Tag Archives: Staffordshire Centre for Psychological Research

Dr Sarah Rose featured on BBC Radio Stoke discussing findings from her Children’s TV and Creativity research

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Jan 16 Sarah Rose

Dr Sarah Rose

Dr Sarah Rose, Lecturer in Developmental Psychology & Award Leader for the BSc Psychology & Child Development degree, has been featured on BBC Radio Stoke discussing the latest findings from her research into the effects of Children’s TV viewing on creativity. Dr Rose also directs the Children’s Lab, home to developmental psychology research at Staffordshire University.

Sarah explained her recent findings, which suggest some time limited effects of TV on children’s creativity, on the Pete Morgan Breakfast Show on Monday 3rd October 2016:

The Children’s Lab is part of the Staffordshire Centre for Psychological Research which is home to psychological research at Staffordshire University.

For more information about the Children’s Lab, their research and ongoing studies seeking participants please click here.

Interested in Psychology? Come to an Open Day & find out more about Psychology courses at Staffordshire University.

Intrigued by Dr Sarah Rose’s research? Wonder whether screen time is actually having more negative than positive effects on child health and development? Staffordshire University offers a range of psychology degrees which are characterised by our research-informed teaching by active research staff.

Come to one of Staffordshire University’s Open Days and find out more! Book your place via: www.staffs.ac.uk/openyourmind/

Find out more about our Psychology degrees here!

The Reflecting Nature Tour: Arts and Psychology Collaboration

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Dr Nikki Street and Dr Gemma Hurst (both members of the Staffordshire Centre for Psychological Research) welcome collaborator, and award winning artist, Mark Ware to Staffordshire University’s Science Centre to exhibition a series of artworks developed as part of the psychology and art collaborative project Reflecting Nature*.

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Reflecting Nature looks at whether beauty really is in the eye of the beholder as well as the impact that art can have on individual wellbeing. Visitors are invited to take part in scientific research investigating how we respond to artwork and different environments.

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Dr Nikki Street, Dr Gemma Hurst, Sara and Mark Ware – members of the Reflecting Nature team

The artwork has been touring the UK at different locations since May 2016 and has been a great way to engage the public in research. We are excited for the project to come to it’s research home and show visitors the great research emerging from the Staffordshire Centre for Psychological Research.

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The Reflecting Nature Artwork on display at Exeter Cathedral

The exhibition, which includes a series of prints and 3D banners, will be on display from 4th – 16th October 2016 in Staffordshire University’s Science Centre and is available for viewing by the public during normal business opening hours.

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One of the images which form part of the Reflecting Nature artwork

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Some of the activities in use at the Reflecting Nature tour

Mark, and Psychology Lecturers Dr Nikki Street and Dr Gemma Hurst, will also be giving the public an opportunity to engage with workshops associated with the exhibition. Visitors have the chance to get involved in activities using the equipment for exploring human responses including eye tracking, body movement tracking and tasks such as mirror drawing. In addition, Mark Ware is providing exciting photography workshops to enhance your photography skills. Workshops are currently scheduled for Saturday 15th October, drop along and see us in the Science Centre as part of the Big Biology Day with photograph workshops being held between 11:30-12:00 and 14:30-15:30. Contact nichola.street@staffs.ac.uk to book a place.

* The Reflecting Nature exhibition, supported using public funds by Arts Council England, is part of The Wavelength Project, an ongoing arts/science collaboration between Mark Ware and neuroscientists and psychologists at Brighton and Sussex Medical School and Staffordshire University.

Staffs-Uni-Hi-Res_45-1024x683The 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).

Dr Sarah Rose blogs on attending the BPS Developmental Psychology Section Annual Conference

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Dr Sarah Rose (Lecturer in Psychology and Course Leader for Staffordshire University’s BSc Psychology and Child Development) recently attended the British Psychological Society’s Developmental Psychology Section Annual Conference, and blogs about her experience of the conference:

This year’s conference was in Belfast and included a wonderful mix of applied and more theoretical developmental psychology. The Conference was preceded by an inspiring public lecture in which Dr. Suzanne Zeedyk emphasised the importance of infant parent bonds not only on the child’s developing brain but for our vision for the kind of society we wish to build. This emphasis on the connections between children and the people around them was reflected in the Conference keynotes (Prof. Susan Golombok, University of Cambridge; Prof. Peter Hobson, University College, Tavistock Clinic; and Prof. Teresa McCormack, Queens University).

While at the conference I gave two research talks, presenting my work investigating the immediate impact of television on young children’s creativity and describing a new measure of creativity that I have been working on with Dr. Elena Hoicka from the University of Sheffield. Both talks were well attended and it was a great opportunity to get some feedback from others with interests in these areas.

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Dr Sarah Rose presenting her children’s creativity research at the BPS Developmental Psychology conference (Photo credit: Dr. Sian Jones)

I also took to opportunity to present a poster showcasing work done by one of my 2015-2016 3rd year project students. This student, Grace Aldridge, developed an idea that I had become interested in when attending a talk at a previous Developmental Section Conference, this was that children have problems recognising angry dogs and this may contribute to them being at an increased risk of being bitten by a dog. Grace carried out an ambitious project in which she showed 135 young children 15 images and 15 video clips of dogs and asked them what emotion they thought each dog was experiencing and their intention to approach the dog. We found that the children were actually relatively good at recognising the dogs’ emotions. However, although the children were less likely to approach an angry dog there was no difference in their inclination to approach a happy or frightened dog. They appeared to be unaware that there might be problems approaching frightened dogs, and we think that this could contribute to the increased likelihood of them being bitten by a dog. There has been some great coverage of this research in the National and International press and we hope that our evidence can be used to emphasise the importance of teaching children how to behave safely around dogs, especially regarding approaching a frightened dog.

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Dr Sarah Rose presenting her scientific poster at the BPS Developmental Psychology Section conference (Photo credit Dr. Suzanne Zeedyk)

The BPS Developmental Psychology Section Annual Conference is very friendly and welcoming and several presenters were showcasing work that they completed during Masters and PhD study. To find out more about the Section and plans for their 2017 Conference in Stratford Upon Avon see their website. Maybe see you there?

Interested in Psychology? Come to an Open Day & find out more about Psychology courses at Staffordshire University.

Book your place at an Open Day via: www.staffs.ac.uk/openyourmind/

The School of Psychology, Sport and Exercise at Staffordshire University is a leading School in the UK for Psychology degrees and is situated in the heart of England. We produce internationally recognized research which is driving knowledge in this area forward and we work with a variety of healthcare providers, charities, international sports teams and private sector organisations. Find out more about our Undergraduate Psychology Courses and Postgraduate Research Awards.

Staffordshire Centre for Psychological Research – Showcase Seminar (Thurs 22nd Sept, 4-6pm)

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We are delighted to announced that the first of our Visiting PrintSpeaker Series of research talks for the 2016/17 academic year will feature a number of short talks by Psychologists based in the Staffordshire Centre for Psychological Research at Staffordshire University.

The Centre is home to research activity in the Psychology Department at the University, and is part of the research-active culture in the department incorporting academic staff, postgraduate researchers and PhD students.

The Showcase Seminar takes place on Thursday 22nd September, 4pm-6pm, in the R002 Lecture Theatre located in the Ground Floor of the Science Centre (click here for the location of the Science Centre in the Stoke-on-Trent campus).

4pm Welcome to the Showcase Event 
Short talks by:

Dr Daniel Jolley: Tin-foil hats and secret plots: What’s the harm with conspiracy theories anyway?

Dr Rachel Povey: ‘They said I’m a square for eating them’: Children’s beliefs about eating fruit and vegetables.

Dr Justine Drakeford: Do executive problems in Major Depressive Disorder cause temporal order memory deficits?

Dr Helen Combes: Q Method: Inter-disciplinary differences in Understanding psychological health.

Dr Amy Burton: Being a behavioural scientist in Uganda.

Dr Robert Dempsey: Why the Clinical Risk Factor approach may not be sufficient for understanding suicidality in Bipolar Disorder.
5:45pm Professor Karen Rodham
6pm onwards Discussions and networking opportunities at the Verve Bar, Leek Road Campus, Staffordshire University (short walk from the Science Centre)

The Showcase Seminar is open to everyone who has an interest in Psychology – including students, staff and members of the public! No need to book, just turn up!

Upcoming Visiting Speaker Talks

The Visiting Speaker Series then continues in the 2016/2017 academic year with talks from invited speakers from across the UK, including:

29/9/2016: Dr Kevin Hochard (University of Chester) discussing the relationship between suicidality and sleep disturbances.

10/11/2016: Stacey Heath (University of Exeter) talking about the relationships between community identification and psychological wellbeing.

For details of the dates and locations of these talks please visit our Visiting Speaker Series pages (click here). Details of further talks will be announced via our @StaffsPsych twitter feed. You can follow the discussions about the Visiting Speaker Series using the #StaffsVSS hashtag.

Staffs-Uni-Hi-Res_45-1024x683The 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).

Prof David Clark-Carter featured on BBC Radio Stoke discussing parental competitiveness

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Prof. David Clark-Carter

Professor David Clark-Carter, Professor of Psychological Research Methods at Staffordshire University, was featured on BBC Radio Stoke commenting on recent media discussions about parental competitiveness and the pressures that children may encounter to perform well (in school, in sports or various domains of life). David discusses some of the psychological explanations behind parental competitive behaviours, including birth order effects as well as the ‘nature versus nurture’ debate.

To listen to David’s interview click on the below link to the BBC iPlayer website (the link to the programmes will expire in mid-October 2016):

Professor Clark-Carter is a Health Psychologist and supervises a range of Professional Doctorate in Health Psychology students as part of the Staffordshire Centre for Psychological Research and the Centre for Health Psychology at Staffordshire University. The Centre for Health Psychology provides Stage 1 (MSc in Health Psychology) and Stage 2 (Professional Doctorate in Health Psychology) training for students in Health Psychology.

David was recently awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from the British Psychological Society for his role in teaching psychological research methods to thousands of students over his career (read more here).

Interested in Psychology? Come to an Open Day & find out more about Psychology courses at Staffordshire University.

Come to one of Staffordshire University’s Open Days and find out more! Book your place via: www.staffs.ac.uk/openyourmind/

The School of Psychology, Sport and Exercise at Staffordshire University is a leading School in the UK for Psychology degrees and is situated in the heart of England. We produce internationally recognized research which is driving knowledge in this area forward and we work with a variety of healthcare providers, charities, international sports teams and private sector organisations. Find out more about our Undergraduate Psychology Courses and Postgraduate Research Awards.

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

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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.

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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 21st 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?

Staffs-Uni-Hi-Res_45-1024x683The 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.

How is problematic online gambling related to experiences of self-harm and suicidal ideation?

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Dr Jo Lloyd

Dr Jo Lloyd, Lecturer in Psychology at Staffordshire University and a member of the Staffordshire Centre for Psychological Research, blogs about her recently published study investigating online gamblers’ experiences of self-harm and suicidal thoughts:

This week, a piece of research I carried out with colleagues at Oxford University’s Department of Psychiatry has been published in the academic journal, International Gambling Studies. The study, ‘Thoughts and acts of self-harm, and suicidal ideation, in online gamblers’ set out to explore how factors such as demographics, gambling motivations, and mood disorders relate to the likelihood of having contemplated, or engaged in, self-harm.

There has been considerable research into the links between problem gambling and both depression and suicide, but how problematic gambling links to self-harm is less well understood. Because we were able to recruit a large sample of over 4,000 gamblers to this study, we wgambling_blogere able to explore the links in detail. While many of the risk factors identified echoed those for non-gambling-specific self-harm in the general population, there were also some interesting novel findings, which could have important implications for assessment and treatment. I found it particularly intriguing that those who gamble as a means of mood modification were more likely to have self-harmed, and not only because of their gambling problems. Gambling and self-harm can both be maladaptive ways of coping, and in an earlier 2010 study we found that gambling for mood modification was significantly associated with gambling problems and other mood disorders. Further research to explore these factors in ‘offline’ gamblers, and those seeking treatment, has the potential to help improve our understanding of how best to help people who experience difficulties related to gambling and self-harm.

You can read Dr Lloyd’s new publication via the below link:

Staffs-Uni-Hi-Res_45-1024x683The 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.

Using Psychology to compete like an Olympian – Prof Marc Jones explains!

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Prof Marc Jones

Professor Marc Jones, Head of the School of Psychology, Sort and Exercise, was recently featured on the British Psychological Society’s Research Digest Podcast discussing how psychological knowledge can be applied to help Olympians manage their stress levels and emotions during competitions.

Professor Jones’ research into how individuals respond to stress via threat and challenge states offers a unique explanation for how athletes could better manage the pressures during competitions. You can hear Marc’s interview via the below link:

BPS Research Digest – Episode 7: Use Psychology To Compete Like An Olympian

Marc was also featured on the BBC Radio Stoke Lee Thomas Evening Show in August 2016 discussing Adam Peaty’s gold medal at the Rio Olympics and the psychology behind managing stress in competitive sports.

BBC Radio Stoke (iPlayer) – Lee Thomas Show (link expires end August 2016 – interview starts from 1hr 06 mins into the programme)

Interested in studying Psychology? Staffordshire University offers a range of courses in Psychology, including our popular BPS Accredited BSc Psychology and BSc Sport & Exercise Psychology courses.

Staffs-Uni-Hi-Res_45-1024x683The School of Psychology, Sport and Exercise at Staffordshire University is a leading School in the UK for Psychology degrees and is situated in the heart of England.  We produce internationally recognized research which is driving knowledge in this area forward and we work with a variety of healthcare providers, charities, international sports teams and private sector organisations.

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

Could you design and conduct a psychological experiment in one day?

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On Wednesday 11th May 2016 the Psychology Department welcomed sixteen psychology students from Stoke-On-Trent Sixth Form for an ‘Experiment in a Day Workshop’. The interactive workshop provided the students with an opportunity to develop and run memory-based experiments whilst gaining insights into the Psychology technical resources available in the department.

Paul Gallimore and Sarah Higgins, Technical Sarah-H paul-GSkills Specialists in the Psychology Department and members of the Staffordshire Centre for Psychological Research, delivered the workshop with assistance from George Fortune, a current second year Staffordshire Psychology Student Advocate. In the session, the sixth form students defined the different memory processes and engaged with tasks to test apply their knowledge. Afterwards they then ran their own experiments on student participants from the sixth form to collect data to take away and analyse for a report set by their teacher.

There were four different experiments that the students had a chance to build, all of which tested different types of memory processing from recognition tasks to encoding tasks. One of the experiments ran by the students was the Stroop Task (pictured below) which required their participants to identify the ink colour words were written in. Once the data was collected the group discussed the findings for each of the experiments and provided suggestions to explain the results collected.Stroop Task

Students who took part in the workshop were asked for their feedback, with all students in attendance stating that they enjoyed the workshop, particularly the practical elements. Some students mentioned that they liked being able to take part in the experiments as well as conducting them. Whereas other students mentioned that they enjoyed using the psychology equipment / software and enjoyed the interactive quiz and tasks integrated within the workshop.

If you would like to come and have a go at some experiments and see the equipment that we have to offer why not attend our next open day?

Interested in Psychology? Come to an Open Day & find out more about Psychology courses at Staffordshire University.

Curious about how psychologists test and observe behaviour? Thinking about taking a Psychology degree or a related course?

Come to one of Staffordshire University’s Open Days and find out more! Book your place via: www.staffs.ac.uk/openyourmind/

Dr Sarah Rose talks about her Children’s TV Viewing & Creativity research on BBC Radio

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Jan 16 Sarah Rose

Dr Sarah Rose

Dr Sarah Rose, Lecturer in Developmental Psychology & Award Leader for the BSc Psychology & Child Development, has been featured on local BBC Radio Stations discussing her research into the effects of viewing television on Children’s creativity. Dr Rose’s research investigates whether viewing fast or slower paced episodes of television programmes (Postman Pat) has an immediate positive or a negative impact on children’s creativity.

Sarah explains her most recent findings in two interviews with BBC Radio in Stoke-on-Trent and Shropshire.

To listen to the interviews click on the below links to the BBC iPlayer website (links to the programmes will expire in late August 2016):

Dr Rose is the Director of the Staffordshire Children’s Lab and has a specific research interest in understanding the development of children’s creative abilities. The Children’s Lab is part of the Staffordshire Centre for Psychological Research which is home to psychological research at Staffordshire University.

For more information about the Children’s Lab, their research and ongoing studies seeking participants please click here.

Interested in Psychology? Come to an Open Day & find out more about Psychology courses at Staffordshire University.

Intrigued by Dr Sarah Rose’s research? Wonder whether screen time is actually having more negative than positive effects on child health and development? Thinking about taking a Psychology degree or a related course?

Come to one of Staffordshire University’s Open Days and find out more! Book your place via: www.staffs.ac.uk/openyourmind/

Find out about our Psychology degrees, including our BSc Psychology & Child Development degree which received 100% Student Satisfaction (2015 National Student Survey) and our other highly rated Undergraduate and Postgraduate courses.

The School of Psychology, Sport and Exercise at Staffordshire University is a leading School in the UK for Psychology degrees and is situated in the heart of England. We produce internationally recognized research which is driving knowledge in this area forward and we work with a variety of healthcare providers, charities, international sports teams and private sector organisations.