UoS Psychology 50th anniversary newsletter by University of Southampton

Special anniversary newsletter | Celebrating 50 years

Celebrating Psychology Welcome to Psychologyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s anniversary newsletter. In this special publication we look at the successes of our researchers, share how we have celebrated this significant milestone in our history, discover how we are helping improve airport security, and learn about our role in LifeGuide, an initiative that helps to manage health problems in later life.

Welcome to this special publication “As one of the foremost research-led psychology centres in the UK our world-class facilities include stateof-the-art laboratories and a team of expert academics who work at the forefront of their fields. Together we are committed to the highest quality scientific investigation and making a real impact on a range of social, educational and health-related issues. Much has changed over the last half a century. We have grown from nine students and three academic staff to a thriving department with a yearly intake of more than 200 students supported by over 100 staff. Psychology at Southampton now plays a major role regionally and globally. In the UK we are involved in training educational, clinical and counselling psychologists, while around the world our research is having a direct impact, attracting millions of pounds of funding and facilitating a stimulating research environment that inspires our students. We were also delighted that the recent Research Excellence Framework rated 100 per cent of our research activity as internationally excellent or worldleading in terms of its impact and the research environment we offer. In celebrating 50 years of Psychology at Southampton our Golden anniversary event commemorated this significant milestone by reflecting on our history and the pioneering and innovative work we have achieved. Now we look forward to the future and the fantastic work we are currently undertaking to tackle some of the big challenges facing our society today.” Professor Erik D Reichle Head of Psychology

Dean Falkingham OBE, Nick Donnelly (former Head of Psychology) and Social Sciences colleagues

Marking 50 years of Psychology at Southampton In honour of our golden anniversary, we were joined on campus by past and present psychology staff and students to celebrate 50 years of the BSc Psychology programme. The day’s itinerary was filled with exciting activities; the Turner Sims Concert Hall was transformed into a nostalgic den, with historical displays highlighting the individuals who have contributed over the past 50 years to make the Psychology BSc the success it is today. Antique equipment, lecture notes, brochures advertising the department, and presentations discussing Psychology across the years served as a talking point for many attendees and an opportunity to share memories. The Turner Sims foyer also housed a variety of hands-on activities, research demonstrations, and posters to showcase the excellent research being conducted by our current staff and students. Professor Falkingham, Dean of the Faculty of Social, Human and Mathematics Sciences spoke at the event cake-cutting, which was shared with Social Sciences, also celebrating their golden anniversary.

Shaping the future wellbeing of all Our research and teaching tackles some of today’s biggest challenges - we are proud to highlight some of our key achievements: We directly influence governmental policy on sex education in schools

We receive consistently high NSS scores with

90% for overall student satisfaction (NSS 2015)

We have trained over

340

postgraduate research students Our studies of the brain are providing insights into antisocial behaviour

100%

for our impact and research environment (REF 2014)

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We have taught and trained over

4,350 students

Since 2008 we have been awarded over

£11,000,000 in research grants

We are playing a significant role in preventing ADHD in children

Our research is highlighting the effect of debt on mental health

Making our airports safer Research from Southampton Psychologists could help improve the effectiveness of airport security searches and searching for hidden bombs in war zones such as Afghanistan. Currently airport security staff monitor X-rays of baggage searching for multiple types of weapons such as guns, knives and explosives that show up as different colours on the screen – one colour for metal, another for explosives. But a study of the measurement of eye movements by Dr Tamaryn Menneer and colleagues in the Centre for Vision and Cognition (CVC), in conjunction with the University of Massachusetts, has shown that searching for two different colours simultaneously is less accurate than looking for those colours separately.

“This limitation on visual search has implications for many complex screening situations,” said Tamaryn. “Our research shows that security screening could be more effective if the search was split across screeners, so that some specialise in metal weapons and others in explosives.” The team at CVC, in collaboration with the Defence Science Technology Laboratory, have also been analysing eye-tracking data of individuals searching for Improvised Explosive Devices. Their findings have been used to inform the US Department of Homeland Security’s aviation security research and policy. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is also using the research in relation to anti-terrorism and defence strategies, to examine training regimes in threat detection for British troops

Airport security scans can reveal guns, knives and explosives

in Afghanistan, and in developing training regimes for the identification of threats in public spaces such as conference centres. www.southampton.ac.uk/improvingsecurity

Psychology is a crucial component in the effectiveness of visual searches for security threats in the luggage of air travellers and for hidden bombs in combat zones such as Afghanistan

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Mapping the brains of young offenders Psychology researchers are investigating the causes of Conduct Disorder (CD) among young people. Dr Graeme Fairchild is leading a team exploring the many different reasons that can cause CD – a psychological condition that affects children and adolescents resulting in aggressive and antisocial behaviour. The team is using state-of-the-art brain imaging techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging to study the structure and function of the brain in young offenders and adolescents with a history of violence. Initial results suggest that brain networks involved in emotion recognition and empathy work differently in young offenders compared to adolescents with typical development. Graeme’s team is also exploring how antisocial and non-antisocial siblings share difficulty recognising emotions. He said: “The ability to recognise emotions in others is vital for successful non-verbal communication and social interaction. Our findings suggest that difficulties in reading emotions in others could be a risk factor in the development of CD.” Southampton is one of 13 research institutions across Europe sharing in more than £4.8m of European Union funding to carry out a large scale study into the causes of CD in girls. Looking back to the past may provide positive health benefits

Graeme said: “We hope to understand why girls are less likely to develop antisocial behaviour than boys, and whether this is due to nature or nurture. This may enable us to identify protective factors present in girls that might be harnessed to help children of both sexes from developing aggressive or antisocial behaviour.”

Nostalgia as a positive power

www.southampton.ac.uk/psychology/dbbl

Contrary to popular belief nostalgia is predominantly a positive trait, according to research carried out at the Centre for Self and Identity, in Southampton. Psychologist Dr Tim Wildschut said: “Our research can be of benefit to people by providing insight and knowledge about the ways in which they think, feel and act. It shows that it is good to look back at the past as this can be liberating and ease people’s minds.” Southampton’s research is contributing to global recognition that nostalgia can be a potent internal antidote for loneliness and alienation, leading to the beginnings of nostalgia-based therapies for illnesses including clinical depression and Alzheimer’s. www.southampton.ac.uk/nostalgia

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Magnetic resonance imaging provides insights into brain structure and function in young people with a history of violence

Linking debt and mental health problems Southampton psychologists have been exploring the effect of debt on mental health. Research led by Southampton’s Dr Thomas Richardson, in collaboration with a colleague from Kingston University, shows that people in debt are three times more likely to have a mental health problem than those not in debt. They found that these people were more likely to suffer from depression, drug dependence and psychosis.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common childhood disorders, affecting up to 5% of the general population

Ground-breaking research into preventing ADHD

Dr Richardson comments: “Debt advisors should consider asking about mental health when speaking to members of the public. Similarly mental health professionals should ensure they ask about whether their patients are in debt. Further research is now needed to show exactly how debt leads to poor mental health, so that interventions can be designed to try and prevent those in financial trouble developing mental health problems and vice versa.”

Levels of debt have increased in recent years due to the economic recession and are predicted to increase further.

Southampton research is playing a significant role in preventing Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children. Director of the Developmental Brain-Behaviour Laboratory Professor Edmund SonugaBarke is leading investigations into developing early interventions for ADHD by using computer-based attention training for infants who are at increased risk of developing ADHD later in life. Edmund has also led research into the effect of food additives on children’s behaviour, studying the effect of colourings and additives on 300 children aged three or eight. The research findings led to major UK and European changes in food processing and labelling with the Food Standards Agency recommending that six artificial colourings were removed from food and the European Parliament requiring clear labelling on food and drink to indicate use of these colourings. www.southampton.ac.uk/adhd-interventions

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Improving treatments for anxiety Pioneering research at Southampton aims to help the large number of people suffering with anxiety by generating new insights into the condition and its treatment.

Narcissists’ responses to emotional stories were studied, through questionnaires and by monitoring physiological responses, such as heart rate

Encouraging empathy in narcissists can benefit society Southampton psychologists have shown for the first time that narcissists are capable of feeling empathy, knowledge that could benefit narcissists themselves and those around them. “Narcissists are characterised by their low empathy, they tend to be selfabsorbed and think of themselves as superior and entitled. Getting ahead is more important to them than getting along,” said Dr Claire Hart, from Southampton’s Centre for Research on Self and Identity. However, recent research has shown that when asked to put themselves in other people’s shoes narcissists reported significantly higher empathy levels. “This is promising news as it implies their behaviour is modifiable. Encouraging narcissists to be more empathetic in their everyday lives will have benefits for them, those close to them, and society at large. We hope that it will make them more likely to help, volunteer and donate to charity, and less likely to bully, behave aggressively, and commit crime,” added Claire. www.southampton.ac.uk/ psychology/crsi

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The team, led by Dr Matthew Garner, has developed an innovative experimental method that temporarily mimics psychological and physical symptoms of clinical anxiety in healthy research participants. Participants inhale air enriched with carbon dioxide while they complete questionnaires, computerized cognitive tests and measures of autonomic arousal and brain activity. The team are the first to successfully use this anxiety-model to evaluate several promising treatments for anxiety, including, new psychological/ meditation techniques, drugs that act on recently discovered neurochemical processes, and medical devices that stimulate specific brain regions implicated in anxiety. Matthew said: “Working with colleagues in psychiatry, clinical psychology and the pharmaceutical industry, experimental models such as this provide us with a quick, effective, safe and reliable technique, with which to evaluate a variety of interventions.” Hear Dr Garner talking about his work: www.southampton.ac.uk/psychology/vra

Innovative experimental approaches are helping to develop pharmacological and psychological treatments

LifeGuide can give round-the-clock access to automated support and advice

Taking control of your health Southampton research is helping people take control of their health with access to online and printed tools. A multidisciplinary team of scientists has developed a unique software package LifeGuide that makes it easy to create interactive, internet-based intervention programmes to support the management of health problems common in later life such as stroke, high blood pressure and diabetes. Led by Health Psychologist Professor Lucy Yardley, the guide is a flexible tool, available online 24 hours a day, that is being used in a wide range of programmes to improve the health of older people by giving them tailored health advice and helping them to make decisions about their life choices. Lucy has also pioneered the development of a self-management booklet of simple exercises that is helping people around the world suffering from dizziness and balance disorders. Previously patients had to be referred for this treatment to therapists in specialist clinics and only about one in 10 patients were suitable for referral. The Balance Retraining booklet transforms the way of delivering costeffective, life-changing treatment through simple exercises people can do in their own home. These exercises can reduce dizziness within a matter of weeks and the benefits can last for at least a year. Visit the LifeGuide website: www.lifeguideonline.org

More than 10 per cent of working age people and 20 per cent of people over 60 suffer from dizziness

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Helping the homeless Pioneering psychology research is exploring the psychological factors that influence the behaviours that lead to people becoming homeless. Research, led by Deputy Head of Psychology Dr Nick Maguire, has identified a number of psychological variables that can lead to people being more likely to become homeless in later life. These include rumination – focussing on bad experiences and feelings from the past – and early childhood trauma. “People who have suffered early childhood trauma can struggle with emotional dysregulation – they find it difficult to regulate their emotions and calm themselves down when they get upset,” said Nick. “This can lead to them being more likely to be evicted from, or leaving, a tenancy.” Researchers have developed a series of psychological interventions, including cognitive behaviour therapy and dialectical behaviour therapy, to help people learn the skills to cope with these behaviours. They are also training staff who work in homeless situations to enable them to create a psychologically informed environment that will benefit their clients.

War heroes’ sexual appeal revealed Women are more attracted to war heroes than regular soldiers or men who have displayed heroism in other fields such as natural disaster work, sport or business. Research by the University of Southampton in conjunction with colleagues in Germany and Holland, revealed that women were more likely to date a man if he had been awarded a medal for bravery in combat. The study, published online in the journal Evolution and Human Behaviour, also showed that men did not find heroism to be a sexually attractive trait in women. www.southampton.ac.uk/war-heroes

Playing a key role in sexual health strategies Southampton’s Centre for Sexual Health Research (CSHR) has played a key role in policy-planning both in the UK and Thailand. Professor Roger Ingham, Director of the CSHR, was invited to give oral evidence to the UK government’s Education Select Committee on their review of Personal, Social, Health and Economic education and Sex and Relationships Education in schools.

Psychological interventions including cognitive behavioural therapy can help develop important coping skills

He also recently visited Bangkok to help launch Thailand’s first ever national sexual health strategy, and together with colleague Dr Cynthia Graham worked with Music Fusion, in Havant and young people on a Wellcome Trust project combining sex research with songwriting. www.southampton.ac.uk/thailandinitiative

Keep in touch! There are a variety of ways of keeping in touch with our activities. Find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/PsychologyUniversityOfSouthampton and visit our website www.southampton.ac.uk/psychology Or to discuss courses contact: ugapply.fshs@southampton.ac.uk | pgtapply.fshs@southampton.ac.uk pgrapply.fshs@southampton.ac.uk | cbtadmin@southampton.ac.uk