎and the Department of Psychology in University College London.‎

Research Interests ‎

Prof. Butterworth’s research interests lie in the domains of cognitive psychology, the ‎neuropsychology of numbers and arithmetic, neural network models of reading and arithmetic ‎and reading and acquired dyslexia in English, Japanese and Chinese.‎
Prof. Butterworth is interested in how the brain processes numerical information. His research ‎employs many different approaches from many different disciplines. These include fMRI, ‎functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy, TMS, twin studies, studies of Australian aboriginal ‎learners, studies of both typically and atypically developing learners (including those with ‎dyscalculia, Turner Syndrome and Williams Syndrome), and patterns of dissociation in ‎neurological patients, as well as normally competent adults. ‎
He also builds neural network models of adult competence and is working on developing ‎methods for helping people who have difficulty with arithmetic, including those with congenital ‎learning difficulties (such as dyscalculia).‎

Publications

Please see the list below for a selection of Prof. Butterworth’s recent publications. More ‎information about Prof. Butterworth including a more extensive publication list can be found ‎here: Prof. Butterworth’s Publications

  • Agrillo, C., Piffer, L., Bisazza, A., & Butterworth, B. (2012). Evidence for Two ‎Numerical Systems That Are Similar in Humans and Guppies. PLoS ONE, 7(2). For full text click here
  • Bahrami, B., Didino, D., Frith, C., Butterworth, B., & Rees, G. (2013). Collective ‎enumeration. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and ‎Performance, 39(2), 338-347. ‎For full text click here
  • Bisazza, A., Butterworth, B., Piffer, L., Bahrami, B., Petrazzini, M. E. M., & ‎Agrillo, C. (2014). Collective enhancement of numerical acuity by meritocratic ‎leadership in fish. Scientific Reports, 4(4560). ‎For full text click here
  • Butterworth, B. (2012). Commentary on “How Can Syntax Support Number ‎Word Acquisition?” by Kristen Syrett, Julien Musolino, and Rochel Gelman. ‎Language Learning and Development, 8(2), 186-189. ‎For full text click here
  • Butterworth, B., & Kovas, Y. (2013). Understanding Neurocognitive ‎Developmental Disorders Can Improve Education for All. Science, 340(6130), ‎‎300-305. ‎Click here