Psychology undergraduate brochure

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Psychology

Department of Psychology Undergraduate Studies Department of Psychology

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Royal Holloway is widely recognised on the world stage as one of the UK’s leading teaching and research universities. One of the larger colleges of the University of London, we are strong across the sciences, social sciences, arts and humanities. We were ranked 12th in the UK (102nd in the world) by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2014, which described us as ‘truly world class’.

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As a cosmopolitan community, with students from 130 countries, we focus on the support and development of the individual. Our friendly and safe campus, west of central London, provides a unique environment for university study. We have been voted as one of the 16 most beautiful universities in the world (Daily Telegraph).

Psychology Contents We are one of the top Psychology departments in the UK with excellent ratings for both teaching and research.

We offer a varied and innovative programme of courses that equip students with a wide portfolio of transferable skills. Our research and teaching enhance one another, and keep students in touch with the frontiers of psychological knowledge.

Why study Psychology?

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Why choose Psychology at Royal Holloway?

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Department and facilities

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Admissions and entry requirements

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Degree programmes and structure

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Teaching and assessment

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World class research

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Your future career

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Other information

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Academic staff and their research

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Contact details

Head of Department Professor Patrick Leman PSY-HoD@royalholloway.ac.uk General enquiries psy-enquiries@royalholloway.ac.uk Admissions enquiries Dr Marco Cinnirella psy-enquiries@royalholloway.ac.uk Department of Psychology T: +44 (0)1784 443526 royalholloway.ac.uk/psychology

more information

This brochure is designed to complement Royal Holloway’s Undergraduate Prospectus and information on the department’s website at royalholloway.ac.uk/psychology It is also available as a PDF at royalholloway.ac.uk/brochures

Department of Psychology

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Why study Psychology?

Psychology is the study of how people think, react and interact.

It is concerned with all aspects of behaviour and the thoughts, feelings and motivations that underlie such behaviour. As such, there are many different reasons why people choose to study Psychology.

Psychology relates to the whole range of human experience, from visual perception to complex social interactions. As psychologists we seek to answer questions as diverse as why we perceive visual illusions, how infants develop an understanding of the world around them, why driving while using a mobile phone can be dangerous, and what factors can explain the emergence of psychological disorders. Studying psychology provides an initial breadth across all of these fascinating topics, followed by a more specialised focus on the topics that interest you as you progress.

Importantly, a Psychology degree develops both high level literacy and numeracy skills, which is one of the reasons it is such a popular degree with employers. It involves learning transferable skills such as critical reading, report writing, interviewing, survey research, observation, measurement, experimentation and using statistics to assess the significance of research findings. These skills are relevant to a wide number of occupational settings.

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Department of Psychology

Why choose Psychology at Royal Holloway?

Welcome Psychology is a fascinating subject and studying psychology is a superb way to prepare yourself for a successful career. Psychology at Royal Holloway has a long history and we are consistently ranked among the very top departments nationally and internationally in both our research and our teaching quality.

If you choose to study psychology at Royal Holloway you will get a world class education in a world class research environment.

All our academic staff are involved in teaching, and conduct research in areas covering all of the field from clinical, forensic and social psychology to biological psychology and neuroscience.

You will join a lively and supportive community, truly global in its composition and outlook, reflecting Royal Holloway’s status as the United Kingdom’s leading university in terms of international outlook. After your time here, whether you choose to pursue a path into psychology or one of the many different careers that our graduates excel in, you will benefit from our expert career information and high quality placements scheme. We believe that the quality of career advice and academic support that we give throughout the degree course is the key reason that we have an exceptional record of graduate employment success.

At Royal Holloway we pride ourselves in offering a distinctive and first class educational experience. Our ethos is to combine an intellectually stimulating environment with high quality support and state of the art equipment, technological support and a full range of resources. Add to this the engaging atmosphere at Royal Holloway, with its well-equipped campus, vibrant student community and beautiful surroundings close to the global city of London, and you have all the ingredients for an enjoyable and rewarding experience.

I warmly invite you to visit us and look forward to meeting you at one of our College Open Days that we hold regularly, throughout the year.

If you visit, I am sure you will see why Royal Holloway psychology graduates are regarded, by academics and employers alike, as among the very best. If you are thinking of studying psychology, you really cannot make a better choice than Royal Holloway!

Professor Patrick Leman Head of Department, Psychology

• Excellent ratings for teaching and research: We are consistently ranked in the top 10-20 of all major Psychology Department league tables and were also placed in the top 10 in the last Research Assessment Exercise, positioning the quality of our research among the best in the UK. This means that if you choose to study with us, you will have the opportunity to be taught and supervised by psychologists who conduct world-class research at the frontiers of the discipline, but who also are passionate about teaching.

The Department also offers a range of opportunities for postgraduate study after your first degree, including Masters programmes, PhD study and a top-rated Clinical Psychology doctorate programme which regularly provides placement opportunities for undergraduates. Our teaching quality was awarded maximum marks when it was last assessed by the independent Quality Assurance Agency, and the teaching of our staff is regularly recognised by College teaching awards and student-nominated prizes awarded by the Students’ Union.

• A great place to live and learn: Our students obtain a highly marketable degree from the University of London, one of the most prestigious and recognised brands in the world, and do so while studying at a beautiful parkland campus. The centre piece of the campus is the magnificent red-brick Founder’s Building, one of the most notable university buildings in the UK. An exciting aspect of studying with us is the diversity of the student population, with our campus welcoming one of the most internationally diverse student bodies of any UK university, representing over 100 nationalities.

• Student satisfaction: We scored very well in the most recent National Student Survey. Overall student satisfaction ranks us 9th in the country. 97% of our students agree that the course is well organised and runs smoothly, and 95% agree that staff are good at explaining things. Our international research expertise impacts on teaching at all levels. This is especially advantageous in the final year research project, in which students are able to work with one of our staff on a topic at the cutting-edge of research.

• Friendly department: The Department is dynamic, welcoming and engaging. Students appreciate the openness of the Department and the accessibility of our staff. Our Personal Advisor system means that students receive personalised advice and pastoral support from a single faculty member throughout their three year degree. College-wide support services also help you get the most out of your time here providing guidance on employability, volunteering opportunities and welfare issues.

• E xcellent career prospects: The high quality of our teaching is reflected in the achievement of our students, three-quarters or more of whom graduate with first or upper-second class degrees. Our graduates embark on a wide range of careers and many go on to postgraduate training.

The transferable skills learnt as part of a Psychology degree mean our graduates are well equipped to work both in the UK and abroad, and the University of London degree awarded is recognised the world over.

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Department and facilities A long history The university has a long and proud history, stretching back to 1849 when Bedford College (which merged with Royal Holloway in 1985) was founded in London, and 1886, when Queen Victoria opened Royal Holloway College in Egham, Surrey. Since then, Royal Holloway has grown exponentially due to its success, and along the way developed a reputation for cutting edge research and outstanding teaching. Bedford College was the first English university to appoint a female Professor and, with Royal Holloway College, was at the forefront of providing opportunities for women to study at university. Graduates of our university have included internationally renowned scientists, such as Professor Samuel Tolansky, Professor Michael Eysenck (former Head of the Psychology Department), as well as innovators in the world of the arts, such as singer-songwriter KT Tunstall and poet laureate, Sir Andrew Motion.

First-class facilities We have one of the best-equipped Psychology departments in the country, with a variety of research labs reflecting the diverse nature of ongoing research in the Department. We have our own on-site magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner, for studying

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Department of Psychology

brain structure and activity, and instruments for recording electrical changes in the brain (EEG). We also have a range of other facilities including apparatus to stimulate focal areas in the brain (TMS), technology for tracking eye movements, systems for tracking precise body movements in very young children and adults, the ability to create virtual reality environments, CCTV and video systems for discreet observation of behaviour and a dedicated baby lab for studying the development of young infants.

Opportunities for further study The Department has a growing portfolio of Masters courses (see website), with a new Masters in Forensic Psychology (offered jointly with the Criminology & Sociology Department) due to come on stream soon. There is also a vibrant community of PhD students within the Department working on cutting-edge research spanning a wide range of areas within Psychology. Unlike many Psychology departments, we also have a dedicated Clinical Psychology department providing graduate training in clinical psychology. This provides rich opportunities for undergraduates to learn from staff who treat clients on a daily basis, as well as placement options in clinically relevant research.

Admissions and entry requirements We welcome applications from candidates with a diverse range of backgrounds. We admit around 180 undergraduate students across all our single honours programmes each year (with no limits on individual programmes). Admission is on the basis of attainment at A-level or equivalent qualifications. Applications from international students, mature students and candidates who wish to defer entry are all welcomed.

entry requirements

Number of places: 180 across all our single honours programmes (with no limits on individual programmes) Typical offers:

We consider applicants taking Arts, Humanities, Social Science or Science subjects, since no previous knowledge of the subject is required. With the exception of General Studies, all A-level subjects are acceptable. We also consider applications based on Access courses, the International Baccalaureate or other appropriate qualifications.

A levels: AAA-AAB (excluding General Studies)

UK-based applicants holding offers are strongly encouraged to attend one of our Applicant Visit Days when possible. These provide an opportunity to gain a full picture of our courses and facilities, meet academic staff and tour the campus with one of our current students.

General Studies at A2 is not accepted

Applications should be made through UCAS. Applicants are normally required to hold, or attain prior to entry, a grade B or better in GCSE Mathematics (or equivalent).

For applicants taking at least one of the following A level subjects: Psychology, Biology, Human Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics or Statistics our typical offer is AAB; for other applicants the typical offer is AAA.

International Baccalaureate: 36-35 points or International Baccalaureate students the lower offer of 35 F would apply if you have one of the following at HL: Psychology, Biology, Human Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics or Statistics.

For international students: IELTS score: 6.5 overall or more information about international qualifications please F contact us.

All entrants are normally required to hold GCSE Mathematics at grade B (or equivalent).

Scholarships and bursaries:

Royal Holloway scholarships and bursaries are available (eligibility criteria apply). Please see our website for details.

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Steph Sampson, BSc Psychology “Throughout my three years here, I have learnt so much about Psychology and have also grown as an individual. Lectures are well organised and encourage independent thought. Furthermore, staff are very approachable and offer as much support as you might need throughout your time here.”

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Degree programmes and structure degree programmes

UCAS code

BSc Psychology

C800

BSc Applied Psychology

C804

BSc Psychology, Development & Developmental Disorders

C805

BSc Psychology, Clinical Psychology & Mental Health

C806

BSc Psychology, Clinical & Cognitive Neuroscience

C807

• BSc Psychology Clinical Psychology & Mental Health focuses upon the study of psychological problems in children and adults, as well as the study of how psychological factors are related to physical health and the prevention of illness.

Joint degrees BSc Criminology & Psychology

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Single honours degrees Below are details of our Psychology single honours degrees.

It will be possible to change between the different single honours programmes at the end of the first year of study, subject to availability. All our single honours degrees are recognised by the British Psychological Society as the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership. This means that they qualify students to undertake postgraduate study in Psychology once they have graduated.

• BSc Psychology will give students a thorough understanding of how research into human behaviour can be conducted across different core areas of Psychology, without limiting study to any specific area. During year three students are able to choose between a wide range of advanced options, covering all the major areas of experimental Psychology. Additionally, students may complete an independent literature review on a topic of their choosing.

• BSc Applied Psychology focuses on applying psychological research to real world issues, offering a broader social and occupational context. Topics include how we can modify health and social behaviour, research into psychological problems and understanding of interventions for children and adults, and also how Psychology can be used in the workplace, in education and when exploring criminal behaviour.

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Dr Marco Cinnirella, Senior Lecturer and Undergraduate Admissions Tutor.

“Applicants often ask me how our Psychology degrees are different to those offered by competing universities. One of the things I tell them is to look at the research interests of staff, because in the final year of an undergraduate degree, staff integrate their own research into their teaching, and students have an opportunity to work under the supervision of a member of staff on a research project. It’s therefore in the final year that you can often notice the most differences between Departments.

Here at Royal Holloway, students are fortunate that we have world-class researchers in all core, as well as many applied, areas of Psychology, and this is reflected in an exciting array of optional courses in the final year of our degree programmes.”

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Example course structure - BSc single honours programmes Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Introduction to Psychological Research

Psychological Research Methods and Analysis

Research Project

Lifespan Development

Cognitive Psychology

PLUS six modules dependent on BSc programme, which include:

Biological Foundations of Psychology

Social Psychology

Language, Communication and Thought

Learning and Memory

Developmental Psychology

The Ageing Brain

Abnormal Psychology

Personality and Individual Differences

Adult Psychological Problems

Self and Society

Brain and Behaviour

Developmental Disorders

Sensation and Perception

Conceptual Issues in Psychology

Clinical and Cognitive Neuroscience Occupational and Organisational Psychology

The full range of modules for each degree programme including the Joint Honours programme Criminology & Psychology is available online.

• BSc Psychology Development & Developmental Disorders focuses on issues related to the study of typical and atypical child development and development through the life span, including the development of cognitive and social skills in infancy and early childhood, and developmental disorders such as autism, Down syndrome, dyslexia and attention deficit hyperactive disorder.

• BSc Psychology Clinical & Cognitive Neuroscience examines the relationships between the brain and higher functions such as decision-making and consciousness, the causes, symptoms and treatments of common brain disorders such as stroke and Parkinson’s disease, and methods for studying the brain such as functional MRI. All students take the same courses in the first and second year, regardless of their overall degree option. In the final year, students on the BSc Psychology course continue to cover a broad range of fields of Psychology, while students on the specialised programmes study a more focused set of options relevant to their degree title.

First year courses Single Honours students take four courses in each term of the first year. One of the courses running all year focuses on how to design and run research, providing first year students with practical experience in carrying out simple experiments and analysing data, and includes the Psychology Toolkit of essential transferable and specialist skills. There are also introductory courses in Lifespan Development, Biological Foundations of Psychology, Learning and Memory, Abnormal Psychology, Self and Society, and Sensation and Perception.

Second year courses Courses in the second year build on the knowledge gained in the first year. They are more specialised and give students the chance to learn about particular topics in greater depth and introduce new topics such as Individual Differences and Brain and Behaviour. Second year students are expected to carry out more independent reading and to begin to design their own research.

Human Performance: Work, Sport and Medicine Criminal and Forensic Psychology

Third year courses During this year students on the BSc Psychology course can select between a broad range of modules, including a theoretical dissertation of their choice, while students on the specialised programmes focus on options relevant to their degree choice.

All students carry out an empirical research project.

Modules are closely linked to the research interests of members of staff and are highly specialised such as Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience, Criminal and Forensic Psychology and Developmental Psychology. They give students an opportunity to learn about the most recent developments in their chosen areas.

We also offer third year courses with linked work experience opportunities, for example students have been placed locally in the Mercedes-Benz Driving Academy, designing and conducting surveys.

For full listings of our current courses for all three years, visit: royalholloway.ac.uk/psychology/prospectivestudents. Our website gives detailed information about the content of all our courses and modules available on each degree programme as well as more information about the Department and the staff.

Joint honours degree BSc Criminology and Psychology is a joint degree with the Centre for Criminology and Sociology and consists of equal units in each department in the first two years, with some flexibility in the final year. It will give students an understanding of the biological, social, clinical and cognitive factors that influence behaviour alongside the study of crime, criminality, and the criminal justice system.

The Centre for Criminology and Sociology is the home department for students choosing to take this programme.

To find out more about this programme visit: royalholloway.ac.uk/psychology/prospectivestudents.

An application for the accreditation of this joint honours programme has been submitted to The British Psychological Society.

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Teaching and assessment Teaching Teaching in the Department of Psychology involves lectures, workshops, practical classes and small-group tutorials. In the final year, students also benefit from individual and small-group supervision of research projects and dissertations by academic staff members.

Throughout year one and two, students attend tutorials where they get the chance to discuss topics in small groups with a member of academic staff or a postgraduate. Students also regularly meet with their personal advisor, a member of academic staff, to discuss the student’s progress and receive advice throughout all three years of the degree. Personal advisors give advice on how to prepare coursework, how to develop written and spoken communication skills and careers. Students fill out questionnaires to provide us with feedback about all our teaching. There is also a staff-student committee where student representatives from each year of the course have an opportunity to discuss issues with members of the academic staff.

Assessment We use a variety of different methods of assessment. Most courses have a coursework component. This might be an essay about a controversial issue, an analysis of a video, a report of an experiment or a critical analysis of a recent paper. Some courses involve oral presentations. Many courses also have a written examination in May or June. Progression to the next year is dependent on passing compulsory courses.

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World class research The research environment within the Department is of international quality. In the latest nationwide Research Assessment Exercise, Psychology was ranked 7th in the UK.

study, analyse the results and write a report. The range of topics for research projects reflects the wide research interests of our academic staff. Recent project themes include:

Our research is organised around four key research themes:

• children’s understanding of emotions

• Health and wellbeing • Social and affective processes • Language, memory and attention • Perception, action and decision making Within each theme, researchers study all levels of human behaviour, from the nuts and bolts of how the brain processes information, to childhood development, social interaction, and clinical and patient groups.

• the relation of anxiety, depression and life difficulties to the cognitive capacity of students • the effects of leading questions and line-up format on eye-witness testimony • factors influencing the drop-out of young females from exercise in the school years • investigating the neural mechanisms of working memory • psychological stress, problem-solving skills and alcohol consumption

Research projects

• the influence of hands-free mobile phones on attention in drivers

In the third year of the degree, students carry out a group research project. This is supervised by a member of academic staff who works closely with students to develop a research idea, design a

• stereotyping of females who play male-stereotyped sports

Research Focus: Staff profile

• brain imaging

Research Focus: Staff profile

Dr Carolyn McGettigan

Dr Laura Mickes

I run the Vocal Communication Laboratory, where I research all aspects of human vocal communication and their neural underpinnings. This includes work on how we understand and produce speech, the perception and production of emotional vocalisations like laughter and crying, the recognition of vocal identities and aspects of audiovisual communication involving voices and faces. I’m also fascinated by vocal experts such as impressionists and beatboxers, and have had the opportunity to peek inside the brains of the actress Fiona Shaw and beatboxers Reeps One and Intensi T. My main research method is magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and with support from The Royal Society I am developing new methods to record speech and vocalisations using the scanner. I also use electroencephalography (EEG), and in Summer 2013 one of our undergraduate students ran a study with me here at Royal Holloway to investigate audiovisual processing of speech intelligibility. Aside from research, my main passions are cycling, coriander and the Eurovision Song Contest you’ll hear quite a bit about the latter in my lectures!

My research program is largely concerned with theories of recognition memory, and I have extended this work to applications of eyewitness memory.

Recently, with John Wixted at UC San Diego, we used a new analysis technique to compare witness accuracy for different types of identity parades used in criminal investigations. We found that sequential line-ups, where each face is shown in turn, are inferior to the simultaneous procedure where all faces can be viewed at the same time. This was a surprising result, as there was a long held belief that sequential line-ups were better. However, many labs have now replicated this finding using our novel analysis approach. We have developed a hypothesis to account for why witness identification would be less accurate for sequential line-ups than simultaneous procedures, and I am currently testing the predictions made by the hypothesis in my new lab at Royal Holloway. My other research interests include: mechanisms of memory for social information; gender stereotypes on humour production; and replicability of menstrual cycle shift effects on attitudes and preferences.

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Louise Bunce, BSc Psychology “For my third year project, I took the opportunity to investigate the effect of the Harry Potter stories on children’s understanding of fantasy. The process was not only a learning experience, but it also puts research into a real world context.”

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Your future career In the Department of Psychology we take an active interest in preparing our students for life after university, and throughout your time with us we offer personal guidance aimed at improving employability. As an example, each year we organise a ‘meet the Grads’ event, where a diverse selection of our graduates return to the Department and talk to current students about their career paths. The university has an excellent careers service which can help with practice interviews, CV preparation and finding placements and voluntary work to enhance CVs. All of this hard work to prepare our graduates for employment is reflected in the excellent employment rates students have after graduating.

• forensic psychology

Graduates from the Department of Psychology work for a wide variety of organisations, such as:

• recruitment consultancy

• the NHS

More graduate profiles are available on our website.

• Ipsos Mori • Ernst & Young • local government agencies

• neuroscience.

Graduates also venture down a wide range of other career paths, including: • management training in industry and the public sector • human resources management • work in the financial sector • management consultancy • journalism • university administration.

Many graduates also decide to further their studies with the department and stay on to study at postgraduate level.

• schools and universities • mental health charities such as Rethink • media organisations such as the BBC. Graduates in Psychology from Royal Holloway embark on professional careers as psychologists in various specialist areas, such as: • occupational psychology • health psychology • educational psychology • clinical psychology

88% of recent graduates from the Department were in employment or further study within six months of graduation.

KIS, 2014

• counselling psychology

Graduate profile

Alumna:

Joanna Swiatek

Alumnus:

Alex Jansen Birch

Subject:

Bsc Psychology

Subject:

BSc Psychology

Graduated: 2010

Graduated:

2004

Place of Work: ETS plc – a HR consultancy

Place of Work: Ipsos MORI

Position: Psychologist “I chose Psychology because I had always been interested in understanding human behaviour and people’s motives for doing things. I was impressed with how highly the Psychology course at Royal Holloway was rated; it received really high scores in research, teaching and student satisfaction. “The lecturers seemed extremely passionate about sharing their knowledge and experience in managing people’s behaviour at work. There was also easy access to London and it had all the university facilities in one place.

The College was everything I was looking for.”

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Graduate profile

Department of Psychology

Position:

Associate Director

“I knew that Royal Holloway had a very good psychology department and ran one of the best psychology courses in the country. I was always inspired by the lecturers’ knowledge and how they knew everything about their particular area, I think that’s fantastic. I enjoy coming back to give career talks to current students. It is good to give something back. When I was giving my last talk, there was such a diverse range of alumni who had gone on to do so many different things with their degrees.”

We endeavour to help students to recognise their own strengths, skills and abilities so that they can make strong applications for their chosen job or training course. We run a series of lunchtime careers seminars in which Psychology graduates in a wide range of jobs tell students about their chosen career, their day-to-day work and the route for entry to that career.

Some speakers are Royal Holloway Psychology graduates. All have up-to-date knowledge, experience and information to share.

Speakers also include a representative of the College’s Careers Service, who discusses transferable skills and their application to different careers.

The Psychology dedicated careers advisor also provides advice on CV writing, completing application forms and preparing for an interview. Once a year, we hold a popular networking event at which our final year students meet some of our recent and not-sorecent graduates, to discuss their developing career paths.

How marketable is our Psychology degree?

Our Psychology graduates leave with a portfolio of transferable skills which employers in all sectors look for. These abilities include: • survey design and interpretation • organising large quantities of information logically • analysing and interpreting numerical data • insight into human behaviour • critical reading • challenging established views • communicating complex detail succinctly

The College Careers Service As part of The Careers Group, University of London, the College Careers Service is able to provide a wealth of advice and information about local, national and international opportunities.

All students have access to the Royal Holloway Careers Service webpages, which are full of up-to-date information and opportunities, with links to other useful resources. Students are reminded of forthcoming careers events through the College email system. Such events include talks, job fairs and recruitment rounds by large organisations. Any student can talk to a careers adviser, or can drop in to consult the comprehensive library of careers information.

• conducting ethical research and managing research projects • speaking to a group and expressing ideas coherently Careers support from the Department of Psychology A Psychology degree from Royal Holloway can lead into many different career paths and the Department takes the employability of our graduates very seriously. We therefore provide our students with careers information and advice during their degree programme via a dedicated online forum and website.

We seek to make connections with local organisations and set up placement opportunities each year to enable students to gain valuable work experience. We also have opportunities for students to work in our research labs. Placements are also recognised by the College as part of the co-curricular Passport Scheme.

Experience research through a lab placement in the Department of Psychology

Rachael Lickley, Undergraduate student Completed a summer placement with Dr Catherine Sebastian, funded by the Wellcome Trust “I thoroughly enjoyed my summer placement at Royal Holloway. I got hands-on experience working in a research environment, and gained valuable skills such as fMRI imaging and data analysis. Most importantly, I gained the confidence to use my own intuition and pursue a career in research. I have recently been offered a full-time research assistant role at University College London. I believe I would not have been as competitive for this position had I not had the opportunity to gain research experience during my degree.”

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Other information Information services

Psychology Society

The Department has its own computer hub and photocopying facilities for student use. There are extensive computer labs with a wide range of up-to-date software. The College library is also extensively stocked with Psychology books and journals.

Our undergraduate students run a Psychology society, hosting a variety of talks and workshops. Recent events have included an end-of-term pantomime put on for students by the Department’s academic staff.

Postgraduate opportunities

Our location

We have a lively community of PhD students working in many different areas of Psychology, all of whom benefit from the extensive supervisory expertise of our academic staff. The department also offers postgraduate opportunities in the form of an MSc in Applied Social Psychology, with a Masters in Forensic Psychology due to come on stream in the next two years.

Royal Holloway is based near the town of Egham in Surrey, about 40 minutes by train from central London, just seven miles from London Heathrow Airport and within a few minutes’ drive of the M25, M3 and M4. From London we are connected by fast rail links to the rest of the country and to mainland Europe via Eurostar.

We also offer a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, approved by the British Psychological Society. Such a qualification is the first step to a career as a Clinical Psychologist.

Applicant Visit Days and College Open Days Applicant Visit Days (AVDs) and College Open Days at Royal Holloway offer a unique opportunity to come and see the College for yourself. You will have the chance to meet our students and teaching staff, and get a taste of what university life is really like.

Parents and friends are very welcome to come with you.

Dates of Open Days can be obtained from our website: royalholloway.ac.uk/psychology/prospectivestudents.

We recognise that students from overseas mayReading not always be able to visit our campus on one of our Open Days or AVDs. You can take a virtual campus tour here: royalholloway.ac.uk/aboutus/ ourcampus/virtualtour. If you are visiting the UK, our campus is located just 7 miles from London Heathrow Airport, making it an ideal stop on your journey into London. If you do visit, we would be happy to show you around the campus, and discuss our programmes with you. Staff from Royal Holloway also hold information sessions in various countries overseas, and further information can be found at royalholloway.ac.uk/international/ yourcountry.

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Department of Psychology

The campus is surrounded by beautiful countryside close to M25 Windsor Great Park and the historic site of the sealing of the Magna Carta at Runnymede. Local attractions include Windsor Castle, Wentworth Golf Club, Ascot Racecourse, Thorpe Park and Legoland, while the shopping, amenities and nightlife of Staines-upon-Thames, Windsor and London are within easy reach.

M25

M4

London

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Windsor

Heathrow

Royal Holloway

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Staines

Egham A30

M3

Twickenham

Richmond Hampton Court

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M25

Academic staff and their research Professors

Narender Ramnani

Dawn Langdon

BSc (Birkbeck, London), MSc (IoP), PhD (UCL)

MA (Oxford), MPhil, PhD (London), CPsychol, AFBPS

1. Neuroimaging methods for studying the evolution, structure and function of the brain. 2. The cognitive neuroscience of cognition, action and decision-making. More specifically: (i) Interactions between areas in the cortico-cerebellar system that support the acquisition of cognitive and motor skills (ii) the processing of error feedback and reward (iii) the social cognition of action (vi) The evolution of the cortico-cerebellar system.

Psychological aspects of MS, including effects of medication, mood, cognitive dysfunction and fMRI studies of cognition.

Effective communication of benefits and risks of medication.

Measurement and models of reasoning and memory.

Patrick Leman MA (Oxford), PhD (Cambridge), AFBPS Developmental social psychology, especially children’s relationships and social identities such as ethnicity and gender, social interaction and socio-moral development; social, educational and developmental aspects of gender and ethnicity.

Andrew MacLeod MA (Aberdeen), PhD (Cambridge), Dip.Clin.Psychol.

Future-directed thinking and its relationship to well-being and emotional disorders. Conceptual issues in well-being. Brief, positive, future-focused interventions to enhance well-being and reduce distress.

Amina Memon BSc (Lond) PhD (Nott) CPsychol FBPsS Cognitive and social influences on memory accuracy especially eyewitness memory. Episodic simulation of future events.

The development of false memories and false intentions.

Face recognition. Cues to deception and assessment of witness credibility. Investigative interviewing to reduce memory error and improve report accuracy.

Courtenay Norbury BA (New Mexico), MSc (London), DPhil (Oxford) Typical and atypical language development; developmental disorders including autism, specific language impairment, and reading disorders; understanding co-morbidity in developmental disorders; use of eye-tracking to investigate language and social processing.

Tamar Pincus MSc (London), M.Phil (Cambridge), PhD (London) Cognitive processes in chronic pain patients; information processing biases, such as recall, interpretation and attention bias towards pain and illness-related material, and the relationship between such biases and the development of disability (or chronicity). The use of such tools as screening or outcome measures. Clinical trials of psychological interventions for pain, and the study of the relationship between practitioners and patients.

Kathleen Rastle BA (California), PhD (Sydney) Language processing, especially visual word recognition, speech production, the perception- production relationship, and bilingual or bialphabetic reading; computational modelling of language processes.

Andrew T. Smith BSc (Durham), MSc (Queensland), PhD (Keele) The sense systems, particularly vision. Studies of the organization of the human visual cortex using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), particularly the processing of image motion.

Imaging studies of the role of sub-cortical structures in visual processing. Psychophysical studies of low-level visual processing.

Manos Tsakiris BSc (Athens); MSc Philosophy of Mental Disorder (London); MSc Cognitive Neuropsychology (London); PhD (London).

The neurocognitive processes that underpin our sense of selfidentity in action and body-perception; self-recognition, bodyimage, body-awareness and multisensory integration; action awareness and sensorimotor integration. Methods: psychophysics, fMRI, TMS Robin Walker BSc (Newcastle), PhD (Durham) Investigations into visuo-motor control focusing on the human eye movement system. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and functional imaging studies of the cortical system involved in visuo-motor control. Eccentric viewing and macular degeneration.

John Wann BA (Leeds), MPEd (W. Australia), PhD (Cambridge) Visual-motor control in high level skills and children with disorders: Judging collisions and controlling steering (including fMRI); Co-ordination Disorders in Children; Perceptual skills of the ageing car driver; Movement recovery following stroke.

The design of virtual environment systems and tele-operative environments.

Department of Psychology

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Academic staff and their research Johannes Zanker

Szonya Durant MSci, PhD (London)

Diplom (Tübingen),PhD, Higher Doctorate (Tübingen)

The study of the mechanisms of human visual perception using psychophysical, computational and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) methods. In particular the dynamics and interaction of different visual modalities.

Visual perception, eye movements and visual arts. Psychophysics and computational modelling of the human visual system.

Comparative aspects of motion vision and navigation in biological and artificial sensory systems. A new research program on questions like image deformations perceived in Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD), and Experimental Aesthetics investigates how subjective and individual experience such as sense of beauty can be characterised with objective, scientific, and computational methods.

Readers Anat Bardi BA, PhD (Hebrew University of Jerusalem) Personal values (what is important in the lives of a person), their change and their effects. Cultural values (what is important in a culture) and their effects.

Hanna Zagefka MSc, PhD (Kent)

Lyn Ellett BSc, PhD (Exon), DCLinPsy (Lond) Psychological theory and therapy for psychosis, with an emphasis on delusional beliefs; psychological understanding of non-clinical paranoid ideation; the use of mindfulness with individuals with psychosis Michael Evangeli MA (Oxford), MSc (LSHTM), ClinPsyD (Birmingham), CPsychol HIV/STI prevention and behaviour change interventions; Psychological elements to individuals’ engagement with HIV care; Well-being and adjustment in HIV; HIV disclosure Simone Fox BSc (Bristol), DClinPsy (Royal Holloway, University of London)

Senior Lecturers

The development of conduct disorder and antisocial behaviour, youth offending, violence, anger management, mentally disordered offenders and crime. Multisystemic therapy and other evidence based interventions for young people with antisocial and aggressive behaviour. Psychology and the legal system.

Victoria Bourne BA, DPhil (Sussex)

Scott Glover BSc (Lethbridge), PhD (Alberta)

Lateralisation for the processing of facial expressions of emotion.

In particular individual differences (e.g., sex differences, depression, anxiety) and hormonal exposure (e.g., prenatal influences, changes during pregnancy). Understanding and alleviating anxiety about statistics in psychology students.

Cognitive neuroscience of action. Planning versus on-line control of action, in particular with regards to the relevant neural circuitry underlying planning and control. Effects of visual illusions and semantics on motor control and motor imagery. Transcranial magnetic stimulation, brain imaging, and neuropsychology.

Evolution of brain structures involved in action.

The social psychology of social identity and intergroup relations, particularly in relation to ethnic minorities and donations/ prosocial behaviour.

Gary Brown BA, MSc (Pennsylvania), PhD (UCLA), CPsychol Development of novel and more realistic (non-questionnaire and non-laboratory) methods of tapping into cognitive processes implicated in emotional problems. Focus on judgments and decisions involved in the development and maintenance of problematic views of experience. Identification of mechanisms of worsening and improvement.

Marco Cinnirella BSc, PhD (London), AFBPsS National identity and patriotism; ethnic identity and multiculturalism, especially among British South Asians; social psychology of European integration; prejudice (especially Islamophobia in the UK); consumer behaviour (especially advertising effectiveness); identity and self in online environments.

Polly Dalton BA (Oxford), PhD (London) Selective attention in vision, hearing and touch. The relationship between voluntary and involuntary control of attention. The role of working memory in successful selective attention.

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Department of Psychology

Stephen Hammett BSc, PhD (Cardiff) Visual psychophysics, computational models of vision, spatial vision, motion processing. Audio-visual interactions.

Rob Hughes BSc (Royal Holloway, London), PhD (Cardiff) Selective attention, particularly the mechanisms underpinning various forms of auditory distraction and the cognitive control of such distraction. Short-term sequence memory and longer-term sequence learning, particularly the role of ‘peripheral’ perceptual and motor processes in putatively memorial performance.

Carolyn McGettigan BA MA (Cambridge), PhD (London) Cognitive neuroscience of human vocal communication, including the perception and production of speech, emotional vocalizations and vocal identity. Specific interest in the neural and cognitive correlates of individual differences in speech/voice perception, the perception of audiovisual speech and emotion, and the role of the human voice as a social signal. Methods: signal processing, acoustic-phonetic analysis, behavioural testing (psychophysics, cognitive psychology), neuroimaging (fMRI, MEG, EEG).

Ryan McKay MClinPsych, PhD (Macquarie University)

Alana James MA (Edinburgh), MSc (York), PhD (London)

Irrational beliefs and behaviour, e.g., delusions, self-deception, and certain “ritualistic” practices. Another key interest is the relationship between religion and morality.

Social and emotional development in childhood, particularly peer relationships; peer support interventions in educational settings; bullying and anti-bullying interventions; conflict resolution in adolescence; parenting and family relationships; parenting interventions.

Laura Mickes BA (California State University, Los Angeles), MA (University of California, San Diego), PhD (University of California, San Diego) Signal detection and dual process theories of recognition memory; eyewitness memory; mechanisms of memory for social information; gender stereotypes on humour production; and replicability of menstrual cycle shift effects on attitudes and preferences.

Helen Pote BSc, MSc (London), CPsychol Systemic assessments and interventions for children and families especially where one member of the family has a learning disability. Therapy process and outcome research particularly in relation to systemic therapies. Manualised therapies and the development of systemic family therapy manuals for research and training. Parenting and its relationship to emotional and behavioural outcomes for children.

Afsane Riazi BSc, PhD (London) CPsychol, AFBPsS

Jessica Kingston BSc, MSc, PhD (Southampton & DHUFT), DClinPsy (Royal Holloway) Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Mindfulness-based approaches to psychological difficulties, with a particular interest in enduring mental health diffiuclties (e.g., recurrent mental health difficulties, psychosis, chronic pain), paranoia and analogue research.

Jonas Larsson MSc (Stockholm/Uppsala), PhD (Karolinska Institute) Mechanisms of early and intermediate vision; invariant shape recognition; human visual cortical organization; models of visual processing; neuroimaging methods (particularly fMRI).

Olga Luzon BSc (UAM), DClinPsy (Royal Holloway)

Development and evaluation of health-related quality of life measures and psychological interventions in people with chronic conditions; self-efficacy and health; psychological stress and chronic illness.

Cognitive and behavioural processes of anxiety disorders and psychosis. In particular, the role of moral reasoning in obsessivecompulsive disorders, interoceptive awareness in body dysmorphic disorders, and the role of heightened sensitivity in maintaining distress and positive symptoms of psychosis.

Catherine Sebastian BA, MSc (Oxford), PhD (London)

Tamsin Owen BSc (Leeds), DClinPsy (Royal Holloway)

Developmental cognitive neuroscience, with a focus on emotion processing, emotion regulation, and social cognition during adolescence. Neurocognitive mechanisms in adolescents with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties, particularly aggression and conduct problems.

Paediatric neuropsychology, in particular, children and young people with movement disorders. Mindfulness-based approaches for children and adolescents.

Dawn Watling MSc, DPhil (Sussex) Development of children’s understanding of self-presentation; the social, cognitive, and affective factors related to children’s positive and negative peer relationships; development of emotion recognition and understanding.

Lecturers Anna Doering Diplom, PhD (Münster) Development of values and motivational goals in childhood and adolescence. In particular how values change over time, through significant life experiences, and in the social context (family, culture, etc.). Personality assessment at an early age.

Ertimiss Eshkevari BPsych (Hons) (Adelaide University), Clinical Psychology PhD (Australian National University), CPsychol.

Eating Disorders; Body Image; Body Dysmorphic Disorder. In particular body perception in eating disorders and its relationship with clinical features of the disorder (e.g., body dissatisfaction and problems in emotional functioning).

Nicholas Furl BA (Illinois), Msc, PhD (Texas) Social perception and decision making, with an emphasis on hierarchical brain mechanisms, face perception and brain imaging data analysis.

Jessie Ricketts BSc (Bristol), MSc (Oxford), DPhil (Oxford) Reading and oral language development in childhood and adolescence, with a focus on the role of vocabulary in reading (word-level reading and reading comprehension), and reciprocally, the role of reading in oral vocabulary acquisition. Developmental disorders of reading, language and communication; in particular, poor comprehenders, dyslexia, specific language impairment and autism spectrum disorders.

Jeanne Shinskey BA (Providence), MSc, PhD (Massachusetts) Cognitive development in infancy and early childhood.

Constructivist perspectives suggesting that knowledge gradually increases and strengthens with experience. The development of object representations in infancy, including the concept of object permanence – the knowledge that objects continue to exist when no longer perceived. The development of numerical knowledge in infancy and early childhood. The development of pictorial competence – perceiving and understanding pictures.

Kate Theodore BSc, DClinPsy (Royal Holloway) Adults with learning disabilities, particularly in the areas of relationships, sexuality and people with learning disabilities who are parents; young people with learning disabilities in transition from childhood to adulthood; people with profound and multiple learning disabilities; Autism Spectrum Conditions. Service user and carer involvement in clinical psychology services and training.

Department of Psychology

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Academic staff and their research Abigail Wroe BA MA (Oxon), DPhil (Oxon), C. Psychol. Clinical, C. Psychol. Health

Emeritus Reader

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD): the role of responsibility beliefs and omission bias; and postnatal OCD. Health Psychology: decision making in health; the role of omission bias; how patients can be helped in medical decision making; relationship between factors such as decision making and illness beliefs, and outcome measures such as satisfaction with treatment, adjustment issues and adherence. Medical decisions include decisions about predictive testing, vaccinations, treatment options and adherence to medical regimens.

Attention in children, including genetic and other disorders, use of computers to measure attentional ability; student learning.

Emeritus Professors Bernice Andrews BA, PhD (Lond), CPsychol, FBPsS Psychosocial and cognitive-affective factors in Depression, eating disorders and PTSD. Michael W. Eysenck BA, PhD (Lond), CPsychol, AFBPsS Cognitive factors in anxiety, including clinical anxiety and implications for therapy. Memory functioning and attentional mechanisms. Personality and mood. Modular approaches to trait anxiety.

Elaine Funnell PhD (Reading), CPsychol, AFBPsS Cognitive neuropsychology of language: theory and practice.

Acquired and developmental disorders of reading, spelling, listening and speaking in adults and children. Also disorders of semantic memory and executive control. Longitudinal studies of the breakdown of language in dementia.

Catherine M Loewenthal BSc, PhD (Lond), CPsychol, AFBPsS Religion, culture and mental health; gender; psychology of religion; culture-sensitive health service provision.

Elizabeth R Valentine BA, PhD (Lond), CPsychol, FBPsS History and philosophy of psychology. Memory and attentional skills. Musical practice and performance.

John Wilding MA (Oxon), PhD (Lond), CPsychol

Our research reported in the media Our world-class research often attracts the attention of the national and international news media. Here is a selection of our research which was reported in the media recently.

Dr Victoria Bourne’s research on changes in a mother’s brain during pregnancy was reported in The Independent Professor Johannes Zanker’s research on visual perception and how a zebra’s stripes protect it from prey animals, was reported by the BBC. Dr Jeanne Shinskey’s research showing that babies can recognise photographs of objects at nine months old was reported in The Independent.

Dr Hanna Zagefka’s research on the social psychology of donating to charity, showing that people are more likely to donate to natural disasters than to appeals relating to wars, was featured on the Huffington Post web site.

Professor Manos Taskiris’s research showing that the more accurately women can perceive their own heartbeats, the less they tended to think of their bodies as objects, was reported in the Wall Street Journal.

Dr Carolyn McGettigan’s research into how the brain controls accents and impersonations was featured in The Guardian.

The terms and conditions on which Royal Holloway, University of London makes offers of admission to its programmes of study, including those covered in this booklet, may be found in the Undergraduate Prospectus or Postgraduate Prospectus, copies of which are available online and on request from: royalholloway.ac.uk/studyhere The information contained in this brochure is correct at the time of publication but is subject to change as part of the department’s policy of continuous improvement and development

Department of Psychology

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Royal Holloway, University of London Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX T: +44 (0)1784 434455 royalholloway.ac.uk

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Department of Psychology