development of spatial orientation, cross-modal perception, executive functions, and the acquisition of goal-directed movements in typical and atypical development.
Social-Cognitive Development - research in this area focuses on the interplay between social interactions/relationships and the child’s developing cognitive skills. Much of this work, on ‘theory of mind’, executive skills and moral reasoning, is experimental, while other studies, on children’s testimony, and on developmental disorders, like autism, mixes experimental and intervention studies.
MPhil/PhD
Entry Requirements: Applicants should hold at least an upper second class honours degree, or its equivalent, in a relevant subject. Assessment: Original research and thesis. IELTS: 6.5 Funding: ESRC, BBSRC, EPSRC, Charitable Trusts, and Departmental Teaching Studentships. Enquiries about research opportunities and associated funding are welcomed - see also page 213. Further Information:
www.psych.lancs.ac.uk
Much of the research done by postgraduate students is closely connected with ongoing research projects of members of staff. Postgraduate study by research is available in any of the research areas described below.
RESEARCH AREAS Research in the Department is organised around two Centres which draw together multiple perspectives to investigate theoretical and applied topics in psychological research. The themes listed below provide a flavour of research projects currently underway in the Department:
Centre for Human Development and Learning
Language and Literacy - this research concerns how children learn to speak, read, and develop cognitive resources that underpin language development from birth to adolescence. This work includes the study of typically developing individuals as well as those who have difficulty acquiring these skills.
Memory - our research on memory covers a wide range of topics which include environmental influences in memory and cognitive development, the role of memory in language and literacy development, eye witness testimony, false memory, the development of autobiographical memory, the relationship between reasoning, remembering and working memory, and the multivariate influences that bring an end to infantile amnesia.
Perception and Action - our focus is the development of key skills in infancy and early childhood conducted in our state-of-the-art infancy labs. Research interests include the
210 Science and Technology
Auditory and Sensory-Motor Neuroscience - research focuses on the biomechanical and neurophysiological mechanisms that underlie perceptions and markers of cognitive decline, and on sensory control of movement, from simple actions such as eye movements, to more complex manipulations such as guitar playing. Behavioural measures are combined with EEG and fMRI to investigate neural responses to stimuli.
Diversity – what are the developmental effects of growing up in multi- versus mono-cultural environments, and how can we understand and assess atypical development and disability? Research in this area is conducted in collaboration with colleagues internationally, to understand the influence and effects of different cultures on thinking.
Centre for Cognition, Knowledge and Society
Investigative Expertise/Forensic Psychology - research includes investigative decision-making, the detection of deception by employing the strategic use of information during suspect and witness interviews, framing and influence in crisis negotations, and security screening expertise.
Memory - key topics include: recognition memory and recollective experience; false memory; working memory and children’s scholastic performance; interventions for improving memory; and context-dependent memory.
Thinking and Expert Skills – what strategies do people apply when solving problems, and how do these strategies alter when solving individually compared to as a group? Other related projects investigate how people reason inductively and deductively, the effects of sleep on problem solving, insight, and creativity, and the way in which expertise and decision making develops in a person’s specialism.
Social Identity, Prejudice, Conflict and Discrimination - the construction of national identities; historical and spatial dimensions of group identities and intergroup relations; stereotyping and prejudice; the contact hypothesis and prejudice reduction; empowerment of people with learning difficulties.
Cooperation in Social and Cognitive Tasks - what can we learn about thinking and behaviour when people work together to achieve a shared outcome? How do people coordinate their actions to establish individual and collective identities and competencies, and how does collective action work in violent and non-violent group contexts?
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