It’s not the best summary ever written as it is difficult to do justice to such an influential 40 page experimental case study. I would like to delete a few bits to make it shorter and easier to read but would also like to add more about the quantitative data collected and add a bit more evaluation too. A work in progress I suppose.

Whilst perusing Reicher and Haslam’s excellent site for the BBC Experiment I noticed that the Open University have some superb social psychology videos online. Have a look at the video of the BBC experiment with a great commentary from Professor Alex Haslam. Hopefully you will also see Alex’s genuine enthusiasm for social psychology as I did recently when I had the opportunity to chat with him in Exeter.

It is also great to discover that In September 2009, work on the BBC Prison Study received the British Psychology Society’s Annual Award for Excellence in Teaching. The award recognized “the influence the study has had on the social psychology curriculum and [the researchers'] commitment to supporting psychology teachers”.

Tags: AS, bbc, core studies, reicher haslam

Four excellent episodes for you to listen to. Enjoy.

The Pseudo-Patient Study

Claudia Hammond revisits David Rosenhan’s Pseudo-Patient Study

The Hawthorne Effect

The 1920s experiment in a Chicago factory that gave rise to the Hawthorne Effect

Harlow’s Monkeys

Revisiting Harry Harlow’s surrogate mothers experiment, which revolutionised parenting.

Arden House

Revisiting Langer and Rodin’s 1976 Arden House study.

Tags: developmental, podcast, Rosenhan

Tags: twitter

Did you struggle teaching the BBC Prison Study?

I did and was annoyed at myself because I knew it was a good addition to the core studies and I believed that my enthusiasm for this new study, and in particular Reicher and Haslam’s critique of the flawed Stanford Prison Experiment, would reach my students.

However, I probably spent far too much time reviewing the SPE with my students and did not teach the BBC study in its chronological order and am sure that I lost most of my students on what should have been a fantastic journey.

Thankfully the authors of the study have collaborated with onelineclassroom.tv and produced an excellent DVD which takes students through the important stages of their experiment.

This is easily the best DVD that onelineclassroom.tv have produced so far, in terms of editing, animation and use of original footage.

More importantly though is the performance of Alex Haslam and Steve Reicher who take the viewer (student) through an easy to understand and enthusiastic step-by-step description of their study from the context and setting up of their study, detailing their interventions and finally to their conclusions of their findings in just over 27 minutes.

I will be using the DVD as a revision lesson for my students this year and because of this DVD will do a much better job of teaching this fab study next year.

The DVD also includes extra bits where Alex and Steve again talk lucidly about social identity theory, ethics, data and the SPE.

I have a spare copy to give away to the best comment left on this post. Jamie will judge this.

Oh and if you are a teacher and attending the 2009 ATP conference Professor Alex Haslam will be there delivering a keynote talk.

The DVD can be bought from onlineclassroom for just 48 quid – A bargain I think.

Tags: reicher haslam

January 2008
In January I wrote about Maguire’s research into the size of cab-drivers hippocampi where she used fMRI scanners to investigate the relative size of this part of the brain. Her research showed that these London cabbies did have enlarged hippocampi, but at a cost, other brain structures around it were ’squashed’ to make room for it.  This had effects on associative memory among other cognitive skills.

February 2008
February was a busy month full of Love and Happiness (and some ‘unspeakable acts‘ for good measure).  But among the most important questions we asked was Parental Influence: is it really their fault? With all the talk of parents being blamed for their children’s behaviour are they really to blame – apparently not.  It has suggested that our behaviours are context dependent and just because we are dominant in the household doesn’t mean that this will transfer over to other parts of our lives.  As if that wasn’t enough; February was the time of the year for you to MOT your corpus callosum.

March 2008
Not as busy-a-month in March but still important questions being discussed: stress in the home. It seems that psychologists can’t make their mind up – in February it wasn’t the parents fault for their child’s behaviour, and this month we’re telling them to reduce stress in the home as it’s easily picked up by children exposed to it (think SLT).  Also, we explored inside the human body and brain with the new Visible Body website.

April 2008
April started with a shock: Universities are no longer accepting Psychology A Levels!  After that had passed we could focus on the important bits – PsychBLOG’s first birthday and the launch of one of my other sites: PsychClips.co.uk.  But, back to psychology – it’s what you’re all here for – my favourite article of the month had to be the Phantoms in the brain one.  Phantom limbs fascinate me as they provide so much support for the thesis that pain is mediated hugely by cognitive processes. And the lets not forget about the phantom penis (and that one wasn’t an April Fools!).

May & June 2008
May and June were quiet times here at PsychBLOG as we (Mark and I) prepared and presented a lecture and workshop at the Lincoln ATP Conference – and we think it went pretty well as we have been invited back to the 2009 conference and we even did a teacher INSET.  But, again, I digress.  More importantly BBC Radio 4 had a cracking set of talks on famous case studies in Psychology – most notably were the one’s on Freud and the case of Kitty Genovese.  And, quiet appropriately, as we move into the season of ‘New Years Resolutions’ we found that quitting smoking is aided by social facilitation and comparison – so make sure you surround yourselves with others that are doing the same!

July & August 2008
These were ‘painful’ months with discussion of pain and pain experience (plus one of my favourite youtube clips I use in teaching pain).  Also, the first guest post of the year: an excellent follow up to my ‘So you want to be a psychologist‘ posts all about getting into clinical psychology – straight from a clinical psychology student himself.

September 2008
As the academic year starts again we opened with news of the ongoing attempts to shock smokers into quitting.  The ‘Smoking Kills’ and ‘Smokers Die Younger’ labels seem to be ignored (or maybe we’ve just habituated to them) but the government has gone one step further this time: images (and not pleasant ones).  This was followed up with another wonderful guest post from Amit on Maguire and his experiences of teaching the study to his class.

October & November 2008
There was plenty to talk about in October (which made up for the complete lack of anything in November) and even more to watch with Stress: portrait of a killer – an excellent documentary that was shown in the US covering the causes and needs of stress in the real world.  From documentaries to Grey’s Anatomy: can a hit American TV show actually be used to educated and promote health awareness? Apparently so! No-one went away empty handed in October with resources galore: Baron-Cohen himself defining autism in 100 (well 99 actually) words; a selection of strange stories that were used in a recent Baron-Cohen study as a control condition; and finally the Rorschach Inkblot tests were released.

December 2008
We’re almost there now with the December archive. We started the month looking at the phenomenal advancements in fMRI scanning which will soon allow us to see inside the brain in ‘real time’ and what this means for learning behaviours and controlling pain.  One of the biggest stories of the year was left right to the end – a chap called Berger has replicated Milgram’s original research (well it’s a semi-replication really) and found similar results (and possibly similar controversy).

So, our journey throughout the year has drawn to a close with this post – published in the final minute of 2008 (automatically through some computer wizardry as I was / am / will-be enjoying the evening in a semi-sober – or more likely rather well oiled way!).  These were just some of my ‘best bits’ of the year; I’ve only just scratched the surface of what’s been written about – so if that’s whetted your appetite you could check out the full archive.

That only leaves me to bid 2008 a fond farewell and wish all my readers a very Happy and prosperous  2009.  Thank you for reading and supporting the site in 2008; I hope that you continue to join me and my rants in the new year.  I’m looking forward to see what it brings as PsychBLOG enters it’s third year of publication.

Signing off 2008 – Jamie :)

Tags: psychblog, PSYlent, review of the year, special feature

Click here to view the embedded video.

Where ever you are have a fantastic festive feast of fun. Happy Christmas.

- Jamie :)

Edit: I’ve already had a few emails asking for a download of this video – download it here (much higer quality) [22MB]

Tags: christmas, PSYlent

Struggling to think of a present for that special psychologist, psychology student or teacher in your life? Then here you go: a selection of psychology related gifts that will make that person delight (or maybe not).

The Freud Lolly Pop

Looking for something to suck on this Christmas holiday? Then this is your best bet: a Freud lolly pop.

“Once you get over the initial reluctance to put a human head in your mouth, you’ll find that the subtle contours and watermelon flavor of these Sigmund Freud Head Lollipops are worth the strange looks you’ll get as you suck them. Each sucker is about 2-1/4″ tall with a 4″ plastic stick. Twenty-four individually wrapped lollipops in each illustrated display box.”

Think Gum

Still for those with a sweet tooth we have ‘Think Gum‘. Think Gum is a chewing gum that apparently contains a number of ‘brain boosting’ ingredients, although is mainly notable for its high caffeine content.

“Think Gum is carefully formulated to help chewers take on mentally challenging tasks. Be more alert. Improve information recall. Boost both short and long-term memory.”

Obsessive Compulsive Action Figure

Always wanted that action figure when you were younger but now you’ve out outgrown Barbie and Ken? Then this one is for you: the obsessive compulsive action figure. “Worried about excessive germs, organize your canned foods by their expiration date, and do you know someone who would rather bump elbows than shake hands? This action figure comes with it’s own surgical mask and handy sanitary, hypoallergenic, moist towelette. Also included is a diary of a typical day in the life of the OCD action figure and a short OCD quiz.”

Therapy Flashcards

Have you ever wished you could talk like a therapist? Here is the answer to your dream: Therapy Flash Cards.

“With these clever flashcards, you can enjoy the benefits of therapy without all the work and expense. Each card has a term on one side and reverses to a pronunciation guide, full definition and sample sentence. The perfect gift for the insensitive narcissist or your own codependent inner child.”

Diagnostic Refrigerator Magnets

Feeling creative over the festive season? Create your own diagnoses of mental disorders with Diagnostic Refrigerator Magnets.

“At last! Diagnostic Refrigerator Magnets; now you can create new or existing diagnoses and boldly display them on your refrigerator or filing cabinet. Anyone who is interested in the names of psychological disorders will get a laugh from these magnets.”

Christmas greetings go to all of my readers. I do hope that you all have a wonderful time over the Christmas break.

Tags: christmas, rant

In a ‘hot off the press‘ news story the Januray Issue of The Psychologist has published a trial open access issue for all to view. I’ve spent a few minutes playing with this ‘new way of publishing’ and I’m quite impressed. A nice way to read The Psychologist. A few words of encouragement and guidance from the Managing Editor of The Psychologist:

This electronic magazine is best viewed with Firefox or Safari, with the latest version of Flash installed – it doesn’t seem to display so well in Internet Explorer, although hopefully we’ll have that ironed out shortly. What you should see is the cover of the magazine, and then you can click in the bottom corner to take you to the next page. You can also zoom in, download the whole issue, email to share, comment, rate, etc etc. Hopefully next week I’ll get all the hyperlinks working, and eventually we will be able to embed audio and video content.

In this new issue you will find articles on stigma, gossip, testosterone, and a historical look at propaganda. We have interviews with Daniel Kahneman and Lynne Segal. The new ‘forum’ section includes guest columns by Alex Haslam and Steve Reicher, Vaughan Bell and Christian Jarrett. There is plenty of news, reviews and careers information, along with the latest jobs.

http://issuu.com/thepsychologist/docs/thepsychologistjan09

It seems that this ‘open issue’ is very much a trial so do let The Psychologist know what you think of it – and if you would like to see more issues like this. I’m all for open access articles – it’s very much the philosophy behind the sites that I write for and I would be excellent to see such a big publisher in the Psychology world going the same way. It would be a great resource for students and teachers alike who would be able to make use of this excellent publication in the classroom.

Have a browse and see what you think…

Tags: bps, freebies, journals, resources, the psychologist, websites

Harnessing the power of the web for Psychology Teachers
Course leaders Jamie Davies (PsychBLOG) and Mark Holah (Holah.co.uk)

Thursday 6th November 2008, 10am-4pm. Regus Centre, London.

Click here for Course Flyer and Booking Details

Jamie Davies along with Mark Holah and Cara Flanagan we will be giving a hands-on guided tour of wikis, forums, file sharing, blogging, social networking and more.

This practical workshop should develop your ability to confidently interact with such technologies and enable you to make better use of these techniques for learning and teaching psychology. We will take a light hearted and informative romp through the history of this technology, suggesting how it is being used and try to predict what will happen in the future.

We will take a light hearted and informative romp through the history of this technology, suggesting how it is being used and predict what will happen in the future. And like all discussions about the internet this will be out of date in a week.

During the first part of the day we will give an overview of what sites are out there and focus on their ability to facilitate the learning experience for our students. Discussion about the usefulness of these different technologies followed with a heated debate about the use of social networking sites.

The rest of the day will be a practical workshop that should develop your ability to confidently interact with such technologies and therefore enable you to make better use of these techniques for learning and teaching psychology.

Suitable for all, from those who have a less-than-healthy relationship with the internet to those who are internet-o-phobic.

For more details on the course, provisional programme, and contact/booking details see our course flyer or contact Cara Flanagan through South West Conferences.

Tags: 4Teachers, conference, inset, websites

Thanks to Heather Johnson for this excellent guest post on how to bring IT into the classroom.

Web 2.0 has created many opportunities in all different kinds of fields since its inception within the past decade. The educational field has not been dismissed from the phenomena as there are many creative ways that educators can incorporate the capabilities of Web 2.0 in their lesson plans. While this may seem new to many teachers out there because it is, there are many ways that a student’s learning experience can be improved through Web 2.0. Here are a few examples of how this emerging industry can help educators in the classroom by making learning interactive and fun:

1. Set up a blog for your class. If you create a blog for your individual classes your students can have a forum where they can talk about issues in the class outside of school. Be sure to set up guidelines that must be adhered to if students are going to write in the blog. It has to be taken seriously and school rules must be followed. Students can talk with each other in this forum about upcoming projects and post general questions for all to consider.

2. Teach computer skills even if you’re not a computer teacher. Students need to learn how to use computers properly and search the internet for information these days. There is no getting around it. When students reach college they’ll be left behind if they don’t know how to perform their research properly. Take a few minutes every now and again and show your students how you would use the internet to do research for you own papers.

3. Post class lectures online. Develop a web site for your class and post key lectures online. This is a great way for students to study for an upcoming exam and helps the student that drifted off during the original lecture. It’s also a great tool for you as a teacher to observe your own teaching style and find out what works and what doesn’t.

4. Use a wiki as a textbook. This is an emerging teaching technique on the college level where a professor produces a wiki that the students actually take ownership over. They are able to post questions and learn more from each other than they ever would in a traditional classroom.

5. Post class materials on the web. In addition to posting lectures online it’s a good idea to post copies of handouts that students can download. If you’re comfortable posting class notes on the site then go ahead and do that too. Just be careful that your students aren’t solely relying on these tools to get through your class and are then zoning out in the actual class meetings.

This post was contributed by Heather Johnson, who writes on the subject of Obtaining a Teacher Certificate. She invites your feedback at heatherjohnson2323 at gmail dot com.

Tags: 4Teachers, e-learning, resources, websites

Over on the BBC website there are a collection of annual lectures called the Reith Lectures.  Each year specialists in their field give lectures on their area.  Back in 2003 the lectures were called ‘The Emerging Mind‘ and were lead by the noted neuroscientist Vilayanur S. Ramachandran (who I’ve talked about here a few times in relation to his work on phantom pain).  

• Phantoms in the brain
• Synapses and the self
• The artful brain
• Purple numbers and sharp cheese
• Neuroscience – the new philosophy

There’s a great collection of resources over there as well as the lectures and the BBC Reith Lecture page is well worth a look.

Tags: resources

This is a quick ‘heads-up’ to all. 

Sage Journals are offering free access to a massive number of Psychology, Counselling and Psycharity journals until the 30th September.  

Might come in useful to students writing assignments or coursework; or just for those who’d like to do a little extra reading.  Well worth a look.

Get over to Sage Journals registration page to take advantage of this offer.

Tags: 4Teachers, freebies, journals, websites

No! It’s your psychology blog!

Now I’m back from the ATP Conference and recovered it’s time to announce our new project which actually formed the basis of one of the workshops we did.  Also, a big hi to all those who saw me at the conference and commented on our work on-line. Thanks :)

For the past few weeks we’ve (Mark and I) have been working on a new project. Over the last year we’ve both got into blogging in a really big way – my with PsychBLOG and Mark’s PsychNews and we’ve really seen how blogging is an excellent educational tool that everyone should be able to get too.

So … this got us thinking – how could we help all you avid readers get your psychology blog off the ground. We’ve come up with Psylent.co.uk.

At Psylent.co.uk you can sign up for your very own, brand-spanking-shiny-new blog that you can write yourself. Be it writing about psychology (just like I do) or using it as a forum for your students then go for it. Student or teacher (or anyone else really) is welcome to have a free account. All that we ask is that it’s psychology(ish) related.

If you’re still looking for inspiration or not too sure what you could use your blog for then we have some ideas for you.  And here is the presentation that I gave guiding you through the process of signing up for a blog and embedding a video.

| View | Upload your own

Tags: ATP, blogs, e-learning, resources, websites

I’ve mentioned the ATP conference a few times before – but for the uninitiated it’s a yearly conference held by the ATP – and this year it’s in Lincoln and being organised by Phil Banyard (that chap who writes all the books and ex-Chief Examiner).

The conference, this year titled ‘the wonder of psychology: inspiring teachers and learners‘, is being held between the 10th and 12th July 2008 and is for teachers of psychology offering updating sessions on psychology, presentations and workshops on teaching and learning, and opportunities to share good practice.

There’s an impressive lineup of fantastic Key note speakers, those giving workshops and  stalls of people giving away loads of free stuff (well that’s what I’ve been told at least).  Mark Holah and I have been asked to give a talk and host a workshop-or-two.  We’ll be talking about Web 2.0 and what it actually means to teachers (once we’ve worked it out ourselves that is) and how this technology can be best utilised.

The lecture – One Size Fits All? – will be addressing the issues about the wide collection of elearning solutions out there. We will be asking whether Web 2.0 is just another buzzword or has there really been a revolution of the internet? Hopefully, we will take a light hearted and informative romp through the history of this technology, suggesting how it is being used and predict what will happen in the future. And, like all discussions about the internet, it will be out of date in a week.

The conference should be massive amounts of fun and a great chance to meet loads of psychology teachers (both new and old more experienced).  But don’t just take my word for it – check out the testimonials from last year.

Tags: 4Teachers, ATP, conference, e-learning, teaching

With all my efforts being put into teaching and getting my little darlings ready for their exams it’s been a quiet time around here recently. To add to that loosing this weekend to a marking meeting (at least it was in the beautiful Cambridge) has meant that I haven’t had time to write; but I woke up early. So to make up for it here are some interesting stories from around the web that I have come across over the last few weeks.

PSYlent, the weekly overview of those stories that I think are pretty interesting in psychology but don’t really apply to OCR. Seems a shame to miss out on them just because I can’t get them to fit into the specifications. So, here are those studies that would have been without a voice on PsychBLOG, or as I’m going to call them: PSYlent!

A Portrait of the Brain
In his recent book “A Portrait Of the Brain” neurologist Adam Zeman seeks to explore the brain all the way from its atoms to the soul. He does this Oliver Sacks-style, by discussing patients he has encountered. Listen to the chap talking about this and more. Via BPSRD.

The Amazing Intelligence of Crow
Joshua Klein is fascinated by crows. (Notice the gleam of intelligence in their little black eyes?) After a long amateur study of corvid behaviour, he’s come up with an elegant machine that may form a new bond between animal and human. Another amazing video from TED.

Idiots Guide to the DSM-IV
Psychological disorders range from personality disorders to sleep disorders. Here’s a complete list of the 16 DSM-IV mental illnesses, plus brief definitions. Via Suite101. And if you’re feeling a little more adventurous there’s the full version of the DSM-IV-TR and the ICD-10 online.

From A-to-Zee
From Dr. Mezmer’s Blog of Bad Psychology a different spin on a psychological glossary.

Is this you?
“You have a need for other people to like and admire you, and yet you tend to be critical of yourself. While you have some personality weaknesses you are generally able to compensate for them. You have considerable unused capacity that you have not turned to your advantage.” A nice little ditty on the Barnum Effect over at Robs Psychological Ramblings.

and finally …

Is it magic?
Magical thinking is described in a number of ways. Superstition is the most common, where we assume rituals will somehow affect the future despite having no causal connection to what we want to change. MindHacks has commentary on a PsychologyToday article on magical thinking.

Tags: PSYlent, rant, resources

Following the success of our file sharing site for psychology teachers (PsychExchange.co.uk if you didn’t already know) we now release to the masses a video clip sharing site. PsychClips is a great new web site for psychology teachers to share video and audio clips that are hosted on youtube-type sites.

There are already almost 100 video clips on PsychClips and with other psychology teachers help this should grow considerably. Some of the videos are the better-known ones such as the Milgram and Zimbardo clips but there are already some lesser-known ones that psychology teachers may not have seen before and could use in class (if they’re lucky and have an electronic whiteboard) or as homework for students to watch.

As well as this those who are registered can ’save’ their favourite clips as bookmarks so that you can easily access them in the future. As always this is a free site (and will be forever-and-ever-and-ever) but to use the bookmark facility you will need to register – but even better – if you’re a member of PsychExchange.co.uk already you can use the same details and log on straight away.

So, when you’ve done your psychology video for our video competition you can put it on psychclips for all to see. What are you waiting for?  Get over there now – and if you’re bored or just want to see what’s on the site there’s always the ‘random clip generator‘.  Enjoy!

Tags: 4Teachers, psychclips, psychexchange, rant, resources, video, websites

With the popularity of YouTube many people are turning to it to make their own little videos for revision and other classroom activities. So, we’re (Mark and I) putting a competition together for all our readers. We want you to get those cameras out and start to make your own video. It can be about anything related to A Level psychology. Maybe you might want to record a presentation of yours or get even more creative with things and do something like this:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Or you might want to try to recreate one of the core studies in your own special way.

Click here to view the embedded video.

But please don’t do something like this (even though it was our feeble attempt) as it’s not psychology related at all even though it’s our psychology students in it.

Click here to view the embedded video.

We’re not too sure what the prize will be – we’ll have a rummage around our stash of psychology books and DVD’s and if we get enough entires we might even have a 1st, 2nd and 3rd. Just get your cameras out, film a clip, put it up on youtube and send us a link!

Lights … Camera … Action …

Tags: A2, AS, competition, psychblog, rant, video

It was exactly a year ago today that I made that first tentative post wondering if the only people to read this blog would be Mark, my students, and, well … me. That hasn’t been the case and it’s been a fab year – although I didn’t realise exactly how much time and work was needed to keep this thing going.

To celebrate this (and the fact that one of my reviews was published in the Palgrave catalogue) I am giving away a free copy of Banyard and Graysons new edition of Introducing Psychological Research (worth £22.99). All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning this is to subscribe to the blog via email (click here and enter your email address). In two weeks I will put names into a hat or something akin and the lucky winner will be informed. It’s as simple as that.

Well, lets get on with the second year of posting now. Thanks for your support and reading my psychological musing.

Tags: psychblog, rant

[Update 2nd April] Health Warning: If reading this on a day other than April 1st be warned. There was a vicious ulterior motive for this post. Happy April Fools and thanks for all your comments and links.

As of September 2008 UK Universities will no longer be accepting Psychology A levels as an acceptable A level says the BBC.

Professor Joe King from Durham University, who headed the Annual Conference of University Admissions (ACUA) yesterday, said that in relative terms the Psychology A level specifications throughout the UK (OCR, AQA and EDEXCEL) are not of comparative quality to other disciplines.

Record pass results have been seen in Psychology A levels over the last three years and this has provoked fears that the A level is not of the same standard and doesn’t demand the same achievement as other subjects, especially maths and science.

It is feared that over 5,000 students could be affected by this proposal resulting in already accepted conditional offers being rejected in September as a result of subject choice.

Lawyers for a group of students from Essex told us today that they will be petitioning Number 10, and failing this taking action to the European Court of Human Rights.

Further to discussions with the ACUA students will have little control over the decision of the committee as it is an independent committee with no watchdog to answer to.

Of the 18,000 students sitting Psychology A Levels this June it is thought that there will be no change to examinations or the specification content, however, the 26,000 students studying the AS modules could see massive changes over the summer vacation.

Oliver Duncan of NUS says that the proposal is a joke and that the ACUA have no jurisdiction in stating the content or assessment of A Levels as this is the responsibility of the Education Department.

Letters outlining the proposals have been sent to all institutions throughout the UK which teach Psychology.

Schools around the country have until April 33rd to appeal against the decision made by the ACUA. If more than two-thirds of schools do oppose the changes the proposal will have to be vetoed until the next time the committee sits in November.

See the BBC News coverage here. Your thoughts in the comments!

Tags: rant

Here is the next PSYlent, the weekly overview of those stories that I think are pretty interesting in psychology but don’t really apply to OCR. Seems a shame to miss out on them just because I can’t get them to fit into the specifications. So, here are those studies that would have been without a voice on PsychBLOG; or as I’m going to call them: PSYlent!

Well here we are again – the first PSYlent for a while (but it’s been a busy few weeks with a visit from Ofsted, exam results and coursework) but there’s some excellent bits from around the web for you. Read on for this weeks, months, until-next-time-I-write-it’s PSYlent.

Am I Normal?
BBC Radio 4 has just concluded another run of its fantastic series Am I Normal? which looks at the science of differences in our minds, brains and abilities. For more on this see Mind Hacks (via BPSRD).

Use your head!
By Christmas people will be able to buy a headset for £150 that enables you to control virtual objects on a computer screen using the power of your mind. For more and videos of it in action go to Philosophy of Mind.

Can you count?
Excellent health-promotion via the ‘watch for bikes’ advert. Can you count the passes – I got it right!

Little lie-detectors
Toddlers as young as 19 months are able to distinguish jokes from mistakes – a skill that lays the groundwork for their later ability to recognise lies and false beliefs. From the BPSRD.

And finally …

Something to listen to…
New Scientist has put a feature on line that demonstrates five cool auditory illusions. Possibly the freakiest, is psychologist Diana Deutsch’s illusion called ‘Phantom Words’ (via Mind Hacks).

Tags: PSYlent

How many of you have had the same argument with friends, family or colleagues – it goes something like this:

“Psychology – that’s one of those ‘ologies’ – not a real subject – it’s the soft option. Why not do a proper subject like Biology?”

Well today is your day according to an article in The Times following a QCA comparison of the demands of various academic subjects it was found that:

… when they compared psychology, biology and sociology A levels, psychology was seen as the strongest subject in some areas.

The report said: “Psychology was judged to be technically demanding and made use of complex concepts.

“Given that the initial impetus for the work was the suggestion that students were turning away from science to psychology because it was perceived to be the soft option, the study suggests this perception has little basis in fact.” [From The Times]

We all knew that already but it’s nice to read!

Tags: news commentary, rant

I spoke about this conference a while ago and the tickets were very popular and sold out. As a result of some cancellations there’s about 50 tickets now remaining to get to this conference set up by Cara Flanagan through South West Conferences.  You can go on the 18th or 19th of March – but you must contact Cara directly to get these tickets.

This conference offers a unique opportunity to hear one of the legends in psychology. In a special extended afternoon session, Professor Zimbardo will discuss his research with special reference to the Stanford Prison Experiment and his recent book The Lucifer Effect, and also answer students’ questions.

That’s not all though – on-top of Zimbardo there will also be the following speakers:

Phil Banyard, former Chief examiner OCR, senior lecturer at Nottingham Trent University. Key studies in Psychology – What happened next?

Mike Cardwell, former Chief examiner AQA A, senior lecturer at Bath Spa University. The Psychology of Peace.

Cara Flanagan, freelance academic author and experienced senior examiner. Which falls faster a pound of gold or a pound of feathers? A look at researching human behaviour.

You can find more information and a booking form at the SWC site or go straight to the Zimbardo conference page.

Tags: conference, Zimbardo

Well it’s that time of year again: florists and chocolatiers are selling over priced roses and heart shaped chocolates; Woolworths has got the ‘Love Land’ toys out again; and we’re all reaffirming our commitment to the one our heart belongs to (and sometimes to our partners too!) So, never one to miss the chance to jump on the band wagon, here’s a Valentines Special. From around the web a selection of writing on the psychology of love.

When are they going to say those three magic words?
The calculus of saying ‘I love you’.

The ‘Love Hormone’
Gazing into your lover’s eyes isn’t only romantic; it may also mimic early attachments that forever alter your brain and body.

Fancy a kiss?
When passion takes a grip, a kiss locks two humans together in an exchange of scents, tastes, textures, secrets and emotions. But why?

The Situation of Cupid’s Arrow

And for the those thrifty spenders out there Nine Tactics for a Frugal Valentine’s Day.

On the more lude side of the day
The British are growing more libral when it comes to sex
British people’s attitudes to sex and marriage have grown increasingly liberal over the last two decades, according to a study released on Wednesday. But has our behaviour changed to match these attitudes?

How does the brain generate orgasm?
Not exactly sexy, and you’re probably thinking of other things at the time, but what exactly is happening up there (rather than down there) when you … well … you know!

Finally, if you’re spending this Valentines alone with a pot noodle then you might want to read Happiness: Enough Already!

Tags: love, PSYlent, rant, special feature

It was only recently that I first mentioned the upcoming ATP 2008 conference; but now we have conformation of the speakers and more.

The 26th Annual Conference of the Association for the Teaching of Psychology.

University of Lincoln: Thursday 10th July to Saturday 12th July, 2008

The conference is for teachers of psychology and will offer updating sessions on psychology, presentations and workshops on teaching and learning, and opportunities to share good practice.

The keynote speakers are: Dr. Susan Blackmore; Professor Mark Griffiths; Professor Paul Harris; and MindHacks very own Dr. Tom Stafford. There’s more information and biographies of the speakers over at the ATP Conference site.

If you’re wanting to pop along to the conference you can see all the booking information here (prices start from £220 including B&B)

You can find out more about the conference, the keynote speakers, workshops and other exciting stuff over at the ATP Conference website. If you’ve got something to say about it you could also pop over to the official ATP Conference forum to let people know that you’re going or just to say how much you’re looking forward to being there!

Tags: 4Teachers, ATP, conference

OCR have announced a series (well two) conferences which look quite exciting. A chance to meet some of the authors (Griffiths, Richer & Haslam) of studies in the new specification and more. These conferences are being held in Leeds and London so if you live anywhere near (or even if you don’t) you might want to get to the site and register your interest as tickets are limited and I would imagine in high demand. Best still this conference wont cost you a penny (and you get a free lunch too!)

OCR invites teachers of A Level Psychology to an informative and entertaining event for an insight into our revised Psychology A Level qualification, ahead of first teaching from September 2008.

As well as giving an overview of the new qualification this event will delve into some of the new core study material.

The keynote speakers are:

Professor Mark Griffiths (hear my interview with him here)
Professor of Gambling Studies, Nottingham Trent University

Professor Alexander Haslam
Professor of Social Psychology, Exeter University

Professor Stephen Reicher
Professor of Social Psychology, St Andrews University

The conferences are on the 30th (Leeds) and 31st (London) January. For more information on the conferences, speakers and programme for the day then pop over to the OCR Conference site. Hopefully I’ll get tickets so I might see you there.

Tags: AS, conference, ocr, Spec 2008