Psych News Brunel Psychology Society
http://on.fb.me/fHhxZ5 Issue #4
bpsbrunel@gmail.com
June 2011
Inside this issue: SYNAESTHESIA AND ITS
2
RELATION TO NORMAL PERCEPTION
FACE WEEK
4
BOOK OF THE
5
MONTH STUDY OF THE MONTH
6
LIBRARY REFURBIISH-
8
MENT
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY OF THE MONTH: BHUMP
10
PLACEMENT AND CAREERS CENTRE
11
BPS EVENT
12
STUDENT REP FEED-
12
BACK
YOUR FEEDBACK
13
Psych News http://on.fb.me/fHhxZ5
bpsbrunel@gmail.com
Synaesthesia and its relation to normal perception By Sean Williams MSc Functional Neuroimaging
“some synaesthetes will see colours dancing around the room.”
Individuals with synaesthesia have a secondary perceptual-experience that is automatically induced by the perceptual-experience that directly corresponds to a given sensory input: This anomalous secondary percept can be either intramodal (i.e., established within the same sensory modality) or intermodal (i.e., established in a different sensory modality) with respect to the primary percept, and may be induced by either low-level stimulus features of the sensory input or subsequent higher-order cognitive processes.
“synaesthesia is thought to exist in all preverbal infants.”
Synaesthesia can be realised in virtually every imaginable sensory combination: When listening to music, some synaesthetes will see colours dancing around the room; whilst others may feel non-existent shapes caress their hands as they perceive the taste of certain foods. The relationships forged between the inducing (primary) and concurrent (secondary) perception are extremely consistent over time: In a famous case study of a lexical-gustatory synaes-
Page 2
thete, objective evidence demonstrated that the individual’s word-to-taste relationship had remained stable for 27 years; such that hearing the word ‘absolute’ had always elicited the taste of tangerines in this individual, whereas ‘acquire’ had always tasted of condensed milk. Grapheme-colour synaesthesia, whereby speci+ic digits, letters and words evoke the perceptual experience of a consistent array of colours, is the most prevalent form of synaesthesia: This ubiquity is probably due to the proximity of the respective processing-areas in the brain (with the colour- and wordprocessing areas being located adjacently along the fusiform gyrus). Furthermore, the individual differences within this category are largely dichotomous. Projectors literally ‘see’ the corresponding colour on top of the achromatic graphemes on the page in front of them, with the perception switching back-and-forth according to the individual’s focus of attention. Associators, at the other end of the spectrum, experience the colour as imagery in their ‘minds-eye’. Of increasing importance to synaesthesia researchers is that non-synaesthetes appear to utilise the same heuristics as synaesthetes when forced to match percepts inter-modally: For example, individuals will almost always match the highest pitch within a given range of auditory tones to the image of most luminance within a given set of pictures. In fact, sound can reliably induce an illusory visual percept in non-synaesthetes:
Presenting a bright +lash of light, accompanied by two tones in quick succession, leads to the incorrect perception of two +lashes of light. Moreover, +lavour perception, when systematically appraised, shares characteristics common to synaesthesia. Colour alone has a profound effect on +lavour identi+ication; such that arti+icially colouring food in unexpected colours will dramatically change the taste. Similarly, manipulating auditory cues can alter the perception of a food’s freshness. In 2004, Zampini & Spence asked participants to rate the freshness of crisps, subsequent to receiving real -time auditory feedback as they bit into the crisp: The participants rated the crisps as more fresh and ‘crispy’ when either the overall sound level was increased, or when just the highfrequency components of the sound envelope were ampli+ied. Thus, many crossmodal mechanisms that are qualities of synaesthesia are utilised by non-synaesthetes in everyday perception. Furthermore, synaesthesia is thought to exist in all preverbal infants. Until the relevant connections are strengthened by environmental constraints and cortical maturation, the extremely plastic infant brain is thought to homogenise all sensory input. Most individuals will prune these connections so that the sensory systems are largely segregated: Synaesthetes, as a result of their anomalous genetic expression, retain
Psych News
bpsbrunel@gmail.com
http://on.fb.me/fHhxZ5
Synaesthesia and its relation to normal perception
some of these early additional connections. There is some electrophysiological evidence to support the hypothesis that infants do not segregate sensory events; rather they appear to respond to the collective summation of all sensory inputs. For example, the evoked response in the somatosensory cortex (the area of the brain devoted to the processing of tactile sensations in adults), resulting from the stimulation of the wrist, is intensi+ied in infants by the accompaniment of white noise. A landmark study conducted in 2007 by Rouw & Scholte added sustenance to the theory that synaesthetes retain more cortical connections through to adulthood than do non-synaesthetes. Using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) on a group of grapheme-colour synaesthetes, the authors found increased white matter tracts, or ‘hyperconnectivity’, at wordprocessing, colourprocessing and binding areas (within the parietal lobe)
of the brain. Furthermore, synaesthetes who were projectors exhibited greater connectivity in the inferior temporal cortex, in comparison to associators; providing direct evidence of a neuronal substrate for these individual differences. Explicit forms of synaesthesia can also be acquired by the normal population through a variety of different means: For example, synaesthesia can develop subsequent
“synaesthesia is thought to exist in all preverbal infants.”
to the onset of blindness, as a result of ingesting psychotropic drugs, and even from posthypnotic suggestion. It is unlikely, especially in the latter case, that individuals can spontaneously acquire new cortical connections in such a short space of time: Thus, it is likely that these
Events
27/06/2011 - 03/07/2011
13/06/2011 - 18/06/2011
Deafblind Awareness Week
synaesthesiae are resultant of disinhibited feedback from higher-cortical areas; whereby binding sites (i.e., areas of the brain where individual sensory strands are brought together to form a coherent sensory experience) incorrectly send output-signals to a second sensory module on the basis of input from a given sensory module. Nevertheless, it is important to note that some people do not experience synaesthesia as a result of some of the scenarios described above: Thus, a genetic predisposition may still be integral to acquired synaesthesia. Much work is still required to demarcate synaesthetes from non-synaesthetes on the basis of biology and environmental experience. What is clear, however, is the important contributions that synaesthesia can make to neuroscience. Synaesthetes experience conscious percepts within a sensory modality in the absence of direct stimulation of that sensory modality: This provides the perfect test bed for discovering the neuronal correlates of consciousness.
Huntington's Disease Awareness Week 18/06/2011 - 26/06/2011 Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Awareness Week 20/06/2011 - 26/06/2011 Learning Disability Week Page 3
“synaesthesia can develop subsequent to the onset of blindness.”
Psych News http://on.fb.me/fHhxZ5
FACE week
Page 4
bpsbrunel@gmail.com
Psych News http://on.fb.me/fHhxZ5
bpsbrunel@gmail.com
FACE Week By Toby Berriman If there is one thing you can guarantee when Psychology Society organises an event it is that we learn lots of lessons for the next time. This is one of the pitfalls, and benefits, of being pretty new to all this stuff. We had planned to have an experiment set up at FACE, and publish the results here. After rushing through ethical approval at the last minute, including writing a full Informed Consent sheet and Debrief document, we were ready to go. However on the day we were unable to get hold of the supplies we need-
ed due to one of our team falling ill! This meant that the main part of our stand was no longer possible, but we had “extras” around for people to enjoy which we made good use of. Firstly there were the optical illusions that baffled and amazed the visitors to our stand, the clever banter of our stand-assistants, and of course the Haribo and lollies we laid out. As much as I would like to think that it was my good looks that attracted people to the stand, I strongly suspect it was the free sweets!
Most popular, however, was our difficult Pin-the-Lobe-OnThe-Brain game which challenged students to put the lobe pieces in the right position on our brain layout— without looking! As you can see from the photos the task was completed with varying levels of success! Next time we know to obtain our supplies before the event and have them on-campus ready the day before! I will not tell you what the experiment was though...that is a treat that you will get to experience in the next academic year.
Book of the Month—A Man Without Words by Susan Schaller By Toby Berriman A Man Without Words. A man without language. Not just the lack of language, but the lack of a concept of language. No common means of communication, no idea that everything around us in the world, and a whole invisible world of non-tangibles (emotions, actions, tenses) has been given a name. Think for a moment what that would be like, to reach adulthood and be in an incomprehensible and lonely world. A world governed by seemingly arbitrary rules.
While working as a sign language translator Susan Schaller encountered such a man: Idefonso. A Man Without Words is the story of how she worked with him and taught him his first language.
This personal account is a pleasure to read and through the course of the book you will find yourself deeply moved by the lonliness of Indefonso's world and the sheer tenacity and intelligence of this man who simply would not rest until he had learned how to communicate.
Aside from the story of Susan and Ildefonso, there is also a wider impact in terms of the Deaf culture. Throughout the book Susan Schaller shows a real understanding and respect for Deaf culture which most hearing persons lack, even those who do speak sign language of some sort. Reading this book has given me a better understanding of Deaf culture, and the fierce
pride that exists there.
This book is also interesting from a developmental psychology point of view. Although it lacks the detail of a full psychological case study, there are insights here that shine new light on the language vs thought debate and the revelation that languageless individuals are not nearly as rare as many professionals seem to think.
All in all a great book that tells a fascinating and moving story. Definately one I am proud to have on my shelf!
Page 5
“The task was completed with varying levels of success!”
Psych News http://on.fb.me/fHhxZ5
bpsbrunel@gmail.com
Study of the Month By Toby Berriman L1 Psychology Student
“They found 38 people who had witnessed (seen or heard) at least part of the attack.”
“you will most likely come across the story of Kitty Genovese when reading about Bystander Effect and Diffusion of Responsibility.”
In psychology certain case studies are so iconic, so important, and so often quoted that they are often known by word of mouth long before anyone has read the actual case study itself. The tragic case of Kitty Genovese is an example of such a study. Known by word of mouth, and frequently found in psychology textbooks, the story of Kitty Genovese is upsetting, powerful, and has inspired further research into aspects of social behaviour such as the bystander effect. The story goes something like this: New York, March 13th 1964. Twentyeight year old Catherine Genovese (known as Kitty Genovese) was returning home from her job where she managed a bar, around 3:15am, she was approached a man less than 30m from her home. The man chased her and stabbed her twice in the back, at which point she screamed “Oh my god, he stabbed me! Help
Page 6
me!” A number of lights turned on in the nearby apartments, and as Kitty was lying down struggling with her attacker a neighbour shouted out “Hey, let that girl alone!” scaring off the attacker. The lights in the apartment went out, and the badly injured Kitty struggled her way around to the side of her building and to a locked door. Shortly the assailant returned, and stabbed her again. Once more she screamed out “I’m dying! I’m dying!”, and once more lights went on in the apartments around, with some people even opening their windows to see what was happening. The attacker was scared off again and seemed to drive away. At about 3:25am Kitty stumbled her way around to a side entrance and collapsed in the vestibule, bleeding badly and severely injured. The attacker returned, following the trail of blood to find her, and finally sexually assaulted, robbed, and murdered her. The whole event took over half an hour. At about 3:50am a neighbour, after calling a friend for advice on what he should do, finally called the police. Three minutes later a squad car arrived and the police had found the body of Kitty Genovese and started looking for witnesses. They found 38 people who had witnessed (seen or heard) at least part of the attack. Explaining why they had not called the police or intervened the neigh“Explaining why bours said “We did want to get inthey had not not volved”, “We called the police thought it was a lovor intervened the er’s quarrel”, or even “I was tired”. The neighbours said event aroused much ‘We did not want media interest when to get involved’” the New York Times published its article “38 Who Saw Murder Didn’t Call Police”. The nation was shocked by the inaction of the witnesses and wanted to know why no one had helped. Today you will most likely come across the story of Kitty Genovese when reading about Bystander Effect and Diffu-
Psych News http://on.fb.me/fHhxZ5
bpsbrunel@gmail.com
Study of the Month sion of Responsibility. For example one textbook states “What is interesting about this event is that no fewer than 38 of her neighbours came to their windows at 3:00 AM in response to her screams of terror—and remained at their windows in fascination for the 30 minutes it took her assailant to complete his grisly deed, during which time he returned for three separate attacks.” (Aronson, 1988 as cited in Manning et al.2007). But, an article published in 2007 – our study of the month - revisited the case and found that much of what is thought to have happened is not supported by the evidence. For example there were two attacks not three, not all “witnesses” were eyewitnesses, and no single person could have seen the whole attack. Also, significantly, Kitty Genovese was alive when the police arrived at the scene. But the article does not dismiss the case, but instead proposes that the misleading story is still useful as a parable, a powerful example demonstrating the bystander effect in action making it a story that inspires society to work harder to take care of each other and to take on personal responsibility for the safety of others. I won’t go into all the details of the article because I believe you should find and read this one yourself, but Manning, R., Levine, M. & I really do Collins, A., 2007. The Kitty recommended Genovese murder and the it!
“Also, significantly, Kitty Genovese was alive when the police arrived at the scene.”
See Also Related resources that you may be interested in include: Darley, J.M. & Latané, B., 1968. Bystander Intervention in Emergencies: Diffusion of Responsibility. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 8(4, Pt.1), pp.377-383. Hardie, M.J., 2010. Dead spots in the case of Kitty Genovese. Thought A Review Of Culture And Idea, (773510476). Rosenthal, E.M., 2011. Thirty -Eight Witnesses: The Kitty Genovese Case.
social psychology of helping: the parable of the 38 witnesses. The American psychologist, 62 (6), pp.555-62
Page 7
Psych News http://on.fb.me/fHhxZ5
bpsbrunel@gmail.com
Library refurbishment “The Library will remain open throughout the works with resources and space on floors 2 and 3.”
“We are providing a fetching service for items in the affected areas until they are returned to the shelves in July.”
The Library has embarked upon a period of major refurbishment taking place this summer. The ceiling, lighting and carpeting will be replaced on floors 0 and 1 – partly to improve the environmental efficiency of the building and partly as much needed stock conditioning works. Floors 0 and 1 have now been completely cleared. The Library will remain open throughout the
works with resources and space on floors 2 and 3, plus the extension on floor 1, being available throughout this period. The eLibrary will also be available throughout this time providing access to a large number of electronic books in the relevant subject areas. Book fetch
Page 8
We are providing a fetching service for items in the affected areas until they are returned to the shelves in July. You can use the form on the Library website to request up to 10 items– requested items must show on the catalogue as currently available, and can only be from the restricted areas. We’ll make every effort to retrieve these items, but please be aware that there may be some which cannot be found, as a result of having been hidden or misplaced by other Library users prior to having been packed – if this is the case we will let you know. Once you have submitted your request we will aim to make your items available within 24 hours – requests made over the weekend may take longer to be processed. Please ask at the Library Help Desk to collect these items. When the shelving on floor 1 is reassembled, we are taking the opportunity to improve visibility on the floor and finally comply with DDA guidelines for shelving layouts by turning the shelving 90° clockwise and re-spacing in
line with the new lighting layout. There is a possibility that the University may decide to go ahead and refurbish floors 2 and 3 in the same way during August and September. If this is the case, then the same procedure as above will be followed and we will notify everyone as soon as we receive confirmation of such works. Additional Library support If you are registered with the Disability and Dyslexia Service, there are a range of additional Library services available to you, including book fetch, nominated borrower (where you can nominate somebody to borrow books on your behalf), extended loans, mediated photocopying (where a member of staff photocopies items on your behalf), and an out of hours bookable room with assistive technology. For further details see our website. If you have a query about the Library or require further support, please contact us at library@brunel.ac.uk
Psych News http://on.fb.me/fHhxZ5
bpsbrunel@gmail.com
Page 9
Psych News http://on.fb.me/fHhxZ5
bpsbrunel@gmail.com
Volunteer Opportunities of the Month BHUMP “BHUMP is based next to Hayes and Harlington station.”
“a great opportunity for anyone who is interested in a career in youth work.”
By Anthi Valki Details: This is a project run in partnership with: London Borough of Hillingdon Social Services, Asylum Services; British Red Cross ; Brunel Volunteers and the YMCA Tumbler Youth Project. Volunteering Opportunity: This is a great opportunity for anyone who is interested in a career in youth work. Volunteer Befrienders and befriendees meet every Tuesday between 5.30 and 7.30 in Hayes. During the sessions, volunteers are involved in;
•
Organising
activities
to
improve life skills and local knowledge
•
Organising
events
Providing friendly support to young people working within appropriate bounda-
“provides social and practical support to unaccompanied refugees .”
Page 10
Volunteer befrienders will receive comprehensive training by the British Red Cross in befriending and working with asylum seekers.
and
excursions
•
ries for the Befriender / Befriendee relationship.
BHUMP (Befriending Hillingdon Unaccompanied Minors Project) is a peer befriending project that provides social and
practical support to unaccompanied refugees and asylum seekers between the ages of 16 and 21. As a volunteer you will need to be aged 18-25 and be required to commit to a minimum of 6 months to provide friendship and support for weekly sessions. Sessions alternate between workshops or educational projects to social activities and integration support. Volunteers will be required to organise activities, events, and excursions and ensure that all issues of Health and Safety, Child Protection and the befriendees' general well being are reported to the Project Manager. As a volunteer you will participate in training and development appropriate to the role plus gain valuable skills needed to update a CV and increase your employability!
Psych News http://on.fb.me/fHhxZ5
bpsbrunel@gmail.com
Volunteer Opportunities of the Month Placement and Careers Centre
“Graduates are entitled to careers advice for 2 years after leaving .” By Kate Croucher If you've just finished your final exams or are about to leave Brunel for the summer vacation remember that the Placement & Careers Centre is here to help you. Graduates are entitled to careers advice for 2 years after leaving and if you've moved away from the area we can still help via email or telephone. We'll also want to keep in touch with you so expect a call from us 6 months after you graduate to find out what you're doing now and if you need any help with your job planning. If you're a first or second year, think about the summer as an ideal opportunity to gain that all important work experience. Think about what career you're working towards (or just some ideas to make a start) and focus on
opportunities relevant to that it could be volunteering in a mental health ward, mentoring a young offender, working
as a support worker in a children's home or something completely different. More than 60% of graduate recruiters don't specify a particular subject as part of their entry requirements so your career options are actually much broader than the health and social care professions that many psychology gradu-
ates have traditionally gone on to. But the one thing employers are agreed on is the importance of skills and experience. Get inspired by reading Brunel student stories and why they love their jobs in a new section of our website http://i.workat.org/ and contact us at any point in the summer (we are still here) for advice on any aspect of your career planning. Our website is www.brunel.ac.uk/pcc and you can make contact with the Careers Consultant for Psychology - Kate Croucher by email (kate.croucher@brunel.ac.uk) or phone (01895 267223). While you've time on your hands you might want to also check out the Psychology Network careers website http:// www.psychology.heacademy. ac.uk/s.php? p=177&menu=home Have a great summer!
Page 11
“If you're a first or second year, think about the summer as an ideal opportunity to gain that all important work experience.”
Psych News http://on.fb.me/fHhxZ5
bpsbrunel@gmail.com
Emotional Neglect in the Early Years Causes, Consequences and Practical Solutions Conference at Canterbury Christ Church University Friday 24th June 2011
“...promote an understanding of the emotional needs of the under-threes.”
Dr Margot Sunderland, presenting the Goodman Lecture, is the keynote speaker. She is the Director of Education and Training at The Centre for Child Mental Health London, Honorary Visiting Fellow at London Metropolitan University and an integrative Child Psychotherapist,
Supervisor and Trainer This event has been arranged in partnership between the Faculty of Health & Social Care at Canterbury Christ Church University and What About The Children? What About The Children? was founded in 1994 to promote an understanding of the emotional needs of the under -threes. The charity has always been concerned about the wider implications for
society of this neglect, as well as for the individual infants themselves; Dr Sunderland will be addressing these issues and will also be presenting some solutions in a second presentation later in the day. The flyer for the conference and the registration form can be found in forthcoming events on the LHC website http://lhc.bps.org.uk/lhc/ forthcoming_events_lhc.cfm
Student Rep Feedback By Toby Berriman L1 Student Rep At the time of the SS1001 exam for level 1 students a number of concerns were raised about the module. As your student rep I raised these concerns with the appropriate staff, and have received feedback from them which is summarised below.
The article here is a very brief summary of the feedback, if you would like more detail please contact me.
Different Lecturers for Each Lecture The use of different lecturers was something that some students liked, and some students disliked. It is, however, common practice at Brunel.
been listened to in the past, which is why there is now only the one multi-disciplinary module. Student’s interest in different disciplines is also reflected in overall tendency for students to pick essay questions outside their course. “the most important aspect
of this module is that students can lose sight of how relevant human science (and psychological) theory and research is for everyday issues and concerns - and the aim of the module is to show how this is the case.“
Relevance
Expectations
Some students felt that the module was irrelevant to their area of study and would not be beneficial to them. However many more students liked the multi-disciplinary approach. These concerns have
Some students raised concerns that they felt “unsure of what is expected” in assignments or exams. The official response to this is that the assessments (essays and unseen essay-based exams) are standard throughout the
Page 12
course, and in levels 2 and 3 the majority of the assessments are of this essaybased exam format, with less choice. It was also pointed that past papers were made available, and the module leader, Lin Williams, did communicate to everyone that she was available by email or appointment to help students with any questions they had. Lecture Room H001 There were some complaints raised about the large lecture room used. Unfortunately H001 is the only lecture room that will accommodate the number of students on this module, and the module was designed to balance this out somewhat with the smaller seminar sessions. If you have any thoughts or suggestions on the above, or would like to take any of these further, please feel free to contact me at hs10ttb@brunel.ac.uk!
Psych News http://on.fb.me/fHhxZ5
bpsbrunel@gmail.com
Your feedback!
“I want to congratulate you on the Psychology newsletter - very good content and very professional. Well done! We also discussed at the staff meeting last Wednesday how impressed we all are with the newsletter.” – LM (Head of Social Sciences)
“...the
Interview Experience article was first class” -DP, PCC
“This
is really good – very professional.” – BD (Psychology Touchpoint Team)
sive” - TR, MIND in Camden Senior STR Staff
“I sent it around the office and everyone was very impressed – looks like a lot of work went into it.” –TJ (Disability and Dyslexia Service)
“This is well good peple well done!!!” –EA (L1 Psychology)
“This is very impres-
“A colleague had shown it to me - we both thought that the newsletter looked great!” – CG (Psychology Lecturer)
“Just had a read. Good
“The
newsletter you
have put together looks fantastic“ -KT, BPS SMG Commi ee
“Excellent work once again with the Psych News. Thank you for the tip on Mendley as well: Seriously, where has this software been all my life!!.. I can't believe I've never heard of it before.” –SW (BBAW Administrator)
stuff you guys :D” –RB (L1 Psychology)
Submissions Wanted! Have you got something good to say? A new piece of research to share? Maybe you would like to respond to one of the articles you have seen in the newsletter?
Without your input this newsletter wouldn’t happen, so keep sending your submissions in! Whether they’re long stories or just quick tips, it’s all useful and it all has a place in the newsletter, so get send-
ing your stuff! bpsbrunel@gmail.com
Send us your submissionsbpsbrunel@gmail.co m
Page 13