BPS

Psychology Zone report November 2022

The Psychology Zone ran from 7 November to 2 December 2022 and was funded by the British Psychological Society.

The activity featured 17 psychologists working across a variety of fields.

Scientists

17 psychologists created profiles in the Zone. See who took part ❯

The winner of the Zone, who was Liz Halstead, won £500 to deliver further engagement activities.

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Posted on January 10, 2023 by modanna in 2022, BPS, Zone Reports | Comments Off on Psychology Zone report November 2022

Psychology Zone Report – June-July 2021

The Psychology Zone ran for 6 weeks, from 7 June to 16 July 2021. It was funded by the British Psychological Society (BPS).

The Zone featured psychologists from across the UK, working in a variety of fields.

Originally intended to run for 4 weeks, the Zone was extended to give teachers and their students more time to engage with it. This was due to the coronavirus pandemic, which was impacting teaching and learning in schools by causing almost 1 in 4 school students in the UK to be absent.

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Posted on August 9, 2021 by modem in 2021, 2021, BPS, News, Zone Reports | Comments Off on Psychology Zone Report – June-July 2021

Psychology Zone Report March 2021

The Psychology Zone was a month-long event in March 2021 funded by the British Psychological Society that featured 25 psychologists from various psychology-related fields, 11 of whom were BPS members.

Nearly 900 students from 18 UK schools participated, with the majority being from underserved or widening participation schools. There were 46 live chats, including ones for school classes, open chats, and A-level student chats, with an average of five psychologists attending each chat.

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Posted on April 27, 2021 by in 2021, BPS, Zone Reports | Comments Off on Psychology Zone Report March 2021

Psychology Zone Report – November 2020

The Psychology Zone was a part of I’m a Scientist: On Demand, which offered greater flexibility to teachers in response to COVID-19. The British Psychological Society funded the Zone, which involved 41 psychologists from various fields and career stages engaging with 384 students from 17 schools across the UK.

There were 26 live Chat sessions, but there were 10 cancellations. Psychologists answered 217 approved student questions. 80% of active students were from target schools, and 39% were from widening participation schools.

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Posted on January 18, 2021 by in 2020, BPS, Zone Reports | Comments Off on Psychology Zone Report – November 2020

Psychology Zone Report – Stay at home 2020

In March 2020, I’m a Scientist, Stay at home was launched to allow school students to stay connected with STEM during the school closures due to coronavirus. Students could log in and take part whether they were at school or at home, reconnecting with their teachers and each other. Continue reading

Posted on August 26, 2020 by modem in 2020, BPS, UKRI, Zone Reports | Comments Off on Psychology Zone Report – Stay at home 2020

Society Zone Report – November 2019

Read the report: Society Zone Report – November 2019 [PDF] The Society Zone was a themed zone supported by the British Psychological Society. It featured six psychologists: Phil Agnew runs a podcast called Nudge, which looks at behavioural science and consumer psychology. Liam Wignall is researching how people interact with each other in different settings, with a focus on social media. Kohinoor Darda has recently completed a PhD on the neural mechanisms of how we interact and imitate in the social world, but unfortunately had to drop out at the start of the event. Karolina Urbanska is a research associate currently exploring how funny images or videos can affect our feelings and behaviour. Jack Joyce, the winner of this zone, is a conversation analyst exploring how people use language and what that language can tell us about their culture. Debbie Kinsey is studying for a PhD exploring how museums can … Continue reading

Posted on January 15, 2020 by modemily in 2019, BPS, Zone Reports | Comments Off on Society Zone Report – November 2019

Health Behaviour Zone Report – November 2019

Read the report: Health Behaviour Zone Report – November 2019 [PDF] The Health Behaviour Zone was a themed zone supported by the British Psychological Society. It featured four psychologists: Jolel Miah, the winner of this zone, is a PhD student working within the prison service, giving motivation counselling to prisoners to help them make healthier decisions. Emily Mattacola is researching how teenagers think about and behave around their health, and how this is impacted by their relationships with friends. Amber Cronin is an Intelligence Co-ordinator, exploring how people have been treated when they’ve gone to the doctors or hospital or social services. Alex Spiers is a PhD student interested in the mental health of teenagers, and researching the effect of mobile phone use on their mental health.

Posted on January 15, 2020 by modemily in 2019, BPS, Zone Reports | Comments Off on Health Behaviour Zone Report – November 2019

Enquiry Zone Report – November 2019

Read the report: Enquiry Zone Report – November 2019 [PDF] The Enquiry Zone was a themed zone supported by the British Psychological Society. It featured five psychologists: Vassilis Sideropoulos is a research technician, whose project idea explores how visual patterns affect our attention. Pizza Chow is a postdoctoral research fellow, and as the winner will develop her project idea, where students will test the problem-solving ability of their pets or local wildlife. Line Caes is a lecturer in Psychology, who wanted to look at how parents can best help their children when they are in pain. Kareena McAloney-Kocaman is a lecturer in Applied Health Psychology, proposing a project exploring whether we can teach people to be more creative. Carolina Brett is a works in Health Psychology, whose project idea explores what makes us happy.

Posted on January 15, 2020 by modemily in 2019, BPS, Zone Reports | Comments Off on Enquiry Zone Report – November 2019

Mental Health Zone Report – June 2019

Read the report: Mental Health Zone Report – June 2019 [PDF] The Mental Health Zone was a themed zone supported by The British Psychological Society with six psychologists: Rob Dempsey, the winner of this zone, is researching how our perceptions of our social environment impact our mental and physical health. Olly Clabburn is looking at stress for social workers and ways that it might be reduced. Nicola Johnstone designs research studies to understand how emotions develop as people grow up. Jasmin Moon supports adults whose job is causing a mental health problem or making their mental health worse. Dennis Relojo-Howell runs a mental health blog, website and open access journal to address the stigma around mental health. Caroline Brett is interested in what influences how we rate our wellbeing, whether it be our personal characteristics or our circumstances.

Posted on July 15, 2019 by modjosh in 2019, BPS, Zone Reports | Comments Off on Mental Health Zone Report – June 2019

Influence Zone Report – June 2019

Read the report: Influence Zone Report – June 2019 [PDF] The Influence Zone was a themed zone supported by The British Psychological Society and included six psychologists: Laura Fisk is a clinical psychologist at a GP surgery helping people with their mental health problems. Kathryn Atherton uses research on human behaviour to come up with solutions to problems in society. Ian Cookson’s research looks at how we can understand transport choices, particularly cycling, using the social identity approach. Chris Fullwood is studying how people communicate and manage impressions in the online world. Bogdana Huma teaches social psychology, with a focus on social influence and persuasion in real-life sales encounters. Alex Lloyd, the winning psychologist, is trying to answer questions about when and why teenagers take risks.

Posted on July 15, 2019 by modjosh in 2019, BPS, Zone Reports | Comments Off on Influence Zone Report – June 2019

Relationships Zone Report – March 2019

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The Relationships Zone was a themed psychology zone supported by The British Psychological Society. In the zone were six psychologists:

  • Sally Tilt, a forensic psychologist who works with inmates in prison.
  • Lucy Maddox, a clinical psychologist and author with an interest in cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).
  • Louise Rodgers, who works with young people in education and trains teachers.
  • James Munro, the winner of the Relationships Zone, is a psychology technician who wants to find out how the human brain works using magnets.
  • David Chadwick, a computer scientist looking at online security and relationships.
  • Dan Taylor, a PhD student who carries out research looking at sexuality.

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Posted on April 16, 2019 by modemily in 2019, BPS, Zone Reports | Comments Off on Relationships Zone Report – March 2019

Perception Zone Report – March 2019

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The Perception Zone was a themed zone for sixth form students, supported by the British Psychological Society. There were six psychologists in the zone:

  • Vassilis Sideropoulos, the zone winner, is a laboratory technician looking at how the brain saves information and solves problems.
  • Tirso Gonzalez Alam uses MRI machines to scan the brain and work out which parts are responsible for which actions.
  • Matthew Longo is a professor of cognitive neuroscience who is studying how we perceive and experience our body.
  • Jane Aspell is a senior lecturer in cognitive neuroscience who looks at how the brain experiences body illusions.
  • Dawn Rose researches the link being music and wellbeing, particularly in people with Parkinson’s.
  • Alexandra Quigley is a psychologist for the NHS helping people who are experiencing pain.

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Posted on April 16, 2019 by modemily in 2019, BPS, Zone Reports | Comments Off on Perception Zone Report – March 2019

Memory Zone Report – November 2018

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The Memory Zone was a themed zone funded by The British Psychological Society and featured six psychologists:

  • Warren Mansell uses a scientific theory of control to make an impact on diverse areas such as mental health, skill learning, coping with dementia and robotics
  • Shanti Shanker is a psychology lecturer at Bournemouth University looking to understand the role of brain structures in memory, attention and forgetting
  • Pizza Chow is a bio-psychologist aiming to better understand how animals think and behave
  • Paul Matusz studies the brain to understand how people of all ages learn new information and how those skills can be enhanced through the use of technology
  • Nadine Mirza is conducting research into why people from different cultures are not getting the necessary help needed for dementia and what to do about it
  • The zone winner, Alex Reid, is a sleep researcher at the University of York, looking at the way sleep influences the brain and the storage of memories

This zone received a higher than average number of questions in ASK compared with other I’m a Scientist zones this November. Most of the students had clearly taken time to read the psychologists’ profiles to ask specific questions about their research area or career history. Continue reading

Posted on January 14, 2019 by in 2018, BPS, Zone Reports | Comments Off on Memory Zone Report – November 2018

Childhood Zone Report – November 2018

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The Childhood Zone was a themed zone supported by The British Psychological Society. It featured six psychologists:

  • Tom Gallagher-Mitchell’s PhD focuses on how we learn numbers from a young age. He’s also a lecturer in psychology at Liverpool Hope University.
  • Sarah Hodge specialises in Cyberpsychology and she is interested in how we make moral decisions in videogames.
  • Owen Jones doing a PhD at Liverpool John Moores University looking at how children travel to school and what they like, and dislike, about how they travel.
  • Nathan Hook works for Ofsted, using data to generate insight about the Further Education & Skills sector.
  • Lorna Camus is a PhD student, looking at how secondary school affects autistic children’s mental health.
  • Abbie Jordan, the winner of this zone, is a working with young people who experience ongoing pain.

Being a sixth-form zone, the questions were often linked to university and degree choices. Students asked about specific areas of psychology and sometimes asked for links to studies. Popular topics included ‘Nature vs Nurture’, sexuality and social media. Continue reading

Posted on January 11, 2019 by in 2018, BPS, Zone Reports | Comments Off on Childhood Zone Report – November 2018

Society Zone Report – June 2018

Read the full report The Society Zone was a themed psychology zone, funded by the British Psychological Society, with six psychologists taking part. Stephen is a PhD student looking at the biases that people tell themselves, and how to encourage happiness from rational thoughts Maria is interested in how words are organised and divided into categories in our brains John is a lecturer and forensic psychologist working in a secure hospital to treat mentally unwell offenders Daniel, the winner in this zone, researches why some people believe in conspiracy theories Claire is studying language for her PhD, specifically the way we talk about alcoholism and drinking Amy is a lecturer interested in the differences in how Autistic and Neuro-typical people see the world This zone was very on topic with students engaging really well with the theme. They could easily relate a lot of the psychologists’ research to their own … Continue reading

Posted on July 17, 2018 by in 2018, BPS, Zone Reports | Comments Off on Society Zone Report – June 2018

Wellbeing Zone Report – June 2018

Read the full report The Wellbeing Zone had five psychologists and was supported by The British Psychological Society. Viren is a social psychologist studying body image, how we feel and think about our bodies, and how we can develop a more positive view Sam, the winner of the Wellbeing Zone, is a PhD student researching self-control and how this can cause people to drink more, or less, alcohol Noel lectures in sport and exercise psychology and is interested in how a person’s thoughts while exercising influences their performance Amy is a biomedical scientist who uses rats to investigate the relationship between happy moods and how often we eat Abby is a health psychologist looking to find the most effective ways to help people quit smoking A sixth member of the zone unfortunately had to drop out early in the first week due to personal circumstances and will be included in … Continue reading

Posted on July 17, 2018 by in 2018, BPS, Zone Reports | Comments Off on Wellbeing Zone Report – June 2018