Professor Sue Sherman

School of Psychology

Professor of Psychology

susan.sherman@sheffield.ac.uk

Interdisciplinary Centre of the Social Sciences (ICOSS)

Full contact details

Professor Sue Sherman
School of Psychology
Interdisciplinary Centre of the Social Sciences (ICOSS)
219 Portobello
Sheffield
S1 4DP

Profile: I have a multidisciplinary background (computational linguistics, cognitive psychology and public health) and I joined the University of Sheffield as Professor of Psychology in August 2024.

Qualifications: BSc, MA, PhD, SFHEA

Research interests

My main area of research concerns public health, but I also conduct research from time to time on topics in cognitive psychology.

Public health

The focus of my public health research is on understanding the psychosocial barriers and facilitators to immunisation (HPV, COVID-19, varicella) and cancer screening (cervical and HPV self-sampling) uptake. I work closely with patient and charity stakeholders as well as representatives from public health bodies in the UK and New Zealand, and colleagues at other universities to deliver rigorous research with demonstrable impact on policy and practice.

Much of my research has a health equity focus and I am interested in the public, patient, and healthcare provider perspectives.

Cervical screening and HPV vaccination

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a common group of viruses. Two low-risk HPV types can cause genital warts and several high-risk HPV types are responsible for causing cancers such as cervical, vulval, anal, penile, and head and neck cancers. There is an HPV vaccination that protects against some of these HPV types and in the UK, this is given to children aged 12-13 through a school-based programme. In addition, women and people with a cervix can go for cervical screening. In the UK and some other countries, HPV primary testing is the screening method used. This involves a sample of cells from the cervix being first tested for HPV infection and if the test is positive, they are further inspected using cytology for pre-cancerous cell changes, which if detected can be removed.

Since HPV primary screening has been introduced in the last few years, it has led to the development of self-sampling kits which have been introduced in some countries (e.g. Australia and New Zealand) and which have been piloted in the UK.

I currently lead an NIHR funded research project Cervical screening for women with physical disabilities: barriers and solutions. The project has an Open Science Framework project space and conference presentations and papers will be added here as the project progresses.

Cervical screening is a physically challenging procedure for many people. There is little research exploring the cervical screening experiences of physically Disabled people despite them being less likely to attend screening. This research is exploring what barriers exist in current practice, how these might be addressed and the extent to which alternatives to speculum-based sampling might be acceptable to people with a range of physical disabilities.

I work on this project along with my Research Associate Dr Emma Kemp as well as a team from The Eve Appeal, Queen Mary University London, and Keele University. In addition, we have a team of patient and public involvement (PPI) representatives who all have lived experience and advise us on the project development and delivery. PPI representation is central to the ethos and success of the funding scheme (Research for Patient Benefit) and the project, and we have a PPI co-investigator on the grant Samantha Renke who is an actress and journalist. You can watch Sam talking about cervical screening and HPV on Loose Women.

Cognitive psychology

My PhD (2000-2004) focused on false memories created using the Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) paradigm. In this paradigm, participants are presented with lists of words (e.g. bed, wake, night, dream) related to a non-presented critical lure word (e.g. sleep). On subsequent memory tasks, participants have robust false memories for the non-presented critical lure words. I remain fascinated by this area and in particular its application to real world stimuli such as adverts, music, and faces, as well as how mindfulness and mind wandering influence performance on the task.

Publications

Show: Featured publications All publications

Featured publications

Books

Ball LJ, Butler LT, Sherman SM & St Clair-Thompson H () Cognitive Psychology in a Changing World. Routledge.

Journal articles

Sherman SM, Allerton-Price C, Lingley-Heath N, Lai J & Bedford H (2024) UK healthcare professionals’ attitudes towards the introduction of varicella vaccine into the routine childhood vaccination schedule and their preferences for administration. Vaccine, 42(10), 2621-2627.
Sherman SM, Lingley-Heath N, Lai J, Sim J & Bedford H (2023) Parental acceptance of and preferences for administration of routine varicella vaccination in the UK: A study to inform policy. Vaccine, 41(8), 1438-1446.
Sherman SM, Brewer N, Bartholomew K, Bromhead C, Crengle S, Cunningham C, Douwes J, Foliaki S, Grant J, Maxwell A , McPherson G et al (2022) Human papillomavirus self‐testing among unscreened and under‐screened Māori, Pasifika and Asian women in Aotearoa New Zealand: A preference survey among responders and interviews with clinical‐trial nonresponders. Health Expectations, 25(6), 2914-2923.
Sherman SM, Smith LE, Sim J, Amlôt R, Cutts M, Dasch H, Rubin GJ & Sevdalis N (2021) COVID-19 vaccination intention in the UK: results from the COVID-19 vaccination acceptability study (CoVAccS), a nationally representative cross-sectional survey. Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics, 17(6), 1612-1621.
Sherman SM & Grange JA (2020) Exploring the Impact of Mindfulness on False-Memory Susceptibility. Psychological Science, 31(8), 968-977.
Patel H, Jeve YB, Sherman SM & Moss EL (2016) Knowledge of human papillomavirus and the human papillomavirus vaccine in European adolescents: a systematic review. Sexually Transmitted Infections, 92(6), 474-479.
Sherman SM, Cohen CR, Denison HJ, Bromhead C & Patel H () A survey of knowledge, attitudes and awareness of the human papillomavirus among healthcare professionals across the UK. European Journal of Public Health.
Sherman SM & Nailer E () Attitudes towards and knowledge about Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and the HPV vaccination in parents of teenage boys in the UK. PLOS ONE, 13(4), e0195801-e0195801.

All publications

Books

Ball LJ, Butler LT, Sherman SM & St Clair-Thompson H () Cognitive Psychology in a Changing World. Routledge.

Journal articles

O'Mahony E, Sherman SM, Marlow R, Bedford H & Fitzgerald F (2024) UK paediatricians' attitudes towards the chicken pox vaccine: the SPOTTY study. Vaccine, 42(22). View this article in WRRO
Sherman SM, Allerton-Price C, Lingley-Heath N, Lai J & Bedford H (2024) UK healthcare professionals’ attitudes towards the introduction of varicella vaccine into the routine childhood vaccination schedule and their preferences for administration. Vaccine, 42(10), 2621-2627.
Taylor J, Nailer E, Cohen CR, Redman CWE & Sherman SM (2024) HPV vaccination and cervical screening: the knowledge and attitudes of mothers of adolescent girls. Psychology & Health, 39(4), 499-516.
Smith LE, Sim J, Cutts M, Dasch H, Amlôt R, Sevdalis N, Rubin GJ & Sherman SM (2023) Psychosocial factors affecting COVID-19 vaccine uptake in the UK: A prospective cohort study (CoVAccS – Wave 3). Vaccine: X, 13, 100276-100276.
Sherman SM, Lingley-Heath N, Lai J, Sim J & Bedford H (2023) Parental acceptance of and preferences for administration of routine varicella vaccination in the UK: A study to inform policy. Vaccine, 41(8), 1438-1446.
Smith LE, Sim J, Sherman SM, Amlôt R, Cutts M, Dasch H, Sevdalis N & Rubin GJ (2023) Psychological factors associated with reporting side effects following COVID-19 vaccination: A prospective cohort study (CoVAccS – Wave 3). Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 164, 111104-111104.
Sherman SM, Brewer N, Bartholomew K, Bromhead C, Crengle S, Cunningham C, Douwes J, Foliaki S, Grant J, Maxwell A , McPherson G et al (2022) Human papillomavirus self‐testing among unscreened and under‐screened Māori, Pasifika and Asian women in Aotearoa New Zealand: A preference survey among responders and interviews with clinical‐trial nonresponders. Health Expectations, 25(6), 2914-2923.
Bennett C, Edwards D, Sherman SM, Baker P, Waheed D-E-N, Vorsters A, Sarıca Çevik H, Karafillakis E, Prue G & Kelly D (2022) Which interventions improve HPV vaccination uptake and intention in children, adolescents and young adults? An umbrella review. Sexually Transmitted Infections, 98(8), 599-607.
Smith LE, Sim J, Amlôt R, Cutts M, Dasch H, Sevdalis N, Rubin GJ & Sherman SM (2022) Side-effect expectations from COVID-19 vaccination: Findings from a nationally representative cross-sectional survey (CoVAccS – wave 2). Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 152, 110679-110679.
Sherman SM, Sim J, Cutts M, Dasch H, Amlôt R, Rubin GJ, Sevdalis N & Smith LE (2022) COVID-19 vaccination acceptability in the UK at the start of the vaccination programme: a nationally representative cross-sectional survey (CoVAccS – wave 2). Public Health, 202, 1-9.
Alzubaidi H, Samorinha C, Saddik B, Saidawi W, Abduelkarem AR, Abu-Gharbieh E & Sherman SM (2021) A mixed-methods study to assess COVID-19 vaccination acceptability among university students in the United Arab Emirates. Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics, 17(11), 4074-4082.
Sherman SM, Sim J, Amlôt R, Cutts M, Dasch H, Rubin GJ, Sevdalis N & Smith LE (2021) Intention to have the seasonal influenza vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic among eligible adults in the UK: a cross-sectional survey. BMJ Open, 11(7), e049369-e049369.
Bartholomew K, Lawton B, Sherman SM, Bromhead C, Grant J, McPherson G, Maxwell A, Saville M, Crengle S & Scott N (2021) Recommendations for implementing HPV self-testing in Aotearoa. New Zealand Medical Journal, 134(1535), 11-16.
Sherman SM, Smith LE, Sim J, Amlôt R, Cutts M, Dasch H, Rubin GJ & Sevdalis N (2021) COVID-19 vaccination intention in the UK: results from the COVID-19 vaccination acceptability study (CoVAccS), a nationally representative cross-sectional survey. Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics, 17(6), 1612-1621.
Hill E, Nemec M, Marlow L, Sherman SM & Waller J (2021) Maximising the acceptability of extended time intervals between screens in the NHS Cervical Screening Programme: An online experimental study. Journal of Medical Screening, 28(3), 333-340.
O'Connor DB, Aggleton JP, Chakrabarti B, Cooper CL, Creswell C, Dunsmuir S, Fiske ST, Gathercole S, Gough B, Ireland JL , Jones MV et al (2020) Research priorities for the COVID‐19 pandemic and beyond: A call to action for psychological science. British Journal of Psychology, 111(4), 603-629.
Sherman SM & Grange JA (2020) Exploring the Impact of Mindfulness on False-Memory Susceptibility. Psychological Science, 31(8), 968-977.
Patel H, Sherman SM, Tincello D & Moss EL (2020) Awareness of and attitudes towards cervical cancer prevention among migrant Eastern European women in England. Journal of Medical Screening, 27(1), 40-47.
Patel H, Sherman SM, Pčolkina K, Strazdiņa K, Viberga I, Redman CW, Zodzika J, Rezeberga D & Moss EL (2019) Barriers and motivators for uptake of cervical cancer prevention strategies in Eastern Europe: the perspective from Latvia. Acta Dermatovenerologica Alpina Pannonica et Adriatica, 28(3).
Patel H, Moss EL & Sherman SM (2018) HPV primary cervical screening in England: Women's awareness and attitudes. Psycho-Oncology, 27(6), 1559-1564.
Hope KA, Moss E, Redman CWE & Sherman SM (2017) Psycho-social influences upon older women's decision to attend cervical screening: A review of current evidence. Preventive Medicine, 101, 60-66.
Patel H, Pčolkina K, Strazdina K, Viberga I, Sherman SM, Tincello DG, Redman CW, Rezeberga D & Moss EL (2017) Awareness of HPV infection and attitudes toward HPV vaccination among Latvian adolescents. International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, 137(2), 138-144.
Sherman SM, Moss EL, Pearmain P & Redman CWE (2016) Colposcopists’ experiences of HPV Test of Cure for the follow up of cervical intra-epithelial neoplasia. European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, 201, 42-45.
Patel H, Jeve YB, Sherman SM & Moss EL (2016) Knowledge of human papillomavirus and the human papillomavirus vaccine in European adolescents: a systematic review. Sexually Transmitted Infections, 92(6), 474-479.
Sherman SM, Nailer E, Pearmain P, Todd RW & Redman CWE (2016) Disclosing the results of the invasive cervical cancer review to patients: a survey of lead colposcopists across England. Cytopathology, 27(4), 237-241.
Sherman SM, Nailer E, Minshall C, Coombes R, Cooper J & Redman CWE (2016) Awareness and knowledge of HPV and cervical cancer in female students: A survey (with a cautionary note). Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 36(1), 76-80.
Sherman SM, Castanon A, Moss E & Redman CWE (2015) Cervical cancer is not just a young woman's disease. BMJ, 350(jun15 1), h2729-h2729.
Sherman SM & Lane EL (2015) Awareness of Risk Factors for Breast, Lung and Cervical Cancer in a UK Student Population. Journal of Cancer Education, 30(4), 660-663.
Sherman SM & Kennerley J (2014) The organisation of musical semantic memory: Evidence from false memories for familiar songs. Memory, 22(7), 852-860.
Sherman SM, Moss E & Redman CWE (2013) The invasive cervical cancer review: psychological issues surrounding disclosure. Cytopathology, 24(2), 77-80.
Sherman SM (2013) False recall and recognition of brand names increases over time. Memory, 21(2), 219-229.
Moss EL, Sherman SM, Pearmain P & Redman CWE (2012) The NHS cervical screening programme audit of invasive cervical cancers: who benefits?. BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, 119(1), 1-4.
Sherman SM & Jordan TR (2011) Word-frequency effects in long-term semantic priming and false memory. British Journal of Psychology, 102(3), 559-568.
Sherman SM & Moran EJ (2011) Creating false memories for brand names. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 25(2), 336-340.
Edelstyn NMJ, Shepherd TA, Mayes AR, Sherman SM & Ellis SJ (2010) Effect of disease severity and dopaminergic medication on recollection and familiarity in patients with idiopathic nondementing Parkinson's. Neuropsychologia, 48(5), 1367-1375.
Jordan TR, Sherman SM & Tonkin RP (2007) Constructing isoluminant stimuli for word recognition research: A precautionary study. Behavior Research Methods, 39(3), 494-501.
Jordan TR, Sherman SM & Patching GR (2007) Using spatial frequency adaptation to study word recognition. Behavior Research Methods, 39(4), 884-891.
Smith-Spark JH, Moore V, Valentine T & Sherman SM (2006) Stimulus generation, ratings, phoneme counts, and group classifications for 696 famous people by British adults over 40 years of age. Behavior Research Methods, 38(4), 590-597.
Adams J, Sherman SM & Williams HL () Revisiting Snodgrass and Vanderwart in photograph form: The Keele Photo Stimulus Set (KPSS). Behavior Research Methods, 56(4), 3861-3872.
Smith LE, Sherman SM, Sim J, Amlôt R, Cutts M, Dasch H, Sevdalis N & Rubin GJ () Parents’ intention to vaccinate their child for COVID-19: A mixed-methods study (CoVAccS–wave 3). PLOS ONE, 17(12), e0279285-e0279285.
Coote P, Bartholomew K, Grant J, Maxwell A, Bromhead C, Gillett F, Saraf R, Moodabe K, Sherman S, McPherson G , Flower D et al () Feasibility and acceptability of telehealth and contactless delivery of human papillomavirus (HPV) self-testing for cervical screening with Māori and Pacific women in a COVID-19 outbreak in Aotearoa New Zealand. New Zealand Medical Journal, 135(1565), 83-94.
Bromhead C, Wihongi H, Sherman SM, Crengle S, Grant J, Martin G, Maxwell A, McPherson G, Puloka A, Reid S , Scott N et al () Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Self-Sampling among Never-and Under-Screened Indigenous Māori, Pacific and Asian Women in Aotearoa New Zealand: A Feasibility Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(19), 10050-10050.
Rowley M, Gilman H & Sherman SM () Investigating the celebrity effect: The influence of well-liked celebrities on adults’ explicit and implicit attitudes to brands and brand choice.. Psychology of Popular Media Culture, 8(4), 402-409.
Sherman SM, Cohen CR, Denison HJ, Bromhead C & Patel H () A survey of knowledge, attitudes and awareness of the human papillomavirus among healthcare professionals across the UK. European Journal of Public Health.
Sherman SM, Bartholomew K, Denison HJ, Patel H, Moss EL, Douwes J & Bromhead C () Knowledge, attitudes and awareness of the human papillomavirus among health professionals in New Zealand. PLOS ONE, 13(12), e0197648-e0197648.
Sherman SM & Nailer E () Attitudes towards and knowledge about Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and the HPV vaccination in parents of teenage boys in the UK. PLOS ONE, 13(4), e0195801-e0195801.
Patel H, Austin-Smith K, Sherman SM, Tincello D & Moss EL () Knowledge, attitudes and awareness of the human papillomavirus amongst primary care practice nurses: an evaluation of current training in England. Journal of Public Health.
Sherman SM, Follows H, Mushore ABR, Hampson-Jones K & Wright-Bevans K () Television advertisements create false memories for competitor brands.. Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 4(1), 1-7.

Chapters

Ball LJ, Butler LT, Sherman SM & Clair-Thompson HS (2023) Attention, Cognitive Psychology in a Changing World (pp. 439-477). Routledge
Ball LJ, Butler LT, Sherman SM & Clair-Thompson HS (2023) The nature of consciousness, Cognitive Psychology in a Changing World (pp. 525-563). Routledge
Ball LJ, Butler LT, Sherman SM & Clair-Thompson HS (2023) Cognition and the body, Cognitive Psychology in a Changing World (pp. 565-594). Routledge
Ball LJ, Butler LT, Sherman SM & Clair-Thompson HS (2023) Memory and forgetting, Cognitive Psychology in a Changing World (pp. 353-397). Routledge
Ball LJ, Butler LT, Sherman SM & Clair-Thompson HS (2023) Problem solving, Cognitive Psychology in a Changing World (pp. 21-77). Routledge
Ball LJ, Butler LT, Sherman SM & Clair-Thompson HS (2023) Deductive reasoning, Cognitive Psychology in a Changing World (pp. 127-187). Routledge
Ball LJ, Butler LT, Sherman SM & Clair-Thompson HS (2023) Cognitive psychology in a changing world, Cognitive Psychology in a Changing World (pp. 1-20). Routledge
Ball LJ, Butler LT, Sherman SM & Clair-Thompson HS (2023) The future of cognitive psychology, Cognitive Psychology in a Changing World (pp. 595-629). Routledge
Ball LJ, Butler LT, Sherman SM & Clair-Thompson HS (2023) Speech and other language issues, Cognitive Psychology in a Changing World (pp. 309-351). Routledge
Ball LJ, Butler LT, Sherman SM & Clair-Thompson HS (2023) Perception, Cognitive Psychology in a Changing World (pp. 479-523). Routledge
Ball LJ, Butler LT, Sherman SM & Clair-Thompson HS (2023) Reading, Cognitive Psychology in a Changing World (pp. 263-307). Routledge
Ball LJ, Butler LT, Sherman SM & Clair-Thompson HS (2023) Creativity and expertise, Cognitive Psychology in a Changing World (pp. 79-125). Routledge
Ball LJ, Butler LT, Sherman SM & Clair-Thompson HS (2023) Concepts and categories, Cognitive Psychology in a Changing World (pp. 189-210). Routledge
Ball LJ, Butler LT, Sherman SM & Clair-Thompson HS (2023) Everyday memory, Cognitive Psychology in a Changing World (pp. 399-437). Routledge
Ball LJ, Butler LT, Sherman SM & Clair-Thompson HS (2023) Judgement and decision making, Cognitive Psychology in a Changing World (pp. 211-261). Routledge

Preprints

Sherman SM, Allerton-Price C, Lingley-Heath N, Lai J & Bedford H (2023) UK healthcare professionals’ attitudes towards the introduction of varicella vaccine into the routine childhood vaccination schedule and their preferences for delivery, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Smith LE, Sim J, Sherman SM, Amlôt R, Cutts M, Dasch H, Sevdalis N & Rubin GJ (2022) Psychological factors associated with reporting side effects following COVID-19 vaccination: a prospective cohort study (CoVAccS – wave 3), Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Sherman SM, Lingley-Heath N, Lai J, Sim J & Bedford H (2022) Parental acceptance of and preferences for administration of routine varicella vaccination in the UK: a study to inform policy, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Smith LE, Sherman SM, Sim J, Amlôt R, Cutts M, Dasch H, Sevdalis N & Rubin GJ (2022) Parents’ intention to vaccinate their child for COVID-19: a cross-sectional survey (CoVAccS – wave 3), Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Sherman SM, Bartholomew K, Brewer N, Bromhead C, Crengle S, Cunningham C, Douwes J, Foliaki S, Grant J, Maxwell A , McPherson G et al (2022) Human Papillomavirus (HPV) self-testing among un- and under-screened Māori, Pasifika, and Asian women in Aotearoa New Zealand: a preference survey among responders and interviews with clinical-trial non-responders, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Sherman SM, Sim J, Cutts M, Dasch H, Amlôt R, Rubin GJ, Sevdalis N & Smith LE (2021) COVID-19 vaccination acceptability in the UK at the start of the vaccination programme: a nationally representative cross-sectional survey (CoVAccS – wave 2), Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Sherman SM, Sim J, Amlôt R, Cutts M, Dasch H, Rubin GJ, Sevdalis N & Smith LE (2020) Intention to have the seasonal influenza vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic among eligible adults in the UK, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Sherman SM, Smith LE, Sim J, Amlôt R, Cutts M, Dasch H, Rubin GJ & Sevdalis N (2020) COVID-19 vaccination intention in the UK: Results from the ‘COVID-19 Vaccination Acceptability Study’ (CoVAccS), a nationally representative cross-sectional survey, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Sherman SM, Bartholomew K, Denison HJ, Patel H, Moss EL, Douwes J & Bromhead C (2018) Knowledge, attitudes and awareness of the human papillomavirus among health professionals in New Zealand, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.

Research group

Cognitive and neural processes across the lifespan

Wellbeing of individuals and society

Grants: Current grants:

2025-28, (Lead supervisor: £43k) matched funded PhD with Oracle Head and Neck Cancer UK. “The impact of language on public understanding and patient experience of head and neck cancers”.

2022-26 (Principal Investigator: £357,133, NIHR204322) NIHR Research for Patient Benefit ‘Cervical screening for women with physical disabilities: barriers and solutions’ – co-applicants: Kate Sanger from Jo’s Trust (replaced by Athena Lamnisos from Eve Appeal), Laura Marlow from KCL, Carolyn Chew-Graham, Andrew Finney, Charlotte Harper, Samantha Renke, Julius Sim, Katie Wright-Bevans, Keele University. The Research Associate is Dr Emma Kemp.

Teaching activities: I teach social psychology at Level 1 (PSY1001) and supervise Undergraduate research projects (PSY346) and extended essays (PSY331).

I have co-authored a BPS Core Textbook "Cognitive Psychology in a Changing World" published by Routledge and available here.

Professional activities and memberships: I am currently a member of the UK HPV Coalition (2022-date) and in 2021 I set up and now lead the UK Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Special Interest Group.

Previously I was the external examiner for School of Psychology, Aston University (2021-2024), the Deputy Chair of BPS Research Board (2018-2021), Associate Editor for Journal of Cognitive Psychology (2017-2020) and Chair of the BPS Cognitive Section (2014-2017).

PhD Opportunities

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

We advertise PhD opportunities (Funded or Self-Funded) on FindAPhD.com

For further information, please see the department PhD Opportunities page.