Psych News Brunel Psychology Society
http://on.fb.me/fHhxZ5 Issue #1
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March 2011
Inside this issue:
Welcome to Our First Issue! Welcome to Psych News Issue #1! As slapdash as this newsletter / magazine may appear, it has actually been coming since the start of first term. With each issue we hope to refine the look and format, so keep reading!
We sincerely hope you find Psych News interesting and possibly even entertaining, and we are very keen to hear your feedback. Just drop us an email to the address at the top of this page to let us know what you think! (Please be nice!)
Brunel’s very own intrepid explorer riding a helicopter toward the Bungle Bungle range, Western Australia
Brunel Psychology Professor Conquers Outback Lynn Myers
This photo (below) was taken from a helicopter above the Bungle Bungle Range Kununurra, Western Australia in September 2009. The Bungle Bungle range is remote, weird and
“the doors had been taken off the helicopter, so we were held in only by seatbelts.”
stunning. They are beehivelike sandstone domes with
striping in alternating orange and grey bands. There is accommodation in the middle of this (a so-called wilderness camp). Most people take escorted tours e.g. fly into Kununuura, are picked up and driven to the camp as the drive is difficult. But, Mark, my husband, adores driving so we drove ourselves in a four-wheel drive vehicle (compulsory) - the just over 50 km very tough, rough road to the camp took around 2 ½ hours! Both Mark and I are keen landscape photographers, so next morning we took the helicopter trip situated a few kilometres from
the camp. The flights are early morning as the temperatures get to above 40 degrees Celsius during the day. I love the Aussie “can do” attitude – it isn’t easy for me to get in a helicopter, so they found a milk crate for me to stand on and pushed me in! To complete the experience, the doors had been taken off the helicopter, so we were held in only by seatbelts. Fantastic, leaning out of the helicopter taking photos. That flight was one of the best experiences in my life (although riding on a sled pulled by huskies last summer in Alaska came a close second – but that’s another story/ picture).
Photo taken by Lynn Myers, published in Glove Box Guide to the East Kimberley 2011 edition
THE IMPORTANCE OF PLACEMENT
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GET INVOLVED!
2
EMETO-WHAT?
3
MEET YOUR STUDENT REPS
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MAKE THE MOST OF
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YOUR REPS
STUDENT REP FEED-
5
BACK
DISSERTATION ACADEMIC SUPPORT TUTOR JOINS BRUNEL PSYCHOLOGY
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DEPARTMENT
NEW LEVEL 3 OPTIONS FOR 2011!
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NEW FINAL YEAR OP-
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TION
STUDY OF THE MONTH: RAT PARADISE
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TOP 10 TIPS ON HOW TO SURVIVE (AND ENJOY!)
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YOUR DISSERTATION
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUMONTH— HILLINGDON CARERS
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ANNOUNCING BRUNEL’S FIRST BRAIN AWARENESS WEEK
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OTHER AWARENESS EVENTS
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NATIONAL STUDENT SURVEY!
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BRUNEL PSYCHOLOGY SOCIETY
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BOOK OF THE MONTH OBEDIENCE TO AUTHORITY: AN EXPERIMENTAL VIEW
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BRITISH PSYCHOLOGY SOCIETY PAGE
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WEBSITE OF THE MONTH: RADIOLAB
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KEEPING BUSY— FERNAND GOBET
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SUBMISSIONS WANTED!
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NITY OF THE
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The Importance of Placement By Kate Croucher, Deputy Director, Careers, PCC
Kate Croucher
“Many people you speak to will say that University was the best time of their lives”
Many Psychology students want to work as professional psychologists or in related social care, education or health careers. These jobs can involve dealing with vulnerable children, adults or elderly people and so typically require significant related experience. Competition for professional training as a psychologist makes it even more important to build a good portfolio of experience. If you’re not on the placement option you’ll need to think about gaining this kind of experience outside of your course. Experience with different client groups is useful and especially if you aren’t sure what you want to do when you graduate. Even if you have a specific goal, varied
experience may be necessary. For example, clinical psychologists work with clients of all ages on a range of issues including anxiety and depression, phobias, eating disorders, addiction, disabilities, schizophrenia and other mental health problems. Broad experience will not only help your applications but also ensure that you have the empathy and ability to cope with challenging situations. Educational psychology has the more specific client range of children and young people up to school leaving age. Here teaching experience and other work with children and young people including those with emotional, behavioural or learning difficulties is most directly relevant but aim for some balance with other activities.
Try looking at your end goal and working out what is most relevant for you, starting broad and narrowing down as you start to focus in on specific careers. Paid work is attractive for obvious reasons but you might need a step by step approach to getting exactly what you want and the first step will probably be voluntary work. Voluntary work can be a good way of getting direct clinical or client experience which helps you overcome the ‘no experience no job’ barrier. Volunteers work in a variety of settings including schools, day centres, residential hostels, help lines, hospitals etc. Don’t worry that voluntary work won’t ‘count’ with future employers – it’s very much the quality of the experience that matters.
Get Involved! By Brett Halsey L2 Psychology
Hello Psychology students! It’s your Level 2 Student Rep here, Brett. I’d like to take this space to say how important it is to engage with everything that’s happening here at Brunel.
Brett Halsey, L2 Psychology Course Rep
Many people you speak to will say that University was the best time of their lives, so I’m urging all of you to really make the most of it! Whether it’s academically /
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socially / sport or workrelated, it all helps to boost your CV and you can make a whole bunch of new friends at the same time. A recent example of something I was involved in is ‘Brunel’s Got Talent’ (which I hope you all went along to!). I learnt a whole range of skills relating to team building, organisation & planning, and worked alongside some terrific performers and members of staff.
To become involved in the next Brunel’s Got Talent, whether to audition or become part of the team behind it all, please visit www.brunelstudents.com/ talent. I hope you all have a terrific time whilst you’re at Brunel, and become involved in the various student activities and movements that are happening; not only for your own enjoyment but for your future success as well.
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Emeto-what? By Jenny Leslie, L3 Psychology
Emeto-what? Emetophobia. Oh right. What’s that? It’s a fear of being sick. Oh yeah I have that, being sick is horrible isn’t it? I mean no one likes it do they? No. I have had chronic emetophobia for 12 years. On paper it is a fear of being sick but in reality it is so much more than that. A phobia of being sick differs from a simple dislike of it because of the excessive and irrational anxiety that comes with it. Often emetophobics will say “I’d rather die than be sick” and they are not kidding. Years ago I held a knife to my wrist because I felt like I was going to vomit. Emetophobia can come in three forms: fear of yourself being sick only, fear of yourself and others being sick, and fear of others being sick only. Emetophobia is like being scared of your own body. Vomiting is a bodily function that is normal, people do it every day for a variety of reasons and it is not something that in reality you can avoid. Which is why it can, and did for me, escalate into something that made me housebound. Every minute of every day I am obsessively checking my state of health; Do I feel sick? Do I feel hot? Do I have a headache? Are the glands under my throat feeling heavy? Already in a constant state of anxiety that shoots up dramatically if I do for whatever reason feel nauseous. Individuals suffering with emetophobia find it difficult to disclose because of the shame
of fearing something so “stupid”, because of a lack of understanding that they have received in the past “no one likes vomiting, what makes you any different?” Emetophobia limits my social life. I fear going out to places far away because I worry that if I do spontaneously vomit people will see me, and I won’t be able to get home quick enough. I fear going out amongst the typical student scene because of the high risk (in my mind) of seeing someone get sick from the alcohol or food. Even watching TV I got in the habit of holding the remote ready to turn the TV off should anyone look ill. Doctor surgeries, hospitals, pregnant people, theme parks, children, pubs, clubs etc all come with them a heightened degree of anxiety. At my worst I would hardly eat and if I did, it had to be white foods (rice, pasta, bread, etc.). After overcoming the housebound element, I was only able to travel in a car for 30 minutes at a time and public transport was a no go. In lectures I would always sit by the door and know where the nearest toilet was at all times in case I had to run to it. Living in halls I would put towels under the cracks of my doors if I knew of a stomach bug or flu going round. When I feel I have been exposed to anything that way inclined I will wash myself in antiseptic hand gel. The sight of buckets makes me nervous. People coughing makes me panic inside. On emetophobia forums online
people will type v* or v*ing as some people can panic from the sight of that single harmless word. My only saving grace, my only escape from the constant barrage of thoughts in my head: “am I going to be sick?” my constant supply of prescribed anti-emetics, drugs that are given to physically ill people to stop them being sick. As always, there are a number of reasons why someone can develop emetophobia. It is thought most have had a very disturbing experience to do with vomiting in their childhood. I didn’t but I can remember the exact moment I all of a sudden was overwhelmed with a panic attack rooted around being frightened I was going to be sick. I was 11 years old, sat in a Spanish lesson with my form tutor and the thought popped up, I reacted to it with immense fear and left the room, and unfortunately that thought has made a home in my mind. For me, it has been hypothesised, that it is an extreme manifestation of a fear of losing control. I have been at university now for 5 years and in that time I have been developing ways to control my phobia so that it is no longer as debilitating as it used to be. My time at university has been made a lot easier with the support of the Disability & Dyslexia Service and the adjustments put in place to help me participate in university the way everyone else does, and for that I am eternally grateful.
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Emetophobia in the DSM-IV 300.29 Specific Phobia: Other type
More FAQ’s on emetophobia can be found here: http:// www.emetophob ia-clinic.com/ emetophobia_fa-q.html
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Meet Your Student Reps By Brett Halsey
Level 2
Level 3
Level 1
“Student Reps are here to represent YOU and to make YOUR voice heard”
Brett Halsey hs09bbh@brunel.ac.uk
Kiranjit Gheent hs07kkg@brunel.ac.uk
Olaide Asuni hs10ooa@brunel.ac.uk
Sanna Ahsan hs07ssa4@brunel.ac.uk Nichole Davies hs09nnd@brunel.ac.uk
Level 5 Katharina Lefringhausen hs10kkl@brunel.ac.uk
Toby Berriman hs10ttb@brunel.ac.uk
Level 6
Maria Paes hs09mjm@brunel.ac.uk
Make The Most of Your Reps By Brett Halsey
“Student Reps are democratically elected each year and anyone can be one! “
Student Reps are here to represent YOU and to make YOUR voice heard! Ever felt like you weren’t learning properly or getting the most out of your lecture? Well we want to hear from you! We can help with issues such as lecture quality, late submission penalties, U-Link materials, timetabling, computer resources, assessment and feedback. For instance, level 2 Psychology students managed to get their timetable changed for this year, so that they didn’t have back-to back lectures from 9am 5pm on a Tuesday!
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We have also, more recently, unearthed that there is in fact no plus or minus 10% word limit on submitted assignments, and have helped to inform students of this. Student Reps attend regular Staff-Student Liason Committee meetings (SSLCs) where they meet with the module and course leaders to help solve any issues that students might be facing. It is therefore vital that we hear from you so that we are able to feed something back to the ‘top dogs’! Without your input, it’s very unlikely that anything will be changed! Student Reps also feedback to Course Reps (i.e. the reps responsible for the whole of Social Sciences) who sit on School Board meetings to
Gaia Di Castro hspgggd@brunel.ac.uk
suggest School-wide improvements for all students here at Brunel! You should be able to identify who your Student Reps are via their hoodies - if you haven’t seen one yet then look out as there are quite a few around! We are also trained to help students who are in need of advice or support, although you can always speak to your personal tutor regarding any issues you might be facing as well. Student Reps are democratically elected each year and anyone can be one! For further information about how you can be involved, please visit : www.brunelstudents.com/ reps
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Student Rep Feedback By Toby Berriman
In the last Student Staff Liason meeting in November a number of issues were raised. Here is a quick summary of what has happened with those issues: G e n e r a l Staff have confirmed that there is no such thing as a +10% allowance for word limits on assignments, and future handbooks will specify this explicitly. Despite the rumours that have circulated, Lab Reports do need to be fully referenced. Students with a registered DDS support profile have highlighted that they are not receiving all lecture slides in advance of the lectures. Staff have been reminded of their duty to provide these slides to those identified by DDS as requiring them. There has been some confusion, particularly in the first year, caused by different lecturers requiring different presentation styles. The requests of the lecturers should never contradict the advice printed in the handbook, and any extra requirements they have must be carefully and thoroughly communicated. L e v e l 3 There were issues around an assignment deadline that had apparently been moved back and forth a couple of times. The investigation has shown that the deadline was approved to be moved on the 4th Nov from the original date of the 15th to the 19th. An announcement was placed on uLink on the same
day. There is no evidence of the deadline being moved multiple times. It can only be speculated at this point that the confusion may have arrived from a miscommunication, so staff have been reminded of the importance of careful and thorough communication of any changes to deadlines. Students should also be vigilant with checking uLink for announcements. L e v e l 2 Some students raised issues with work placement tutors, and one particular student did not find out the name of his tutor for three months, and even then there were confusions due to the placement tutor being new to the university. This has highlighted an (admittedly rare) issue with the procedures, and the work placement convenor has been asked to assign tutors earlier, particularly for those students starting placements in June. Both
the work placement convenor and Toby Robertson would like to apologise to the student concerned, and thank them for bringing this issue to attention. L e v e l 1 A request was made for example essay plans to be available for students in coming years, as many students raised concerns that they were unclear as to what was required of them for this assignment. If an “appreciable” number of requests for this are made on the evaluation form then the lecturer will consider this, however since there is no such thing as an “ideal” plan the lecturer emphasizes that she is available by email or by signing up for a slot on her office door to discuss any issues.
“Future issues of Psych News will have feedback presented by individual course or school reps.”
Future issues of Psych News will have feedback presented by individual course or school reps.
Dissertation Academic Support Tutor joins Brunel Psychology Department Dr Gavin Sullivan review journal articles and Dr. Gavin Sullivan has re- book chapters) on such dicently joined Brunel Psy- verse topics as forensic psychology Department for 3 chology, psychotherapy for months to provide academic borderline personality disorsupport to 3rd level disserta- der, theoretical psychology and research on individual tion students. and collective emotions. Gavin has worked previously as a Senior Lecturer in Psy- Dissertation students are chology in Australia, New welcome to contact him at Zealand, and Indonesia and gavin.sullivan@brunel.ac.uk as a Guest Professor in Ger- to make a time to discuss many. He has experience of possible assistance with the supervising quantitative, completion of their work. qualitative and mixed- Gavin is located in the Gasmethod research and 25 kell Building Rm GB 203
publications
(i.e.,
peerPage 5
Dr. Gavin Sullivan
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New Level 3 Options for 2011! By Dr Michael Price, Undergraduate programmes Director
Level 3 module options are now decided for 2011/12 and there is a wider choice of 10 modules rather than the 8 of the previous year! So hot off the press, the inside scoop, here are your choices for next year. Remember: you saw it here first!
Term 1:
Term 2:
PY3006 Inter-group Relations
PY3032 Evolutionary Psychology
PY3467 Therapeutic Approaches in Clinical Psychology and Mental Health
PY3468 Psychology of Consciousness
PY3019 Introduction to Cognitive Neuroscience PY3003 Autistic Spectrum Disorder PY3465 Psychology of Ageing
PY3102 Drugs, Hormones and the Brain PY3025 Understanding Health PY3XXX Practical Investigations of Mind and Brain (tentative title)
Dr. Michael Price
“in contrast to most (if not all) the other final year options, the new final year option will incorporate some practical lab classes”
“a rat paradise, a two-hundred foot pen with delicious cedar shavings and brightly coloured toys”
Effect of early and later colony housing on oral ingestion of morphine in rats Alexander, B.K., Beyerstein, B.L., Hadaway, P.F., Coambs, R.B. Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behaviour, 1981 vol:15 Issue:4
New Final Year Option By Adrian Williams, Centre for Cognition and Neuroimaging
I will be starting a new final year option module next academic year, its provisional title is “Practical investigations of mind and brain”. As the title suggests, the main aim of the module is to introduce students to the key techniques we have at our disposal to study the relationship between the brain and the mind, or in other words, between the
physical worlds.
and
phenomenal
It will address how we might establish the relationship between neuronal and perceptual events – one of the key goals of modern psychology and neuroscience.
Details are still sketchy at the moment, so watch this space for more developments on this module!
The module will review two key approaches: psychophysics and neuroimaging, and in contrast to most (if not all) the other final year options, will incorporate some practical lab classes.
Study of the Month: Rat Paradise By Toby Berriman
A lot of research has been carried out to demonstrate the addictive property of various substances by observing the animal selfadministering the drug, even to the point of death. However in 1981 Bruce Alexander, Robert Coambs, and Patricia Hadaway challenged this, arguing that the conditions that the animal is kept in drive it’s “addiction” Page 6
to the pleasure-giving substance more than an inherent property of the drug itself. To prove their theory they constructed a rat paradise, a two-hundred foot pen with delicious cedar shavings and brightly coloured toys. The pen was heated ideally, and had separate areas for nesting, birthing, and exploring. Into this pen they put half their test subjects, and left the control group in the stan-
dard lab cages. Each group was given access to sugary morphine water, and plain tap water. The sugary water would have been a treat to the sweet-toothed rats! You may not be surprised to hear the rats in the control condition consumed the morphine-laced water enthusiastically, however the Rat Paradise group largely avoided the laced water!
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Top 10 tips on how to survive (and enjoy!) your dissertation – For Level 2 students By Cynthia Graham, Dissertations Convenor
1.Arrange to see a prospective supervisor to discuss your ideas and possible supervision. Choose a supervisor early on – all staff have “quotas” and cannot take on unlimited numbers of students. Also, please arrange to see only one potential supervisor at a time and be sure to get back to staff you have seen if you have decided on another supervisor. 2.Choose a topic that you are really interested in. If you are having trouble finding a topic, think about the lectures you have found interesting or a paper/book that you enjoyed reading. 3.Start reading on a topic early on. Recent review articles are particularly useful, as they often highlight the “gaps” in an area and provide ideas for future research. 4.Make sure that you do some “proper” literature searches, using databases
such as PsychINFO, Scopus, and Web of Knowledge (i.e., don’t rely only on Google Scholar!). See http://www.brunel.ac.uk/ life/study/library/databases for a list of databases available at Brunel. If you need help in carrying out a search on one of these databases, visit the Help desk in the library or contact the subject liaison librarian (see link above). 5.You will need to formulate research questions for your study. Don’t be discouraged if you need to revise your research questions (even more than once), based on feedback from your supervisor. This is part of the process! 6.Once you have chosen a topic, you should read about the most suitable methodology. The choice of methodology should be driven by your topic, and not the other way round! 7.Remember that there will be lots of information on uLink about dissertations, including FAQs, ethics information, and past sam-
ple dissertations. You will have access to this u-Link site sometime in May, 2011. Before emailing your supervisor to ask a specific question, do check first to see if the information is already on u-Link. 8.Most students find that working out a “timeline” with their supervisor is extremely helpful e.g., setting dates for completion of ethics application, data collection, and reading drafts. Ideally aim to agree on a project with your supervisor and obtain ethical approval before the summer holidays. 9.Prepare for any meetings with your supervisor. For example, bring along a list of specific questions you have, or hard copies of questionnaires that you would like them to see. 10.Attend the dissertation teaching sessions held in Term 1 (on writing an introduction etc.). There will also be dissertation clinics on statistics and qualitative analysis held in both Terms 1 and 2.
Volunteer Opportunity of the Month—Hillingdon Carers Located in Uxbridge, opposite Tesco’s, Hillingdon Carers supports people who look after relatives and friends with special needs, disabilities, or long-term illness in the borough of Hillingdon. Types of volunteer available include:
work
computer knowledge of Microsoft office), answering telephone and general office duties.
Carers Saturday Club : helping the staff in
If you have a few hours spare and would like to volunteer, please contact the office on 01895 811206 or pop into our Information & Advice Centre. where you can pick up a Volunteers pack.
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h t t p : / / www.hillingdoncarers.org.uk/
• Carers Cafe : help preparing, serving refreshments and helping with activities.
• Young
• Office and administration : computer work (Must have
running the club with arts & crafts, sports and cooking.
Cynthia Graham, Dissertations Convenor
“Choose a topic that you are really interested in. If you are having trouble finding a topic, think about the lectures you have found interesting or a paper/book that you enjoyed reading.”
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Announcing Brunel’s First Brain Awareness Week By Sean Williams BBAW Administrator
www.brunel.ac.uk/brain
“This crossdepartmental concerted effort will introduce a variety of topics of psychology and neuroscience in an accessible and engaging manner.”
Brain Awareness Week, an initiative of the Dana Foundation, is an international campaign to increase public awareness about the progress and benefits of brain research. Since 1996, around 2600 schools, universities, and hospitals from 82 countries, including many institutions across the UK, have participated in this week-long celebration of the brain. Through the provision of a variety of engaging activities and discussions, contributors to the campaign disseminate the latest innovations in neuroscience to the wider community. The first Brunel contribution to this event is jointly organised by Dr. Alex Nowicky from the School of Health Sciences and Social Care, as well as Dr. Adrian Williams and Dr. Andrew Parton from the School of Social Sciences. This openinvitation public event will provide a series of short talks, posters and demonstrations designed to promote brain health and showcase Brunel’s own contributions to neuroscience research. We are pleased to announce that Professor Brian Butterworth will present the keynote talk on Thursday 17th
March 2011 at 17:00. Emeritus Professor at the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience at UCL, Prof. Butterworth’s current research interest is dyscalculia – or the science of failing to learn arithmetic. As of 2004, his seminal book ‘The Mathematical Brain’ had been translated into four languages. Furthermore, Prof. Butterworth regularly contributes to advancing the public understanding of science – appearing regularly on BBC radio and television. Elected a fellow of the British Academy in 2002, Prof. Butterworth has held teaching posts at Cambridge, MIT and the Max Planck Institute, to name but a few. We are delighted that Brunel’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Chris Jenks, will provide a short welcome statement prior to Prof. Butterworth’s talk. Further contributions include: a talk concerning dyslexia from Professor Taeko Wydell; an introduction to the science of magic led by Dr. Gustav Kuhn; a discussion on pain perception by Neil O’Connell; a presentation on ‘Friedreich’s Ataxia’ a neurological disorder from Dr. Mark Pook; a demonstration, from Dr. Daniel Bishop, of how enhanced activity in the mirror neuron system is common amongst expert players of fast sports; a personal story of a suc-
cessful recovery from the limitations left by stroke, from Dr. Tom Balchin; and many more to be confirmed! This cross-departmental concerted effort will introduce a variety of topics of psychology and neuroscience in an accessible and engaging manner. Please feel free to attend a selection of talks that particularly interest you; of course, should you wish to find out more about the many facets and functions of your brain, we will be delighted for you to join us for the duration of the event. You might happen upon that key element missing from your essay, that snippet of information that will impress your examiners – you may even discover a topic that will inform your course of research for years to come. We look forward to seeing you there! This free public event will take place in the Darwin Room in the Hamilton Centre on Tuesday 15th & Thursday 17th March 2011 (from 1pm to 6pm; midafternoon refreshments are provided). For a detailed schedule of activities and presentations keep checking www.brunel.ac.uk/brain for the most up-to-date programme, or e-mail bbaw@brunel.ac.uk to be added to the mailing list.
Other Awareness Events 01/03/2011 Self Injury Awareness Day http:// www.firstsigns.org.uk/siad/ “Each year, the 1st of March is designated as SIAD around the world. It's a time when we can all come together to help raise awareness about self-injury and self-harm.” Page 8
21/03/2011 - 27/03/2011 Down’s Syndrome Awareness Week
http://www.downssyndrome.org.uk/ 21/03/2011 - 27/03/2011 Share the Care Week http:// www.sharedcarenetwork.org .uk/index.jsp
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National Student Survey!
The NSS is a national initiative, conducted annually since 2005. The survey asks final year undergraduates to provide feedback on their courses in a nationally recognised format, students on flexible courses will be asked to participate as they near the end of their course but not necessarily in their final year.
The results from the main 22 questions are made available for prospective students and their advisors on Unistats.com to help them make informed choices of what and where to study.
By Bridget Dibb Touch Point Leader for Psychology
Level 3 students: The National Student Survey (NSS) is a questionnaire completed by all Level 3 students in the UK. It is currently open to all our level 3 students and is your opportunity to tell us about your experience here Page 10
at Brunel. Results will show the percentage of students satisfied so if you are in anyway satisfied with your time at Brunel you need to tick the ‘definitely satisfied’ or ‘often satisfied’ options as all the other options (including the middle one) are not included in this calculation.
If you haven't already completed the form, please click on www.thestudentsurvey.com Many thanks wishes!
and
best
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Brunel Psychology Society The Brunel Psychology Society is approaching it’s first birthday now, and it has been quite a year! We didn’t know quite what we were letting ourselves in for when we started, and some committee members found that their studies didn’t allow enough spare time for them to dedicate to the society. This meant that through the first year we have had a high turnover on the committee. But those of us that are still here have learned a lot of lessons, like don’t schedule events right before assignment deadlines or tests! Or how external forums don’t really work, but Facebook seems to work well.
We held a number of events through the year, including a couple of social events, a joint screening of Das Experiment with the Cult Film Society (which I suspect they are still recovering from!), a screening of In Treatment, and some study groups. As we go forward we are picking up speed and putting what we have learned into practice. Psych News is the first sign of this, and there will be more to come including more events like:
• BBQ Social
• Hopefully a debate with the debating society
• And lots moreX! We also have our Annual General Meeting coming up soon, at which you will be able to vote for who takes what committee positions next year. And if you want to get more involved, you could run for committee positions yourself! More information on this and how/where to vote will be published through our facebook page and by email closer to the time. Until then, keep thinking Brunel!
“a joint screening of Das Experiment with the Cult Film Society (which I suspect they are still recovering from!)”
• Study Groups • More film screenings
Book of the Month Obedience to Authority: An Experimental View By Toby Berriman
Starting in 1961 American psychologist Stanley Milgram started a series of experiments which were to become some of the most famous and revealing in history. After the Nuremberg Trials a lot of people were asking how the Nazis could have carried out the atrocities they did, and a common defense presented by those on trial was "I was following orders". It was hard to believe, however, that people could really commit such heinous acts simply because they were ordered to. Milgrams experiments showed that not only can the presence of authority easily influence people to bypass their moral judgements and inflict harm on others, but that the
capacity and mechanisms for this exists inside every single one of us. This book, published over ten years after the experiments, is Milgram's chronicling of the experiments, the results, the analysis and conclusions he drew, and some of the critical reactions it provoked. It is also very readable, which I have found is unusual for a book written by a psychologist. There is no excessive jargon or academic writing style, just plain language and good explanat i o n s . Personally I found the book fascinating, and while I already knew about the famous experiment I was unuware that quite so many variations had been carried
out and covering such a wide sample of the population. I would say this book should be required reading for just about everyone, not just psychologists, as it teaches us a lot about our own obedience to authority and by learning the lessons here we can learn to question and challenge authority when appropriate. If you find this book interesting you may also like: The Lucifer Effect: How Good People Turn Evil Philip Zimbardo a n d Opening Skinner's Box: Great Psychological Experiments of the Twentieth Century - by Lauren Slater
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“I would say this book should be required reading for just about everyone, not just psychologists”
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British Psychology Society Student Member Group By Toby Berriman
Most psychology students know about the British Psychology Society (BPS), but do you know about the BPS Student Member Group (SMG)? No? Well you’re not alone, but that’s why I’m here! The SMG is a branch of the
BPS for students, and offers all sorts of benefits including: * Free or discount entry to certain events * An annual conference (this year featuring a Q&A with Prof. E. Loftus!) * Monthly magazine The Psychologist * Quarterly magazine PsychTalk
* Discounts on BPS books * Free transfer to graduate membership * Reader access to Senate House Library where the BPS library is held So lots of great benefits! For more info go to the website, or contact me, your BPS SMG Representative, at hs10ttb@brunel.ac.uk.
http://www.bps.org.uk/smg/smg_home.cfm
The BPS SMG has a number of events scheduled, some of which are free for members!
Event: Why do women prefer to cradle babies on the left side? Speaker: Dr Brenda Todd Date/Time: 16 March 2011 6:15pm Location: BPS London Office, 30 Tabernacle Street, London EC2A 4UE
It is well-established that the majority of women prefer to hold their babies on the leftside of their bodies but the reasons why are not so clear. The bias appears to be independent of handedness since left- as well as right-handed women typically prefer to cradle babies in the left arm. Brenda will explore a variety of explana-
tions of the bias and the evidence for them. It has been suggested, for example, that babies are held where they can hear the soothing sound of the mother’s heartbeat, where they have best access to the most expressive side of her face, or that the mother accommodates to the baby’s preferred head position. At present, the most promising explanation of the leftcradling bias relates to the organisation of the mother’s brain. Cradling on the left side may be advantageous
as it enables optimal processing of infant signals in the mother’s right hemisphere which, typically, is specialised for emotional information. Cradling on the left is therefore said to allow for finely tuned awareness of the infant’s state as indicated by appearance, sounds and muscle tension. Some important evidence of a reduction in the tendency to cradle on the left-side in women and men who are experiencing stress, anxiety and depression will be examined.
Event: Psychology For All Date: 26th March 2011 8:45am—5:30pm Location: University of Westminster Cost: £20.42 per person; concession £15.32
An enjoyable and informative one day public event showcasing the variety and relevance of psychological research to our health and well-being. The talks include: Get the edge: Understanding the body's little secrets The Luck Factor
Deconstructing young people’s behaviour: How to make sense of a child’s world using personal construct psychology The psychology of work-life balance How brain injury can help us to understand the mechanics of the mind Brainwaves – where Mind and Body meet Knowing the words, but not the music: What psychopaths can teach us about empathy
What happens to our brain and mind as we get older? On the witness stand - variables influencing eyewitness’ accuracy and confidence Prejudice reduction using our own neurology Negative Capability: The benefits of having a capacity for being in uncertainty And lots more!! For more details and information visit http://bit.ly/huPQXt Page 12
Free entry to BPS SMG members. Free entry by ticket only, available by emailing londonandhc@googl email.com Please type “Left” and add y o u r B P S membership number as ‘XXX’ in the subject line of your email. Tickets usually go quickly so early booking is advised. Only one ticket per member will be issued.
“An enjoyable and informative one day public event showcasing the variety and relevance of psychologic al research to our health and well-being.”
Psych News http://on.fb.me/fHhxZ5
bpsbrunel@gmail.com
Website of the Month: Radiolab By Toby Berriman
“a radio show and podcast weaving stories and science into sound and music-rich documentaries.”
Radiolab, while not being specifically a psychology website, contains some great information for those interested in learning more about psychology. In their own words: “Radiolab, with Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich, is a radio show and podcast weaving stories and science into sound and music-rich documentaries.” The podcasts are easy to listen to, breaking down complex ideas into simple to di-
gest pieces mixed with interviews, stories, and dialogue. What sound like heavy complex topics can be easily enjoyed in a quiet hour. I have been a fan of radiolab for a long time now, and absolutely love the psychology related shows they do. Level one students recently learned about Jill Bolte Taylor, the neurologist who got to experience her brain deteriorating when she had a stroke. I first learned about this case in a fascinating Radiolab podcast
entitled “A World Without Words” that looked at the psychology and function of language in our world. Other particularly great shows have included Placebo, Choice, Laughter, Musical Language, Memory and Forgetting, and Sleep. http://www.radiolab.org/
Keeping Busy—Fernand Gobet By Professor Fernand Gobet
Professor Fernand Gobet, Professor in Cognitive Psychology, Director of the Centre for the Study of Expertise .
We are looking for submissions from students and staff! Articles, opinions, response to something you’ve read in Psych News, whatever you feel like sending!
Let it not be thought that our professors are not busy! Brunel’s Prof. Fernand Gobet has been very busy, first he has been invited to give a keynote speech at the 2nd conference of the International Research Association for Talent Development and Excellence (IRATDE) in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, in November 2011 where he will talk about “Excellence : Expertise vs. Talent”.
As if that wasn’t enough, he has just published Foundations of Cognitive Psychology, together with Philippe Chassy and Merim Bilalić, two former PhD students. While most textbooks on cognitive psychology are written for an advanced-level audience and can be overwhelming and confusing for the students, Foundations of Cognitive Psychology is pitched at the introductory level. Written in a simple style, the book clearly explains how topics such as
Next Month
Submissions wanted
We are off to a good start with Psych News and hope to continue that each month with better and better material.
Are you a student or staff at Brunel and have something you would like to write about? Then let us know! We are looking for any submissions that are related to psychology, studying psychology, or about yourselves as psychology students or staff.
And remember, Psych News is brought to you by the Brunel Psychology Society!
Articles can be as short as you like, or stretch up to
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perception, attention, memory and problem solving fit together and provides numerous illustrations from everyday life. Finally James Borg, who graduated in 2009, and Prof. Fernand Gobet have just published an article in Manual Therapy titled “The intermediate effect in clinical case recall is present in musculoskeletal physiotherapy “. The article is based on James Borg’s dissertation.
much longer, although the recommended length is up to about 200 words for a short article or up to 500 words for a longer article. So please, send all your ideas, articles, or whatever to us at: bpsbrunel@gmail.com and we will do what we can to ensure you get into the next Psych News!