Psychology MRes

Research supervisor: Dr Robert Vaughan

An extraordinary physiological capacity combined with personal characteristics and cognitive functioning are crucial for high performance in sports. Despite widespread attention there is still much to understand regarding elite performance. 

My research focuses on three areas of sport and exercise psychology, namely, executive function, personality, and psychometrics. All three intersect across athletic expertise and the individual differences associated with elite athletes. 

Specifically, I am interested in the mechanics driving athlete expertise and performance. In that, my work looks at a range of factors across different methodologies. the effect of Dark personality traits (e.g., narcissism, Machiavellianism and psychopathy) on health-related outcomes such as physical activity, whether expert decision-making interacts with emotional competency to predict sport-related outcomes, and whether self-report questionnaires capturing personal dispositions such as mental toughness successfully differentiate individuals across athlete expertise.

I am interested in supervising projects in the following areas: 

• Psychometric properties of self-report questionnaires and their measurement invariance (e.g., across sample characteristics like athletes vs. non-athletes). 
• The role of executive function in predicting performance and/or performance-related variables (e.g., penalty kick success under situational pressure). 
• The relationship between Dark personalities and sports-related variables in athletes (e.g., doping attitudes, burnout and so forth).

Research supervisor: Dr Jamie Churchyard

Our personal character offers the foundation upon which we navigate our lives and the choices we make. Much of the prior research into personality has explored how people have a dominant set of personality characteristics, often referred to as their trait personality. Modern personality research acknowledges this but has also begun to explore how people think and act depending on the different situations they encounter (referred to as states if measured in the moment). 

I’m open to supervising research in the areas of personality and wellbeing, behaviour styles (habitual and exploratory) and strength of belief. 

I’d be particularly interested in supervising research into: 

• The role of authenticity, self-regulation, locus of control and behaviour style preference in predicting the display of variation in personality states. 
• Examining situation/context-specific measurements of personality, wellbeing and other individual differences. 
• The induction of personality states and how this affects the participants sense of authenticity and wellbeing.

Research supervisor: Dr Henry Johnson

Alcohol and other substances have been shown to have an influence on decision-making processes for many behaviours. Often such substances increase the occurrence of behaviours which have the potential for risk-taking and negative outcomes. 

Additionally, these substances can affect how we perceive others, including their attractiveness and what is considered to be normative regarding their other general characteristics. Perceptions of norms regarding the use of such substances can be influenced by the online consumption of social media which contain related images and/or scenarios, particularly which exhibit such primes (stimuli) associated with individuals in the social media for which the viewer somehow relates to. 

My previous research includes survey and experimental methods involving the influence of alcohol-related and sex-related primes on viewers’ perceptions, and how these may be related to risk and decision-making. 

I would be interested in supervising projects in the following areas: 

• The influence of primes on perceptions and behaviours (any type of prime), including in social media 
• How risk-taking behaviours can be affected by substance use, leading to negative outcomes such as STIs 
• The interplay of culture and cultural differences on substance use, risky behaviours and normative perceptions

Research supervisor: Dr Nicole M Miller

Exploring the various relationships needed to maintain and preserve health and wellbeing is vital to our global sustainable development. My research spans disciplines of social and health psychology with a focus on improving wellbeing and enhancing sustainable behaviours. 

Specifically, I am interested in identifying innovative ways to reduce structural and public stigma towards people who use drugs. In addition, I am interested in focusing on improving wellbeing outcomes for those affected by climate-related disasters and acute events (heat stress, fires, chronic flooding) and understanding how climate denial and eco-anxiety relate to pro-environmental attitudes and behaviours. 

I am interested in supervising projects using a range of qualitative or quantitative methods (survey only) in the following areas: 

• Examining how contact theory (indirect, virtual and or direct) can reduce stigma towards people who use drugs. 
• Examining the impact of eco-anxiety and climate events on wellbeing and identifying innovative ways to reduce poor outcomes using various forms of therapies (eco-therapies) and interventions (CBT, Motivational Interviewing, Virtual reality). 
• Exploring key psychological (eco-anxiety, climate denial), social (social identity), and economic factors that predict pro-environmental behaviours.

Research supervisor: Dr Bob Lockie

The discipline of psychology grew out of the discipline of philosophy about 160 years ago but there remain connections between the two; and this in particular in the areas of Individual Differences, in Cognitive Psychology and in Moral Psychology. 

The research below will be of interest to those wishing to explore some combination of personality and socioaffective tendencies and measures of executive functioning (e.g., self-management and self-regulation). Each of the below I’d anticipate being a survey-based project, but possibly with an experimental component. 

• Subclinical measures of the ‘darker’ side of personality (e.g. psychopathy, narcissism, Machiavellianism) and how they relate to other subclinical measures of poor psychological wellbeing (e.g. depression, stress, anxiety) or with a measure of self-deception (e.g. Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding). 
• Broad trait personality measures (e.g. HEXACO, Big 5, etc.) and questionnaire-based measures of executive functioning (e.g. Barkley Deficits in Executive Functioning or attentional measures), possibly with other individual difference questionnaires such as empathy or attachment-based measures. 
• Moral psychology and personality trait variables, however, conceived.

Research supervisor: Dr Linda Dinc

Trait and behavioural self-control have been implicated in various substance and behavioural addictions. However, we have limited knowledge of the risk factors that affect the link between the two. Understanding these is critical for tailoring more effective prevention and intervention strategies. 

My research aims to explore the extent to which individual differences in personality, motivation, mood and cognitive processes influence the relationship between self-control and various addictions. For example, some of my previous research examined the mechanisms through which different motives and affective states influence the relationship between trait impulsivity and problem alcohol use; other projects have focused on the role of emotion regulation in the relationship between trait impulsivity and various behavioural addictions including online gaming, smartphone and food addictions. 

In addition to online surveys, I conduct lab-based research using Eyetracker and EEG biofeedback to explore the relationships between these variables and the differences between groups. 

I am interested in supervising quantitative research in the following areas: 

• The relationships between individual differences and addictive behaviours: predictors, mediators and moderators. 
• The role of individual differences in viewing and evaluation of health warning labels (optional Eyetracker). 
• The effect of neurofeedback in improving wellbeing, reducing anxiety and optimum performance among different groups.

Research supervisor: Dr Lucy Clarke

Gender stereotypes are a generalised view or preconception about the attributes or characteristics that ought to be possessed by women and men or the roles that should be performed by men and women. These stereotypes develop early in life and can result in a range of consequences for the individual. Children’s media has been criticised for being high in gender stereotypes. My research has explored the gendered behaviours displayed in Disney animations, and whether these have changed over time. 

I have also investigated the masculinity that is presented in franchises that the Disney corporation has recently acquired that are often considered to be targeted towards boys and men (namely, the Marvel and Star Wars franchises). I am interested in the extent to which children’s gendered behaviours are related to their level of engagement with the Disney, Marvel and Star Wars franchises. 

I am interested in supervising projects in the following areas:

• Children’s experiential understanding/interpretation of the gendered behaviours displayed in Disney, Marvel and Star Wars media (e.g., identify character[s] behaviours and attribute these as positive or negative). 
• The influence of Disney, Marvel, and Star Wars character dress-up on play behaviour (e.g., the extent to which character attributions are reflected in play observations). 
• Parent’s perceptions and attitudes towards the gendered messages in Disney, Marvel and Star Wars media (e.g., parental observation techniques considering the broader family dynamic).

Research supervisor: Professor Mark Coulson

I have a range of research interests, spanning video gaming and online behaviour; homesickness; misophonia; forensic and criminal psychology; emotional expression and communication; systematic review and meta-analysis; and positive psychology and mindfulness. 

My research expertise lies in quantitative approaches and includes experimental, survey, simulation and knowledge synthesis. I have a particular interest in the application of psychology’s small number of ‘grand theories’ to all aspects of human behaviour. 

I am interested in supervising projects in the following areas: 

• Romantic relationships in video games. Video games increasingly offer romance options with non-player characters (NPCs), opening up the possibility for players to experiment with gender roles and sexual orientations. 
• Homesickness and virtual reality. We have shown that a short series of virtual reality sessions in one’s home neighbourhood can reduce feelings of homesickness and dependence on the place one has left. 
• Misophonia, the experience of anger or disgust in response to sounds (typically human-generated, such as chewing or swallowing), is a fairly common but poorly understood phenomenon which is not currently considered a psychiatric disorder. Our current research suggests that the effects of misophonia on wellbeing are mainly mediated by coping mechanisms, psychiatric co-morbidity, and psychological flexibility.

Research supervisor: Dr Cynthia A Cordova Sanchez

Femicide, the deliberate killing of women and girls because of their gender, is the most violent manifestation of gender-based violence and inequality. Understanding its underlying causes, prevalence, and implications is necessary in order to foster societal change. While there are numerous explanations and risk factors associated with the perpetration of gender-based abuse, there is still need a more holistic understanding of the risk and precipitating factors to support victims and deter those at risk of perpetration. My previous research has focused on societal responses towards crimes involving gender-based violence. By understanding some of the societal responses we can identify some key barriers in victims recognising and reporting the abuse, as well as perpetrators identifying scripts which condone the violence.

I am interested in supervising projects in the following areas:

• Predictors of attitudes condoning gender violence. This could also investigate the needs of perpetrators from an intervention perspective.
• Experiences of gender-based violence in migrants. The focus could be on barriers to identify and report the abuse, or to receive support.
• Technology facilitated gender-based violence. For example, radicalisation in incel groups, or coercive and stalking online behaviours.

Research supervisor: Dr Jason Clarke

My research investigates the intersection of expectations, attention, and perception, utilising the predictive coding framework to understand how the brain constructs perceptual reality. Through psychophysical experiments, I examine how expectations can lead to illusory perceptions, even without attention. My work explores the mechanisms behind "expectation awareness" where high expectations generate vivid yet false perceptual experiences. These studies aim to uncover the cognitive and neural processes that govern how attention and expectations shape our conscious experience, providing insights into the nature of consciousness and perceptual disorders.

Research supervisor: Dr Lee Usher

Investigation into the psychological aspects of humour and laughter is increasing and there is still much to determine.  Evidence shows, for example, that viewing humorous material can have a short-term effect on psychological factors such as mood, but less is known about the potential effect of viewing humorous material on different dimensions of wellbeing over time.  An individual’s humour style has also been shown to be linked to wellbeing, whilst other studies have shown that humour has been used in different contexts as a coping strategy.  Research points to the potential for humour to be beneficial in specific contexts and is a fundamental factor across different areas of Psychology.  I am interested in overseeing projects that explore the influence of humour on physical health and/or psychological well-being/mood or the role of humour in particular situations.

I’d be particularly interested in supervising quantitative research in the following areas:

• Examining potential effects of ‘exposure to humorous material’ (compared with other types of material) on different facets of wellbeing. 
• Assessing whether different humour styles predict different dimensions of psychological wellbeing and/or physical symptoms.
• Associations between different humour styles and humorousness (extent of sense of humour or appreciation of humour), and how these factors may influence outcomes such as coping, political affiliation, mental toughness and self-esteem.

Research supervisor: Professor Ben Hine

When we think of violence between partners, we typically think of particular individuals being involved and in certain roles (most commonly a strong violent man being physically violent towards a weaker vulnerable woman). However, violence can occur between anybody, and is much more strongly predicted by past trauma and situational pressures than gender for example. My work focuses on exploring the experiences of so-called 'hidden' victims of domestic violence, like men and LGBT+ survivors. I am particularly interested in how our stereotypes inform our judgements of those involved in violence, as well as hidden perpetrators on the other side of the picture. Specifically, I focus on a specific form of violence, where a parent will manipulate a child against the other parent, commonly after separation or divorce. There is still much to learn about this relatively new form of violence and is called 'Parental Alienation'.

I would be interested in working with students in the following areas:

• Exploring the experiences of adults alienated as children - Qualitative or quantitative exploration of how adults retrospectively report their experiences of alienation and measurement of their outcomes in adulthood
• Examining children's experiences of family court - using interview and artistic methods to explore children's interpretation of their justice experiences
• Post separation control using children - working with parents to understand their experiences of coercive control using children after relationship breakdown

Research supervisor: Dr Moira Cachia