INPSYCH - Issue 2

ISSUE2

INPSYCH PSYCHOLOGY NEWS, STORIES AND EVENTS

WELCOME A warm welcome back and a Happy New Year to all our returning students. We are now half way through the academic year and talking to lots of Psychology undergraduates it is apparent you have been highly satisfied with our newly designed Psychology modules and degrees.

During last summer we did a lot of staff development around learning and teaching and using new technology to enhance learning. I know the use of the Turning Point clickers and software like Socrative has been really popular and well received and not only make the subjects more interesting (as well as intellectually stimulating!) they are helping your learning.

I was really pleased to hear such positive feedback on the new second year volunteering and research modules. These modules are designed to help you apply your skills that you’ve learned over the course of your studies here and improve your employability. Whether you go into

the world of work or take up employment in research these experiences will really help you stand out in the graduate marketplace.

Research is key to us at Staffordshire Psychology as the research we produce feeds into your lectures and learning and teaching. Research also makes our courses relevant and intellectually stimulating so we are very pleased to be celebrating that our research is classified as international standard in quality in the recent Research Excellence Framework (REF) assessment. This is a magnificent achievement, especially especially as this is the first time first time Psychology has been assessed as a separate subject area in the REF. This was a really positive result for the Psychology team and we’re looking forward to future research successes.

This semester I am looking forward to announcing two new postgraduate degrees: a new MA and MSc by Applied Research. If you are interested in continuing your studies in Psychology do keep an

eye out for announcements about these new Masters courses. There are also lots of other initiatives in progress which we will announce before September. In the meantime, do have a great semester. Make sure you get involved in university life and studies, read, work hard, read some more, be organised and enjoy!

Dr Peter Jones Head of School @pgwjones_dr

Professor Karen Rodham voted Chair-elect of the British Psychological Society’s Division of Health Psychology Karen Rodham, Professor of Health Psychology in the School of Psychology, Sport and Exercise, and a member of Staffordshire University’s Centre for Health Psychology was recently voted as Chair-elect of the BPS’s Division of Health Psychology at the division’s Annual Conference held in September 2014.

Karen’s election as the upcoming chair of the Division of Health Psychology was based on nominations and votes from her peers and is recognition of her hard-work, enthusiasm and impact on Health Psychology as a profession.

Karen said “It is a great honour to have been voted Chair Elect. I am looking forward to working with the current Chair, Sasha Cain for the next year, before taking up the role of Chair for two years from September 2015. I am excited by the prospect of being in a position to promote health psychology and the interests of members of the Division.”

Head of School of Psychology, Sport and Exercise Dr Peter Jones comments “This is a great achievement by Karen and recognition of

the esteem that her peers nationally hold her in to be to be elected into this important role. It also firmly demonstrates what a Centre of Excellence Staffordshire University is for health Psychology.”

Staffordshire University has a strong reputation for research-led teaching in Health Psychology and is home to the Centre for Health Psychology. The Centre provides expert teaching to students completing their Stage 1 (MSc in Health Psychology) and Stage 2 (Professional Doctorate in Health Psychology ) training. Members of the Centre for Health Psychology also conduct research into various aspects of health and healthcare, and work with external partners and organisations in promoting good practice in healthcare.

Relevant links: For more information about the Centre for Health Psychology, research and teaching in Health Psychology at Staffordshire University please visit www.staffs.ac.uk/academic_depts/pse/news

INPSYCH

Catherine Burgess, graduate of Staffordshire University’s MSc in Health Psychology publishes dissertation research into Quality of Life and Illness Representations for People Diagnosed with Lupus Graduate of Staffordshire’s MSc in Health Psychology award has published her research in a national service-user magazine and will disseminate her findings to academics at an upcoming conference.

Catherine Burgess, who completed her MSc in Health Psychology in 2014, has published a summary of her dissertation research into Lupus for service-users ahead of submitting her work for publication by academic journals and dissemination at a health psychology conference. Catherine joins previous graduates of Staffordshire’s MSc in Health Psychology in disseminating her findings to service-users with a view to submitting a paper for peer review by an academic journal.

Catherine has recently had an abstract accepted for an oral presentation at the Midlands Health Psychology Network (MHPN) Conference to be held in 2015. The abstract is based on the dissertation research she completed as part of the MSc in Health Psychology. Additionally, her report has been published in the Lupus UK News and Views magazine, a national magazine for people with diagnoses of Lupus.

Catherine completed her undergraduate BSc Psychology degree at the University of Leeds in July 2013 and joined Staffordshire

Sarah Rose completes her PhD Research into Children’s Development of Drawing Abilities at Staffordshire University

University in October 2013 to undertake the MSc in Health Psychology.

In relation to her upcoming presentation at the MHPN Conference, Catherine said “I have been interested in how people understand and cope with illness for a number of years and have been lucky enough to explore this in different ways at both undergraduate and post-graduate levels. To be given the opportunity to present my work at a conference is not only great experience for me, but allows me to discuss the nature of a relatively under-represented illness. Having spoken to a number of individuals with lupus, it is apparent that they feel undervalued and misunderstood by professionals and lay people alike. I find this rather problematic and feel quite privileged to have been able to learn more about the experience of having lupus. Consequently, I am really pleased to be able to represent this patient group, through my dissertation research, at the MHPN Conference.”

poor quality of life but that little research had explored reasons for this. She noticed that illness perceptions had been found to predict quality of life in various patient populations; however, that this had not been investigated with lupus patients. Considering the poor quality of life reported by lupus patients in previous studies, Catherine felt this was an important avenue to explore.

She went on to conduct a quantitative study with 96 participants who completed online measures of illness representations and quality of life, and she conducted multiple regression analyses to assess the results.

Catherine found that illness representations were predictive of quality of life in individuals with lupus. This research, along with findings of other studies, suggests that interventions to alter illness representations for the better may improve quality of life for these patients.

Through reading academic papers, Catherine noted that lupus patients often report

New Lecturer in Psychology, Dr Sarah Rose, gives an overview of her PhD research which was supervised by Dr Richard Jolley, Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Staffordshire University.

It is often assumed that drawing and art are innate talents and although parents and teachers value and encourage their children’s artwork they are often unsure how best to support their skill development. My PhD research aimed to compare drawing ability and attitudes to drawing among pupils receiving two contrasting approaches to art education. This included mainstream schools teaching the National Curriculum for Art and Design, which attempts to teach art appreciation, realistic and expressive skills concurrently, and Steiner schools which focus on imaginative, creative and expressive drawings before introducing realistic drawing skills and art appreciation in adolescence.

During my research I collected data from 360 children. In addition, the children’s teachers and parents also took part in a survey about their own attitudes to drawing and the support they offered their children. My results suggested that although the parents

and teachers of Steiner school pupils valued drawing more highly and had increased awareness of the wider benefits of children engaging in art they actually intervened less and provided less direction to their children about how or what to draw. In terms of drawings produced by the pupils, Steiner pupils produced better realistic drawings and had more imaginative ideas when planning the content of their drawings. These findings suggest that a curriculum in which children have more time and greater freedom to experiment with drawing is beneficial to the development of drawing. While this could be seen to support the view that drawing is an innate talent, not influenced by teaching, I would argue that the environment in which children develop their drawing skills is important to consider. As although increased levels of intervention and direction may not have a positive impact on children’s skill development, being in an environment where the arts are highly valued, time for drawing is prioritised, quality art materials are available and art confident adults can provide constructive feedback on request appears to be beneficial, particularly to the development of realistic drawing skills.

SCHOOL OF PSYCHOLOGY, SPORT AND EXERCISE

Staffordshire University’s newly established Centre for Psychological Research has provided funding for a number of research projects to be conducted by psychology academic staff from the School of Psychology, Sport and Exercise.

Three of these new research projects and events are described in brief below and demonstrate the range of research activity in the School. News about other research projects funded by the Centre for Psychological Research will appear on the News and Events page soon.

Perceptions of psychological well-being and quality of life: Using diverse knowledge to enhance student well-being and experience In 2013, a new Psychology of Well-being Research Group was established as part of the Centre for Psychological Research with members from both the Psychology and Clinical Psychology academic staff. Two successful funding bids in 2014 have provided opportunities for group members to collaborate on a project with potential to inform teaching and learning and student experience.

The group was keen to explore psychological wellbeing, particularly as it applies to psychology students, as they often enter higher education with a long-term goal of pursuing a career in health/caring professions.

It is appropriate, then, that curricula include relevant content on psychological wellbeing in order to provide a broad foundation for students’ future studies and careers.

Furthermore, wellbeing is high on the university agenda, as it impacts on student experience and attrition, so it is important to know how well-being is perceived and understood by students themselves. There are thus two complementary strands to this project: firstly, understanding the concept of psychological well-being such that it can be appropriately applied to teaching and learning in psychology, and secondly, so that it can be used to underpin support systems and pastoral care of students.

This research project by the Psychology of Well-being Research Group is led by Dr Helena Priest in collaboration with Dr Amy Burton, Dr Mani das Gupta, Dr Rob Dempsey, Dr Jo Heyes, Dr Stephanie Hutton, Dr Ken McFadyen, Professor Helen Dent and Miss Sarah McGarry (Research Assistant & MSc Health Psychology Student at Staffordshire University).

INPSYCH A new competition has launched at Staffordshire University, and part-funded by the Centre for Psychological Research, which aims to promote research across the University.

Research Projects included:

A spoonful of Murder The Why of the Buy Seeing Eye to Eye HIV/Aids Awareness and Condom Promotion Air Pollution Damages Your Health No pain, no problem?

Your face tells a story Fire, ice and floods Footwear the Forgotten Treatment Insight or oversight?

Connecting Communities through Arts and Culture Stories of Health, Illness and Medicine Can recording studios survive the MP3?

Stepping into virtual reality Palettes and Patterns of Temperature The better to smell you with “An apple a day…”

School networks for deep professional learning Food for Thought Food allergy is driving parents’ nuts Free to draw “Green space: brightens your world” Research can be serious and fun Art Benefits Children and Stoke-on-Trent Walking in other people’s footsteps

The exhibition was launched with an invite-only wine reception on the 5th December, where the winning entry by Richard Halfpenny, a PhD Student at Staffordshire University, was announced.

WINNING ENTRY

Richard’s entry was entitled ‘The better to smell you with’. He had photographed a section of the antennae of a male British mosquito, magnified 100 times. The mosquito that was photographed had come from Stoke-on-Trent. Richard explained how he is trying to learn more about how mosquitos use their antennae to find sources of sugar. If he can understand more about this behaviour, he hopes to work out better ways to control mosquitos in the future. Richard was presented with the winning trophy by Professor Allan Howells, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Research, Enterprise and External Affairs at Staffordshire University.

SCHOOL OF PSYCHOLOGY, SPORT AND EXERCISE

“IMAGES OF RESEARCH” Is a competition aimed at raising awareness of the cutting edge research conducted at Staffordshire University. The competition featured feature academic staff from across the University presenting their research in an accessible and featured images and accompanying commentaries, describing the exciting research being conducted at the University.

Further details about the “Images of Research” competition can be found on the University’s website and queries about the competition can be directed towards the organiser, Professor Karen Rodham (karen.rodham@staffs.ac.uk).

Further details about the outcomes of these new exciting research projects will be reported on the School of Psychology, Sport and Exercise’s News and Events webpage: www.staffs.ac.uk/ academic_depts/pse/news/ News & Events in the School of Psychology, Sport & Exercise.

INPSYCH Exploring the Pain and Pain Management Beliefs of South Asian Communities in Birmingham

Dr Ken McFadyen

featured on BBC Radio Stoke discussing homophobia and homophobic bullying

Dr Amy Burton is working on a project in collaboration with Health Psychologists from the Birmingham Community Health Care NHS Trust Pain Service to explore the pain and pain management beliefs of South Asian communities in Birmingham.

Dr Burton, Senior Lecturer in Health Psychology, comments “current pain management programmes have been developed based widely on the experiences of and outcomes for white, western, English-speaking people with chronic pain and little is known about their effectiveness for other cultural and ethnic groups. This work will involve interviews with South Asian community members in Birmingham to investigate cultural beliefs and practices and explore ways to better tailor pain management programmes to meet their needs.”

Professor David Clark-Carter featured on BBC Radio Stoke discussing #BlackFriday Professor of Psychological Research Methods, Prof David Clark-Carter, was featured on the Perry Spiller lunchtime show discussing the recent Black Friday phenomenon and the scenes of chaos at many supermarkets where shoppers fought over cut-price televisions.

Psychology Professor offers expert opinion regarding scenes of chaos at the Black Friday sales in November 2014.

Prof Clark-Carter discussed some of the psychological reasons for why people might change their behaviour during “Black Fridays” and commented that “a very effective marketing campaign has led to curiosity and a fear of losing out both of a social spectacle and the chance for a bargain, which is further exacerbated by the recession. The publicity means that those queuing already know that there may be trouble. This, linked to the excitement of the occasion and the tendency to copy others, will lower inhibitions and lead to behaviour which would otherwise seem out of character.”

Clinical Psychologist discusses recent news stories of a drop in reported homophobic attacks in Staffordshire and surrounding counties.

Dr Ken McFadyen a Clinical Psychologist at Staffordshire University, was featured on Tim Wedgewood’s Evening Show on BBC Radio Stoke discussing recent stories of a drop in reported homophobic abuse and hate crimes in the Staffordshire and Cheshire regions. Dr McFadyen was keen to point out the difficulty in reporting and recording homophobic hate crime statistics, explaining that a drop in the rates as reported by the police does not necessarily mean a drop in the number of crimes experienced. For example, it is estimated that approximately 65% of homophobic crime goes unreported; and where it is, it is often recorded incorrectly.

This means that it can look as though the crime rate is decreasing when it is not.

SCHOOL OF PSYCHOLOGY, SPORT AND EXERCISE

Recent Graduate of Staffordshire University’s MSc in Health Psychology publishes Second Paper in Peer-Reviewed Journal Congratulations to Victoria Fern and her supervisor, Dr Emily Buckley, on publishing a second paper based on Victoria’s research conducted as part of her studies in Health Psychology at Staffordshire University Victoria Fern, a 23 year old graduate from the MSc in Health Psychology has recently published her second article based on research she conducted as part of her studies in the Centre for Health Psychology at Staffordshire University.

Victoria joined Staffordshire University in 2009 and completed a degree in BSc Psychology and Counselling, graduating in 2012 with First Class Honours, before enrolling on the University’s MSc in Health Psychology.

Victoria said “I have always had an interest in body image and decided to look into the impact body image had on new mothers, particularly in relation to the media, as there was little research in this area. The results were surprising to us in that the women reported not feeling pressured by the media to lose weight after birth. My supervisors (Dr Emily Buckley and Professor Sarah Grogan) suggested trying to publish the results of my undergraduate research project, and with their support the paper was accepted by British Journal of Midwifery in December 2012 and

gave me my first publication. I then completed the MSc Health Psychology degree in 2013 with a Merit. After hard work and support from my supervisors (Emily and Sarah) my Masters dissertation will be also be published in the same journal later this month and I couldn’t be more thrilled”.

Victoria expanded her initial research to determine if baby feeding choices impacted on women’s views of their bodies and any influence they felt from the media. Victoria interviewed 40 women (14 who were currently breastfeeding, 12 former breastfeeding women and 12 women who used formula to feed their child) via email. The interviews indicated that women who had experience of breastfeeding viewed their body in a more functional way, which helped them to appreciate and accept their bodies in a way that those who used formula did not.

The research team concluded that prenatal workshops for expectant mothers that encourage focus on the importance of health and well-being and the function of the body over and above appearance may be beneficial

in improving women’s body image post pregnancy.

Dr Emily Buckley, Health Psychologist at Staffordshire University, who supervised Victoria’s Masters’ research project alongside Professor Sarah Grogan, commented that “Vicky has now had two papers accepted for publication in the British Journal of Midwifery, which is a fantastic achievement and a testament to her motivation and commitment to her studies. Vicky has been a pleasure to work with, and I’m sure she has a very successful future ahead of her”.

Victoria’s first article, published in December 2012 is available via the British Journal of Midwifery’s website, and her second article will be published in an upcoming edition of the journal: • Fern V, Grogan S, & Buckley E J, (2014/in press). Postpartum Body Image and Baby Feeding Choices: Dealing with the Pressure to Be Slender, British Journal of Midwifery, 22(11).

School of Psychology, Sport & Exercise Welcomes...

Dr Sarah Rose The Psychology Academic Group at Staffordshire University is pleased to welcome Dr Sarah Rose who joins the team from Keele University as a Lecturer in Psychology. Sarah briefly introduces herself.

Dr Sarah Rose About Me I am very happy to be re-joining Staffordshire University as a Lecturer in Developmental Psychology. Although I am only just learning my way around the University’s Science Centre, and there are many new names and faces for me to learn, I am not a complete newcomer

to Staffordshire University as this is where I completed my own undergraduate degree in Psychology. After this I worked first as an Assistant Psychologist in an adoption service. After this short break away from Staffordshire University I returned to work with Dr Richard Jolley on a Leverhulme funded project investigating the attitudes and practices of children, their teachers and parents towards children’s drawings. This led me to pursue a PhD investigating the development of drawing skills and attitudes and practices towards drawing in National Curriculum and Steiner schools.

While working on my PhD I

gained teaching experience here at Staffordshire University and also at the Open University.

For the past three years I have been working at Keele University as a Teaching Fellow in the School of Psychology. While at Keele I contributed to nearly all the 1st and 2nd year modules within Psychology and was also responsible for creating materials for the oversees students studying in China. I have also been developing my own research alongside my teaching.

As well as continuing to research children’s drawings I have been involved in studies investigating the behavioural consequences

of TV watching among young children. This has been exciting research as we have identified some positive behavioural outcomes which are contrary to the anecdotal claims and opinions sometimes populated by the media.

I am excited to be back at Staffs (again!). I am looking forward to contributing to the undergraduate psychology programme, particularly in the area of developmental psychology. I am also very keen to continue to develop my own research and research links with colleagues and external organisations.

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School of Psychology, Sport & Exercise Also welcomes...

The School of Psychology, Sport and Exercise are pleased to welcome Joanne who joins the School as a Lecturer in Psychology in September 2014.

Joanne briefly introduces herself below.

Dr Joanne Lloyd About Me I graduated in Experimental Psychology from Oxford University (St. Hilda’s College) in 2002. I went on to do a PhD in Neuropsychological Rehabilitation at the University of Birmingham, in which I investigated route-learning techniques for people with acquired brain injuries, using non-immersive virtual reality software.

In 2007, I returned to Oxford University where I worked as a postdoctoral researcher, and then as a senior postdoctoral researcher in the Department

Dr Blerina Kellezi

of Psychiatry. There I carried out large scale web-based surveys of online gamblers, investigating problem gambling, motivations for gambling, comorbid mood and substance use disorders, and participation in other online activities. I also worked on a study of the health experiences of professional footballers in the UK. In 2013, I moved to the Nuffield Department of Population Health at Oxford University, where I worked on a qualitative study of treatment outcomes in schizophrenia.

I joined the team at Staffordshire University in September 2014 and look forward to taking on a more teaching-focused role, where I can share the skills and knowledge attained in my research career to date, and hopefully pass on my enthusiasm for Psychology to the students.

Join the conversation The Psychology Department has its own Twitter Feed. This is a place for you to hear about all the news, exciting research and events taking place in the department.

Whether you’re considering coming to study Psychology at Staffordshire University, already a proud enrolled student or just want to keep in the loop about our latest research and events, follow @StaffsPsych

The School of Psychology, Sport and Exercise are pleased to welcome Blerina who joined the School as a Lecturer in Psychology in September 2014.

Blerina briefly introduces herself below.

Dr Blerina Kellezi About Me I have recently joined the University of Staffordshire as a Lecturer, following two research posts at the Universities of Nottingham and Oxford. I am a social and health psychologist interested in combining qualitative and quantitative methodologies. I am particularly interested in the impact of stressful and traumatic life events on health and wellbeing, and the role of social identities, appraisal, support and coping. I am currently researching (as part of a multicentre team of professionals)

OPEN DAY DATES Open Days are a great way to find out more about the courses you are interested in and to see what university life will be like.

Come and see us at one of our next open days.

Wednesday 18 February 2015 Saturday 28 February 2015 Sunday 15 March 2015

the psycho-social, occupational, health and physical short and long term outcome of unintentional injuries. I am also involved in a project investigating the quality of life in Immigration Removal Centres in the UK. While at the University of Staffordshire, I look forward to teaching social psychology courses, supervising final year projects and hopefully pass on my enthusiasm for Psychology and research. I also look forward to developing my research interests with the colleagues in the School of Psychology, Sport and Exercise.

HAVE A STORY? We are always looking to share news from the School of Psychology, Sport and Exercise from students and staff.

If you have a story you would like to share please email: psemarketing@staffs.ac.uk

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Dr Joanne Lloyd