Last week Dr Sarah Rose, course leader for BSc Psychology and Child Development Award blogged about recreating some of the Piagetian Experiments with her children. This week they have been having a go at some Theory of Mind tasks. These tasks are particularly suitable for children between the ages of about 3- and 7-years-old. We would love to hear how your children got on with these experiments, please tweet us @StaffsPsych or add your comments to this post! Background Psychologists are interested in how humans make sense of the world, this includes how they make sense of what others think. T ..read more

There are many things that you can get involved in whilst studying a Psychology degree with us! Here are 5 ideas of what you can do outside of your academic workload. 5 things to get involved in whilst studying for your Psychology degree! #1: We have lots of events and opportunities for you to get involved in throughout the year! For example you could: Write a blog piece on your experiences or an event you have supported. Run a demonstration at one of our events such as ‘Psychology and Me’! Present your research at one of the Psychology Research conferences. PitP expert talk #2: You can a ..read more

By Darel Cookson, PhD Student (Staffordshire Centre for Psychological Research) I am currently recruiting participants to take part in an online questionnaire study, which is part of my Social Psychology PhD. I am using an experimental design, investigating people’s reactions to an excerpt from some online articles which discuss childhood vaccinations. We want to understand what specifically influences people’s opinions on childhood vaccinations. In order to take part in this study participants must be: Aged 18 or over British and living in the UK Have a child aged 3 years or younger OR be cu ..read more

By Darel Cookson, PhD Student (Staffordshire Centre for Psychological Research) The PsyPAG 34th Annual Conference took place from Tuesday 23rd – Friday 26th July 2019 at Sheffield Hallam University. This year, the conference theme was to promote the health and wellbeing of delegates while they had the opportunity to meet, network and share their research with peers. I was lucky enough to attend along with fellow PhD researcher Tanya Schrader where we shared our research on belief in conspiracy theories. PsyPAG is the Psychology Postgraduate Affairs Group and is funded by the Research Board of ..read more

Dr Daniel Jolley (Senior Lecturer in Social Psychology & member of the Staffordshire Centre for Psychological Research) was featured on BBC Radio Stoke’s Lucas Yeomans Evening show discussing the psychology of conspiracy theories and how he got into researching why people believe in conspiracies. You can listen to Dr Jolley’s interview via the below link: BBC Sounds: BBC Radio Stoke Lucas Yeomans Evening Show (29/7/2019) [from 17 mins 3 seconds in] Exterior Science Centre The Department of Psychology at Staffordshire University offers a range of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in P ..read more

Dr Daniel Jolley (Senior Lecturer in Social Psychology & member of the Staffordshire Centre for Psychological Research) was featured on TRT World’s Roundtable television programme discussing the psychology and consequences of beliefs in conspiracy theories as part of a discussion panel. Dr Jolley discussed some of his recent research into the potential negative effects of believing in conspiracy theories with other leading experts researching why individuals believe in conspiracies. You can view the Roundtable programme featuring Dr Jolley via the below Youtube video: Exterior Science Ce ..read more

Dr Daniel Jolley (Senior Lecturer in Social Psychology & member of the Staffordshire Centre for Psychological Research) was featured on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Sarah Brett show discussing the reasons why people believe in conspiracy theories, whether more conspiracy theories are being believed today compared to the past, and whether conspiracy theory beliefs are resistant to change. You can listen to Dr Jolley’s interview via the below link: BBC Sounds: BBC Radio 5 Live Sarah Brett show – 9/7/2019 (from 36:20) The Department of Psychology at Staffordshire University offers a range of undergrad ..read more

Dr Daniel Jolley (Senior Lecturer in Social Psychology, Staffordshire Centre for Psychological Research) was featured on BBC Radio Stoke’s Stuart George Radio Show discussing conspiracy theories in relation to a recent story about the Indian Army posting a photo of ‘Yeti footprints’. You can listen to Dr Jolley’s interview via the BBC Sounds website, see below: BBC Sounds: BBC Radio Stoke Stuart George Show (01/05/2019, from 1hr 22 min 20 seconds) BBC News: ‘Yeti footprints’: Indian army mocked over claim The Department of Psychology at Staffordshire University offers a range of undergraduate ..read more

By Tanya Schrader, PhD Student in Psychology (Staffordshire Centre for Psychological Research). As a first-year undergraduate, one of our assignments was to write a reflective essay with SMART goals. My first thought was “Argh!”. My second thought was “Why, why, why?”. I’m happy to report that it turned out well and I’ve come to appreciate reflection both in my academic and personal life. Reflective practices have not only benefitted my academic work but also reminds me to acknowledge my achievements, big and small, that have aided me in my endeavours. Reflecting on my achievements has proved ..read more

Dr Daniel Jolley (Senior Lecturer in Social Psychology & member of the Staffordshire Centre for Psychological Research) was featured in an interview with the online VICE news website discussing the reasons why people believe in conspiracy theories, especially in relation to celebrity news, and what effects conspiracy beliefs have on individuals. Dr Jolley discusses some of the reasons why individuals may believe in conspiracies relating to famous names (e.g. Beyonce, Nick Cage, Avril Lavigne) and how such beliefs may have negative consequences, especially in relation to political and envir ..read more