Student Blog: Experiences of Undertaking a BPS Undergraduate Research Assistantship

Posted on October 2, 2017 by Robert Dempsey

Tanya Schrader, current Final Year BSc Forensic Psychology student at Staffordshire University, blogs about her experience working as a BPS-funded Summer Intern:

Tanya talking about her Summer Intern research on Six Towns Radio

During Summer 2017, while my friends were raising their hands in the air (like they just don’t care), I was doing a research project. I know what you’re thinking, but I can assure you, it was anything but dull. In fact, I think I may have found my career path. I assisted Dr Daniel Jolley in a project investigating the influence of belief in conspiracy theories on criminal behavior. This was made possible by the British Psychological Society’s (BPS) Research Assistantship Scheme and Staffordshire University. The internship aims to provide students an opportunity to sample real-world research.

So pleased & excited to be investigating conspiracy theories with @DrDanielJolley https://t.co/t3bnzwsFzv

— Tanya Schrader (@Tanya_Schrader) July 3, 2017

The project involved examining the relationship between conspiracy theories and White-Collar Crime (WCC); these types of crimes concern fraud and embezzlement which can cost the UK economy £193 billion per annum. We were specifically interested whether believing in conspiracy theories would lead to higher intentions to engage in WCC – If they conspire, why can’t I. During the project, I undertook data collection and analysis utilizing varied methods and designs, alongside writing sections of the academic paper, which will hopefully lead to publication (an exhilarating thought). I also wrote for non-acadamic audiences such as a piece for Psych-Talk, a student publication. This project improved my academic skills which, I strongly suspect, will prove invaluable while undertaking my third-year project and postgraduate study.

Tanya presenting her work at the BPS East Midlands Conference

Moreover, Dr. Jolley and I were invited to speak about the internship and Staffordshire University, at 6 Towns Radio. Despite my initial anxiety, it was fun! It was an opportunity to talk about psychology and research in non-academic terms and increase awareness of social psychology concepts. Folks from as far afield as my native South Africa tuned in and engaged in the discussion.

In addition to the radio interview, Dr. Jolley and I submitted an abstract to present a poster at the BPS East Midlands Conference. This gave me a flavor of the processes involved in such events. The application was successful and I joined the Staffordshire University team at the conference. The poster was well received and generated interest (I even heard a PhD student refer to it as ‘really cool’) which was a lovely endorsement for the Summer’s hard work.

Tanya with members of staff from the Psychology Department at Staffordshire University

I am grateful to have had this opportunity to expand my knowledge, skills, and confidence. Thanks to Dr. Jolley, the BPS and Staffs Uni for making it possible. The experience has solidified my intention to pursue a career in research and my upcoming third-year project feels less daunting. In fact, I relish the prospect of another investigation.

The Department of Psychology at Staffordshire University offers a range of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in Psychology at the University’s £30 million Science Centre in Stoke-on-Trent.

Interested in a Psychology degree? Come to an Open Day – for further details and to book your place at an open day please click here.

For more information about the Psychology degrees on offer at Staffordshire University please visit the below pages:

Explore With Us 2017: Teaching research methods the fun way

Posted on September 22, 2017 by Robert Dempsey

Do you teach Psychology in Further Education? Want to teach research the fun way?

The Department of Psychology at Staffordshire University are delighted to have been awarded funding by the ESRC to hold an event for teachers of psychology during the Festival of Social Sciences.

Teachers are being invited to attend Staffordshire University on Wednesday 8^th November 2017 to explore with us how teaching research methods can be fun and effective. “Teaching research the fun way” is designed for A-Level Psychology teachers but will be relevant to anyone teaching Psychology in an FE setting.

During the event there will be short talks on maths anxiety, giving effective student feedback and engaging in students with research methods, followed by an opportunity to get involved with some hands-on demos of equipment used by psychology researchers. This will include measuring brainwaves with EEG testing, assessing visual attention with eye tracking and a driving simulator, which tests how good your reactions are behind the wheel. Refreshments, time for networking and questions and answers are also included.

The event is free to attend for FE psychology teachers and each attendee will be able to claim £10 to cover their travel to the event.

For more information about this event, including booking a place please click here.

Queries about the event can be directed to: psychologyevents@staffs.ac.uk

The Department of Psychology at Staffordshire University offers a range of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in Psychology at the University’s £30 million Science Centre in Stoke-on-Trent.

Interested in a Psychology degree? Come to an Open Day – for further details and to book your place at an open day please click here.

For more information about the Psychology degrees on offer at Staffordshire University please visit the below pages:

Funded PhD opportunity in the Staffordshire Centre for Psychological Research, Department of Psychology

Posted on July 10, 2017 by Robert Dempsey

We are delighted to welcome applications for a funded PhD opportunity in the Staffordshire Centre for Psychological Research, Department of Psychology, for an anticipated September 2017 start date.

The PhD project is titled “The role of social norms in reducing belief in conspiracy theories” and will be supervised by Dr Daniel Jolley (Principal Supervisor, Lecturer in Psychology), Dr Robert Dempsey (Lecturer in Psychology) and Dr Rachel Povey (Associate Professor in Health Psychology).

Project Background:

Belief in conspiracy theories is widespread in society. Whilst belief in conspiracy theories may fulfil needs such as control (e.g., Whitson, et al., 2015), they are potentially dangerous; exposure to conspiracy theories reduces people’s engagement in a variety of behaviours, including vaccinations (e.g., Jolley & Douglas, 2014a, 2014b). Examining tools to address conspiracy theories is therefore timely. Broadly speaking, this novel project will therefore build on existing research by exploring the relationship between perceived social norms and conspiracy beliefs and develop interventions that will help combat the effects of conspiracy theories.

This PhD project has three phases:

a systematic literature review,
empirical studies understanding the psychological mechanisms underlying social norms and conspiracy beliefs,
the development of attitudinal and behaviour change interventions (e.g., improving vaccine uptake).

This three year funded PhD and includes a fee waiver equivalent to the home/EU rate and a tax-free stipend of £14,553 p.a. over the three years of the project. In addition to their PhD studies, the successful applicant will also deliver up to six hours per week of teaching or teaching-related support and will join the Staffordshire Centre for Psychological Research which provides a supportive research environment in the Department of Psychology.

We recommend that you make contact with the Principal Supervisor (Dr Daniel Jolley, daniel.jolley@staffs.ac.uk), to receive the full project outline and/or to enquire about this PhD opportunity.

Applications

Details on how to apply (alongside qualification requirements) for the funded PhD opportunity can be found here. Applications (a CV and a covering letter) need to emailed to the Staffordshire University Graduate School by 4th August 2017 (details and the email address for the Graduate School can be found here).

The Staffordshire Centre for Psychological Research is home to research activity in the Psychology Department at Staffordshire Centre. The Centre is home to a number of research-active psychologists who are engaged in research across a wide range of psychological subdisciplines. The Centre has two overarching research streams: Health and Behaviour Change and Applied Perception and Cognition.

The Centre provides training for PhD students, Research Masters degrees, as well as Professional Doctorates in Clinical and Health Psychology (click here for more details). The Centre also provides bespoke training to private and public organisations, as well as expertise for consultancy research opportunities. For more details about the Centre, its research activities, events and consultancy, please visit our website (click here).

Two prestigious BPS Undergraduate Research Assistantships awarded to the Staffordshire Psychology Department

Posted on July 3, 2017 by Robert Dempsey

The Department of Psychology is delighted to have been awarded funds through the British Psychological Society Undergraduate Research Assistantship Scheme. The scheme is a prestigious award that marks out a student as a future researcher and potential academic.

The BPS Research Assistantship Scheme is highly competitive, so the Department is proud to be successful in being awarded two Assistantships to Dr Daniel Jolley and Dr Sarah Rose.

Dr Daniel Jolley

Dr Daniel Jolley, Lecturer in Psychology, has been awarded an Assistantship where our current Level 5 student Tanya Schrader will be working on a project examining conspiracy theories. Tanya has said:

“I am delighted to be included in the 2017 BPS Research Assistantship Scheme. This exciting opportunity will afford me invaluable research experience which I will apply to my future career. Thank you to the BPS, Staffordshire University and Dr Daniel Jolley for the support.”

Dr Sarah Rose

Dr Sarah Rose, Lecturer in Psychology and Director of Staffordshire University’s Children’s Lab, will be working with Ruth Pettitt, a current Level 5 student to investigate whether there is a reciprocal relationship between play and creativity in preschool aged children. Ruth has said:

“I am absolutely thrilled to be given this unique opportunity and very proud that I am considered both capable and worthy of the trust and support of Dr. Sarah Rose, Staffordshire University and the BPS. I will thoroughly enjoy immersing myself into the project and I am looking forward to my journey of learning over the summer.”

The two Staffordshire undergraduate students will be provided with the fantastic opportunity to gain ‘hands-on’ experience of research during the summer vacation. Dr Emily Buckley, Head of the Department of Psychology, provided a little more background on the awards:

“The assistantships will enable the students to gain an insight into scientific research, to develop their potential and to encourage them to consider an academic career within psychology. We are very much looking forward to working with them.”

We wish both students the best of luck in their Summer Research Assistantships!

The Department of Psychology at Staffordshire University offers a range of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in Psychology at the University’s £30 million Science Centre in Stoke-on-Trent.

Interested in a Psychology degree? Come to an Open Day – for further details, and to book your place at an open day, please visit: http://www.staffs.ac.uk/openyourmind/

For more information about the Psychology degrees on offer at Staffordshire University please visit the below pages:

Psychology & Me 2017: How does Psychology impact our everyday lives?

Posted on March 27, 2017 by Robert Dempsey

In the Department of Psychology we love a chance to showcase how psychology can impact you in your everyday life. We were delighted to welcome over 80 guests to the Science Centre on Wednesday 22^nd March for our annual event, ‘Psychology and Me‘, which was organised this year by Dr Nichola Street and Dr Daniel Jolley, both Lecturers in Psychology.

‘Psychology and Me’ was an interactive evening showcasing the latest technology and research from Staffordshire University’s Department of Psychology. Guests attending enjoyed the evening of short expert talks on different aspects of Psychology, where we explored if watching television affects children’s creativity, what may affect our memory and how psychology can improve our health behaviour. Dr Daniel Jolley, co-organiser, also spoke about how psychology can help explain why we believe in conspiracy theories.

“Psychologists are learning more about why so many millions of people believe in conspiracy theories and what the potential consequences of conspiracy theories may be. We all know of at least one conspiracy theory, so it was great to showcase to the guests how psychology can help explain why so many people believe in them”

Visitors then had the chance to get hands-on with a variety of demonstrations of psychology in action, from measuring brainwaves with EEG testing to being involved in a casino-style craps table to explore gambling habits, using iPad technology to demonstrate classic facial illusions, and getting behind the wheel in our driving simulator to test how good your attention is when driving.

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For all the demonstrations, visitors were able to learn the psychology that underpinned the activity, and how it could be applied to them in everyday life. Dr Nichola Street, Lecturer and co-organiser said:

“We were delighted to see each guest getting hands-on with the demonstrations. There was a real buzz around the Science Centre! If you were unable to join us, you can find plenty of photos and videos on Twitter via our #StaffsPsychMe hashtag”

‘Psychology and Me’ was only made possible with the support of many staff and students throughout the University. Judy David, Head of the Department of Psychology, led this thanks on the evening and has said:

“I’m very grateful to the large numbers of psychology staff and student helpers who were there throughout the evening demonstrating, chatting to visitors and representing their pride in Psychology at Staffordshire University. The feedback received from everyone was excellent and we are already looking forward to next year!”

We look forward to welcoming you to ‘Psychology and Me’ in 2018!

The Department of Psychology at Staffordshire University offers a range of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in Psychology at the University’s £30 million Science Centre in Stoke-on-Trent.

Interested in a Psychology degree? Come to an Open Day – for further details, and to book your place at an open day, please visit: http://www.staffs.ac.uk/openyourmind/

For more information about the undergraduate Psychology degrees on offer at Staffordshire University please visit the course profiles below:

Dr Daniel Jolley blogs about his recent research on the psychology of conspiracy theories

Posted on March 3, 2017 by Robert Dempsey

Dr Daniel Jolley (Lecturer in Psychology, Staffordshire Centre for Psychological Research) blogs about his recent research:

In a recent paper published in Political Psychology by myself, Karen Douglas and Robbie Sutton from the University of Kent, we found that conspiracy theories might be a way that people can defend their everyday lifestyle when society is under threat. In other words, conspiracy theories may sometimes bolster rather than undermine support for the social status quo when its legitimacy is threatened.

Conspiracy theories are associated with almost every significant social and political event, such as the suggested theory that the U.S. government orchestrated the 9/11 attacks. A similar thread throughout conspiracy narratives is that they point accusing fingers at authority (such as the government). Conspiracy theories single out a small group of perceived wrongdoers who are not representative of society more generally but instead are working against us. Believing in conspiracy theories may, therefore, give people the opportunity to blame the negative actions on these wrongdoers, thus then bolstering support for the social system in general; blaming a few bad apples to save a threatened barrel.

This argument is in line with system justification theory which proposes that we all have a motivation to hold positive views about the society that we live in. When our society is threatened, however, we seek to defend or bolster the status quo; for example, people may use stereotypes – which are mental shortcuts about different groups of people – to justify differences between people to maintain the status quo that we are used to. In our new paper, we argue that belief in conspiracy theories may join the ranks of these system-justification processes.

We tested the system-justifying idea across several research studies, using both undergraduate students and members of the general public. We found that conspiracy theories increased when the legitimacy of society was threatened, and that also being exposed to conspiracy theories increased satisfaction with the status quo when under threat. We found that conspiracy theories were able to increase satisfaction with society in general because people blamed society’s problems on a small group of wrongdoers, rather than society in general.

This research provides a new understanding of the role that conspiracy theories may place in our society. To directly quote the end of the paper: “The present results suggest that by pointing fingers at individuals – even groups of individuals charged with operating the system – conspiracy theories may exonerate the system, just as blaming a driver for a car crash shifts blame from the car.”

Reference: Jolley, D., Douglas, K.M, & Sutton R. (in press). Blaming a few bad apples to save a threatened barrel: The system-justifying function of conspiracy theories. Political Psychology.

The Staffordshire Centre for Psychological Research is home to research activity in the Psychology Department at Staffordshire Centre. The Centre is home to a number of research-active psychologists who are engaged in research across a wide range of psychological subdisciplines. The Centre has two overarching research streams, Health and Behaviour Change, and Applied Perception and Cognition.

Psychology & Me 2017: Upcoming Psychology Event at Staffordshire University

Posted on February 20, 2017 by Robert Dempsey

The Psychology Department at Staffordshire University are very pleased to announce Psychology and Me, a fun and interactive evening with a chance to learn how psychology relates to you and your everyday life. This is your invite to join us!

Psy&Me

Psychology and Me aims to inspire and enthuse you in showcasing how psychology applies to real world issues. There will be three stages to the evening; getting you to ‘listen’, have ‘hands-on; experience and then, a ‘chance to win’.

Psychology and Me: Listen

Have you ever wondered…Is children’s creativity effected by time in front of the TV? Are conspiracy theories harmful? A series of short expert talks will explore these and other fascinating questions.

Psychology and Me: Hands on

Try your hand at learning how our equipment works such as how we tell if you are stressed, how we can measure your brain activity with EEG and how we test your reaction skills in our driving simulator, amongst other fun demonstrations.

Psychology and Me: A chance to win

Having taken part in the hands on activities, you have a chance to win some Love2Shop vouchers. Entry information and winners announced on the night.

Psychology and Me will take place at Staffordshire University’s Science Centre, Leek Road, Stoke-on-Trent, on Wednesday 22^nd March 6 – 8:30pm. Click here to view the location of the Science Centre on Staffordshire University’s Stoke-on-Trent campus. The event includes free on-site parking and refreshments.

Book Tickets: Reserve your (free) space at https://psychologyandme.eventbrite.com or contact psychologyevents@staffs.ac.uk for more information.

Follow @StaffsPsych and #StaffsPsychMe on Twitter for updates

(Artwork designed by our Level 6 student Chris Vale)

Dr Daniel Jolley blogs on attending the BPS Social Psychology Section Annual Conference

Posted on September 9, 2016 by Robert Dempsey

Dr Daniel Jolley (Lecturer in Psychology) recently attended the British Psychological Society’s, Social Psychology Section Annual Conference, in Cardiff, and blogs about his visit to the conference:

The conference theme “Reclaiming Social Psychology: Interdisciplinary Dialogues” brought together an excellent showcase of Keynote speakers, such as Prof. Clifford Stott (Keele University) and Prof. Rebecca Lawthom (Manchester Metropolitan University), alongside over 140 delegates. The conference had an inspired atmosphere, which could be felt during the Keynotes, Oral and Poster Presentations. There was certainly a buzz throughout the conference.

Dr Daniel Jolley presenting his research into beliefs in conspiracy theories at the BPS Social Psychology Section Conference.

(Copyright, @DrSimonGoodman)

During the Conference, I presented an Oral Presentation on my current research in to belief in conspiracy theories, intergroup prejudice and contact. I received some good feedback on this work, so indeed, whilst presenting can be a slightly nerve-wracking experience, presenting new work is very rewarding.

I also delivered, alongside Dr Jane Montague (Derby University), a Postgraduate Workshop on Dissemination in the 21^st Century. Jane and I talked through our experiences of academic publishing, the use of Twitter, and reflected on blogging. The workshop attendees were complimentary of the workshop, and several have already put into practice some of the handy tips we gave them by joining Twitter.

As a declaimer to my positive review, however, I must confess that I am a part of the Conference Organising Committee. This means my role involved such tasks as helping plan the programme schedule (so deciding themes and times of presentations), alongside Chairing sessions throughout the conference. This is the third year that I have been involved in the Conference Organising Committee, and like all the years before, being involved is a fantastic experience that has further developed an array of skills.

If you are interested in learning more about Social Psychology – or attending the Section’s conference – please visit our website. Hopefully see you there in 2017?

The School of Psychology, Sport and Exercise at Staffordshire University is a leading School in the UK for Psychology research and is situated in the heart of England.

The School is home to the recently launched Staffordshire Centre for Psychological Research, a hub for research excellence for psychology research at the University. The Centre houses experts from a variety of psychological disciplines (including our renowned Centre for Health Psychology) and offers Postgraduate Training in Research, including Applied Masters by Research courses, MSc in Health Psychology, MPhil/PhDs, as well as Taught Professional Doctorates in Health and Clinical Psychology.

Interested in a Psychology degree? Come to an Open Day – for further details, and to book your place at an upcoming Open Day, please visit: http://www.staffs.ac.uk/openyourmind/

For more information or details of the wide range of Psychology degrees on offer at Staffordshire University please visit our website and our courses page.

Drs Daniel Jolley & Nichola Street blog on the BPS Annual Conference

Posted on May 11, 2016 by Robert Dempsey

Dr Daniel Jolley and Dr Nichola Street (Lecturers May 16 BPS Conference blog 1 in Psychology) recently attended the British Psychological Society’s flagship event, the Annual Conference, in Nottingham in April 2016.

The conference encompassed a diverse array of presentations that spanned the whole of psychology, alongside Keynote presentations from scholars such as Professor Gail Kinman and Professor Jamie Hacker Hughes (now Vice President of the BPS).

May 16 BPS Conference blog 2

The conference also provided the opportunity for scholars to present their work in different innovated formats. One format was Haiku Desk style, where Dr Street presented a talk entitled ‘When Art and Psychology Collide’. A Haiku Desk limits the text on each slide to only a few words, then “deals a desk” of appropriate images to marry up to the text. The presenter then is given 3 minutes, followed by 2 minutes of questions. Dr Street said: “ I chose to submit into this category as my research is focused on the power of imagery. It was exciting having a different brief for a presentation focused on visual impact and I enjoyed the test of trying to compress my research background, aims and findings into 3 minutes. In practice it certainly was a difficult task to keep to time but I do enjoy the challenge of trying new methods to add novelty in scientific communication.”

Dr Nichola Street at the BPS Conference

Dr Jolley presented a slightly more traditional poster, which showcased research that aimed to test interventions designed to address anti-vaccine conspiracy theories. Dr Jolley said: “Presenting the poster was a great way to discuss my research with many different people – I received some great feedback, and was able to have more one-to-one conversations. As the poster was being showcased all day, I tweeted the poster-board number and a photograph using the conference hash tag (#bpsconf), which may have then inspired delegates to attend in person”.

Dr Daniel Jolley and his poster presentation at the BPS Conference

Drs Jolley and Street also experienced the more typical oral presentations, with Powerpoint; however, one presenter also had the audience take part in a demonstration. Anne-Marie Czajkowski (from the University of Leeds) talk was discussing ‘Mindfulness for Musicians’ where she asked people in the audience to take part in a short mindfulness activity. Dr Jolley said: “Typically, talks do not include such an interactive component, so this was a new experience for us”. Dr Street added: “It was certainly great to include such a demonstration during a more traditional talk, and definitely something I would love to consider using in my own presentations the future”.

You can see therefore that there are all manner of different styles to present your work – why don’t you give it a try?

Dr Daniel Jolley and Dr Nichola Street are both members of the Staffordshire Centre for Psychological Research (#StaffsPsyRes), a newly established research centre at Staffordshire University.

The Psychology Department at Staffordshire is a research-active group of academic psychologists with expertise in several key areas of psychology, including Health Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Social Psychology and creative methodologies. The University offers a range of Postgraduate courses which provide further training in research skills, including:

For more details about Postgraduate Study at Staffordshire University please visit http://www.staffs.ac.uk/postgraduate/.

Interested in a Psychology degree? Find out more about our Undergraduate Psychology courses, and book yourself on an Open Day.

InPsych – Psychology at Staffordshire University

News, Events & Research updates from the Department of Psychology at Staffordshire University, UK.

Tag Archives: Daniel Jolley

Explore With Us 2017: Teaching research methods the fun way

Psychology & Me 2017: How does Psychology impact our everyday lives?

Psychology & Me 2017: Upcoming Psychology Event at Staffordshire University

Drs Daniel Jolley & Nichola Street blog on the BPS Annual Conference