View guidance on the application process and studentships.
We currently have a number of supervisor-led PhD projects, outlined below. If you are interested in any of these projects, please contact the Director of Studies (DoS) directly.
Delivering tailored public health communications through social psychology
Dr Rotem Perach (DoS), Prof Tom Buchanan, Dr Deborah Husbands
Theme: Identity, self, and society
The outbreak of new infectious diseases, including Covid-19, is a major public health concern. Effective public health messaging is key to increasing uptake of protective health behaviours, such as vaccinations. Importantly, Covid-19 vaccination rates are lowest for ethnic minority groups such that encouraging vaccine uptake in these populations is a health inequality priority. This PhD research project will examine ideas inspired by social psychology about how to deliver health communications that are designed to appeal to particular groups in the population. For example, how can message characteristics (e.g., text/visual framing) and individual differences (e.g., political orientation, personality) be tailored to increase responsiveness to public health messages? Which types of information and appeals are valued by members of different populations, and which are counterproductive? Through a social psychology lens, this project will help to better understand how public health threats and related health inequalities can be addressed. This research project will involve mixed methods including online quantitative experiments and qualitative participatory research.
The Impostor Phenomenon Among Minoritised Students in Higher Education
Dr Deborah Husbands (DoS), Dr Orkun Yetkili, Alan Porter
Theme: Identity, self, and society
This project builds on cross-institutional research to investigate the impostor phenomenon (IP) in marginalised student populations. Our research has confirmed an association of IP with a sense of unbelonging, lower academic satisfaction and lower achievement in Black female undergraduate students. These variables are linked to degree outcomes and may contribute to a persistent awarding gap. Described as the feeling of being a fraud or ‘phony’, IP is associated with negative thoughts and behaviours, including poor mental health. With an emphasis on improving experiences and academic success for our diverse student body, you will devise a project to investigate experiences of impostorism and possible contributions to a poorer university experience in marginalised populations, such as those who are racially or sexually minoritised. You will draw on social psychology, cultural psychology, and critical race theoretical perspectives to carry out a body of work replicating our previous findings on a larger scale. This PhD provides an opportunity to work with investigators to develop an intervention that will address outcomes typically associated with the degree awarding gap, which is the difference in the award of a ‘good’ degree between racially-minoritised students and their White peers.
Cripping the collections: Centring disability in museum narratives through inclusive co-created interpretation
Dr Rachel Hutchinson (DoS), Dr Alison Eardley, Dr Deborah Husbands. The student will also receive supervision from museum partners.
Theme: Identity, self and society
This collaborative interdisciplinary project will involve working with museums to address the underrepresentation of disabled people in the museum sector. In the UK, museum practice is beginning to make efforts towards a more equitable representation of disability within museum narratives, supported by projects such as Curating for Change. However, this is challenged by both the limitations of traditional cataloguing systems, which have not been set up to capture disability narratives, and the lack of confidence or expertise in curatorial staff to interpret these narratives. This can lead to their erasure in museums.
This PhD project will expand and extend earlier work by using action research to develop an ethical process for the creation of accessible co-created museum interpretation that acknowledges or is centred around disabled histories. The PhD researcher will set-up and facilitate co-creation interpretation workshops with disabled people, and other stakeholders. The project will involve working with a UK museum, and potentially with the Smithsonian Institute (US). This research project integrates museum studies, critical disability studies, psychology, and intersectionality, recognizing that disability histories intersect with various identities. Applicants are welcome from a range of related disciplines. We encourage applications from underrepresented groups, including people with lived experiences of disability.
How does social media affect adolescents’ mental health?
Dr Christina Moutsiana (DoS), Dr Orkun Yetkili, Prof. Tom Buchanan
Theme: Brain, cognition and perception
In recent years there is a disturbing upsurge in the number of adolescents that suffer from emotional disorders (Odgers & Jensen, 2020). This coincides with a rise in social media platforms and the time adolescents spend online. For the development and successful implementation of child protection policies, it is essential to conduct a comprehensive examination of the impact that online social interactions have on adolescents' formation of beliefs about the self and susceptibility to feelings of rejection, without, importantly, overlooking the fact that adolescents are still in the process of cognitive and emotional development. Rejection hurts and experiencing emotional adversity throughout development disrupts the emotional regulation skills that persist into adulthood (Eisenberg et al, 2003, Moutsiana et al., 2014a, 2014b). The current project will employ online cognitive paradigms that will allow a thorough investigation of how diverse categories of online social interactions and (mis)communication impacts adolescents emotional responding and cognitive development of belief formation about the self, while also investigating the characteristics of the individuals that are more susceptible to the effects of social exclusion and disapproval.
The Mindful Immigration Project
Dr Natasha Ramachandran (DoS), Dr Nina Smyth, Dr Lisa Thorn
Theme: Health Stress and Wellbeing
First-generation immigrants experience unique stressors related to acculturation and language barriers. Stress-related changes in cortisol circadian rhythms are predictive of ill-health and negative health outcomes among minority ethnic individuals (Adam et al., 2017). Mindfulness based interventions (MBI) are promoted by the NHS to improve wellbeing and mental health. However, existing research on the efficacy of MBIs fail to consider cultural factors, further, first-generation immigrant groups are underrepresented in this research. Project aims: 1. explore relationship between stress-related changes in cortisol circadian rhythms in UK first-generation individuals. 2. investigate efficacy in MBIs in improving stress-related circadian function and improve health and wellbeing in UK first-generation individuals. 3. Art-based methods will be used to understand cultural factors in MBIs, showcasing overall findings.
The PhD student will work with the Psychophysiology and Stress Research Group to expand the evidence base for the efficacy of MBIs for UK first-generation immigrants and inform culturally appropriate MBIs. The PhD student will work with primary healthcare providers, community health champions and social prescribing, to implement culturally appropriate MBIs into the community. The project could enhance effectiveness of social prescribing for recently immigrated individuals to improve health and wellbeing in a growing population where health inequalities are widening.
Examining the malleability of eyewitness confidence in the interviewing room
Dr Alessandra Caso (DoS), Prof. Coral Dando, Dr Evren Ramen
Theme: Forensic and Investigative Psychology
Eyewitness confidence describes the extent to which individuals perceive their memories as accurate. Research reveals eyewitness confidence is a malleable cognition. For example, confidence levels when making line-up identifications can be inflated by the feedback received during the identification process itself (Bradfield et al., 2002). This has significant ramifications in forensic contexts, as heightened confidence, especially when paired with low identification accuracy, has contributed to miscarriages of justice. Surprisingly, researchers have yet to explore the impact of interviewer feedback on confidence in forensic interviews with eyewitnesses. Hence, crucial questions remain unanswered centred on whether some types of eyewitnesses are more susceptible to confidence boosting feedback than others, and in what circumstances influence might be amplified.
In three experimental studies employing a novel and ecologically advanced eyewitness-memory paradigm - using a 360-degree immersive camera platform - we will investigate how and when various types of interviewer feedback might conflate/deflate confidence alongside the confidence-accuracy relationship in younger and older adult eyewitnesses. This project will meet the urgent demand for a nuanced understanding of how eyewitness confidence might be influenced in interview contexts, and it aims to provide recommendations for practitioners, highlighting factors that may variously impact eyewitnesses based on characteristics and circumstances.
Exploring Eyewitness Memory in Virtual Reality Contexts: A Multidimensional Approach
Dr Donna Taylor (DoS), Prof Coral Dando, Dr Jeane Gerard (Criminology)
Theme: Forensic and Investigative Psychology
Eyewitness memory holds considerable importance for applied researchers and criminal justice systems across the world (Dando et al., 2023a), and recall accuracy has significant implications for the detection of crimes and the administration of justice. Statistics reveal that the use of virtual reality (VR) on gaming and social media platforms is increasing exponentially in terms of both the opportunity to perpetrate crimes and, relatedly, to become a victim of crime (Allen and McIntosh, 2023). Recent research suggests that eyewitness memory can be improved by using VR interviews after witnessing a crime (Taylor and Dando, 2018; Dando et al., 2023b). There is currently a gap in research investigating the cognitive and emotional impact of witnessing and/or being a victim of crime in virtual settings and how this may relate to eyewitness memory performance. The current project will evaluate the effects of virtual reality contexts on eyewitness perception and cognition by testing various scenarios in which VR can be used. Adopting a mixed methods approach, the study will include cognitive tasks, physiological measures, and qualitative interviews to provide a holistic understanding of how VR environments shape eyewitness memory in forensic settings, addressing a critical gap in theoretical and practical understanding.
Investigative Decision Making using Virtual Reality Among Police Officers in England and Wales
Dr Magdalene Ng (DoS), Prof. Tom Buchanan
Theme: Forensic and Investigative Psychology
Research shows that digital evidence is present in over 90% of criminal investigations. However, police officers often overlook crucial digital evidence and this impacts investigative outcomes. Despite the significance of digital evidence in law enforcement, there is a crucial gap in our understanding of how officers recognise, search, and collect digital evidence at crime scenes and how they interact with digital forensic investigators (DFIs). This gap is concerning, especially given the excess of digital evidence in criminal investigations. This PhD aims to investigate and bridge the gap by studying officers’ effectiveness in searching for, recognising, and handling digital evidence and the biases that they may hold. Using innovative methodologies such as virtual reality (VR) and an interdisciplinary approach, this proposal will provide valuable insights into investigative decision-making, paving the way for enhanced training and law enforcement practices.
Using psychological interventions to increase girls’ interests in STEM
Dr Yue Li (DoS), Dr Anna Doering, Dr Evren Raman
Theme: Learning and development
Gender stereotypes not only reduce girls’ interests in studying STEM subjects but also influence their performance in these subjects (Leslie, Cimpian, Meyer, & Freeland, 2015). A previous study by Bian, Leslie, and Cimpian (2017) suggested that girls as early as 6 years old start to hold a gender stereotype about brilliance (favouring boys to have high ability). This stereotype could lead girls to be less likely to study subjects (e.g., physics) or choose careers that require innate ability (e.g., engineering; Murphy, Steele & Gross, 2007).
This off-the-shelf project aims to investigate what psychological approaches/interventions can reduce girls’ gender stereotypes, increase girls’ interests in studying STEM subjects (inclusivity), improve girls’ performance in STEM subjects, encourage girls to choose STEM-related careers based on their own interests (instead of the negative influence of stereotype), and reduce gender gap in STEM (equity). This project will use different approaches/interventions for participants at different educational levels (e.g., primary schoolers etc.). One of the example interventions for primary schoolers is “role play”, in which girls will be asked to play as a famous female scientist (e.g., Marie Curie; Shachnai, Kushnir, & Bian, 2022). This project also aims to investigate the potential cultural influence on gender stereotypes (diversity).