Photo credit: The Open University In case you missed this first time around in March 2022 - Dr Zoe Walkington and Professor Graham Pike of The Open University’s School of Psychology & Counselling, and Forensic Cognition Research Group, have written an online course using their experiences of applying psychology to policing contexts. The course looks ..read more

Photo credit - Shutterstock This time last year the OPRC spoke to Dr Catriona Havard (now Professor Havard) about her fascinating research in facial identification under the FCRG (Forensic Cognition Research Group) strand of the Open Psychology Research Centre, and we revisit that conversation from Jan 2022. To read more about Professor Havard and her research, see the ..read more

Photo credit - The Open University On 2nd November 2022, the Forensic Cognition Research Group (FCRG) held a successful hybrid research seminar. Having maintained a regular programme of research seminars online during social distancing restrictions, the event was a welcome return to the format of our pre-pandemic research meetings in London, with the added option ..read more

Here is a look back to a post from this time last year. The same holds true. The summer month of August is traditionally a quiet month in universities, but the Open University is different and there is still a lot happening here in the School of Psychology & Counselling, and the Open Psychology Research ..read more

Photo credit: The Open University Dr Zoe Walkington and Professor Graham Pike of The Open University’s School of Psychology & Counselling, and Forensic Cognition Research Group, have written an online course using their experiences of applying psychology to policing contexts. The course looks at the potential use of psychology in criminal investigations, and focusses on ..read more

Clap for Carers image. Copyright free provided by UpSplash The OU’s Psychology & Counselling’s Dr Ben Evans and Dr Lara Frumkin are currently involved in The Digital Technologies Power and Control Working Group (DTPCWG) who have designed a UK-based qualitative research study regarding the access, experience and divide, amongst different focus groups, of digital technology, particularly between the ..read more

'Mobile Phone Use by Drivers: What We Know, and How to Share Such Inconvenient Truths' Sue: Hello Gemma, tell me, what’s this talk all about? Gemma: The talk is about our research on hands-free mobile phone use by drivers, and how we communicate our findings to different audiences. Our research is focused on the cognitive ..read more

Photo credit: Shutterstock Dr Catriona Havard, a member of the Open Psychology & Counselling Centre (OPRC) strand, Forensic Cognition Research Group (FCRG) has engaged in many years of extensive research in facial cognition; including the complexities, biases and implications of misidentification, and the possibilities of using artificial intelligence (AI) and its reliability. You can find ..read more

'Harmful Evidence and Evidencing Harm in the Criminal Justice System' Eka: What’s this talk all about, Graham? Graham: We generally think of the courts and police as existing to prevent and prosecute crimes. In my talk I borrow an approach from critical criminology and instead look at law enforcement in terms of the harms it ..read more

FCRG Strand Lead, Dr Lara Frumkin, introduces Professor Laurence Alison (University of Liverpool), followed by commentaries from Dr Zoe Walkington and Dr Jim Turner (The OU) and Q&A session. A discussion of the way in which psychology - in an effort to secure information - drifted from its central rule of do no harm to ..read more