Tuesday 20 January 2015

Internal speaker: Zola Mannie, Middlesex University

Date and time: Thursday, January 29, 4:00pm, room V101.

Title: “Vulnerability to depression"

Abstract:
Depression is a common and disabling disorder, with a particularly high illness burden, a long term trajectory, characterised by increased relapse rates and a poor prognosis. It is often triggered by stress, although the role of stress diminishes with increasing number of episodes, suggesting that the impact of stress on depression is strongest prior to the first episode. Several changes occurring at the same time lead to a weakening of the influence of stress on subsequent episodes include brain sensitization, personality changes or changes in cognitive schema/belief structure that may coincide with higher circulating cortisol or reductions in BDNF due to stress. Research priorities for the prevention of depression include developing interventions that are based on the causal mechanisms of the illness. However, causal mechanisms are not clear, but through vulnerability research there are grounds to be optimistic. In this talk, I will present a broad overview of how I have been investigating vulnerability and the way forward.

Bio:
While pursuing a Masters in Applied Psychology at Brunel University I came to the realisation that it’s through conducting research, rather than clinical practice, would I be able to gain a more in-depth understanding of the various explanations of the aetiology of depression. I subsequently pursued a PhD at Oxford Brookes University in collaboration with the Department of Psychiatry, Oxford University, under Professor Cowen’s supervision, followed by a consolidating post-doctoral program within the department. My thesis was “Vulnerability to Depression: Neurobiological and Psychosocial Trait Markers of Depression”. My primary goal is to continue conducting research aimed at identifying vulnerability markers of depression that can be targeted for the prevention of its onset, and testing the effectiveness of appropriate interventions on those identified markers. My methods of investigation are cross-sectional and prospective by design, and I use various tools including biological sampling e.g. cortisol and BDNF measurement from blood and saliva samples, neuropsychological testing, various behavioural measures and neuroimaging techniques.

Website:
http://www.mdx.ac.uk/about-us/our-people/staff-directory/mannie-zola

Friday 16 January 2015

Department of Psychology involvement in Japanese legislation on surrogacy

On Wednesday 14 January 2015, Assistant Professor Yuri Hibino http://ridb.kanazawa-u.ac.jp/public/detail_en.php?id=3055 visited Professor Olga van den Akker in the Department of Psychology at Middlesex University to discuss her work on surrogate motherhood. Dr Yuri Hibino from the Department of Environmental and Preventive Medicine Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University Japan, is a medical sociologist investigating issues surrounding international surrogacy. Her report, which will include discussions of meetings with, and publications from researchers from across the world, will be presented to the Japanese government, with a view to assisting them in their future legislation on surrogacy.


Friday 9 January 2015

Visiting speaker: Peter Hegarty, University of Surrey

Date and time: Thursday Jan 15, 12pm

Room: HG09


Title: On the failure to develop the hypothesis that White people are White.

Abstract:  Category norms are implicit default assumptions about members of categories that rarely capture attention such as the assumption that humans have one and only one head.  Unfortunately the identities of higher status groups, such as men, White people, the rich, and heterosexuals often stand in as category norms in our thinking.  In this talk I will first review a body of work on how category norms affect explanations of group differences.   Next I will present new work showing how category norms can inhibit the generation of hypotheses from data.  I will conclude with consideration of what we should and shouldn't do manage the effects of implicit norms on our scientific data about real social groups.