Bethany completed her undergraduate psychology degree at Queen's University Belfast in 2017. She then undertook a PhD also at Queen's, School of Psychology, focussing on children's prosocial decision making and counterfactual emotions. That is, whether children were prepared to take a risk to help another child, and if they experienced regret when their choices led to poor outcomes for another child. 

As a postdoctoral researcher, Bethany joined two international and interdisciplinary research groups. As part of the 'HelpingKids!' lab (led by Dr. Laura Taylor), Bethany examined determinants of children's prosocial behaviors (such as helping, sharing, and comforting) in post-conflict settings across Europe. As a continued collaborator on the 'Communicating Truth' project (led by Dr. Jocelyn Dautel), Bethany has examined selective information processing among Northern Irish youth. That is, who and what youth trust in the context of polarized political, historical, and cultural narratives, and as a consequence, what information they choose to share with others. 

Bethany's research interests continue to intersect across cognitive and social psychology, with a developmental focus, asking how we can build more equitable and tolerant societies.