Visiting speaker: Gordon Ingram, Bath Spa University

Date and time: Thursday Feb 27, 4:00pm, Room C113

Title: "From hitting to tattling to gossip: an evolutionary rationale for the development of indirect aggression in children"

Abstract:
Gossip is often argued to play an important role in maintaining systems of cooperation based on reputation. It is a common behaviour among adolescents - a critical time for reputation formation - at which age many researchers use negative gossip as an example of indirect aggression (or of the related constructs of relational or social aggression). However, true gossip (in the sense of covert reporting of behaviour) seems to be almost unknown among young children. In the first part of the talk I summarise my PhD research on tattling - a form of overt reporting of behaviour which young children do practise frequently. Tattling in my research sites correlated with both dominance and indirect aggression. In the second part of the talk, I propose a new theoretical model in which aggression (in intra-group contexts) is socialised into increasingly indirect forms as children get older. This is associated with an image-schematic elaboration of the dominance hierarchies characteristic of non-human animals, which are mediated by ritualised physical interactions, into prestige hierarchies that are mediated by abstract, symbolic interactions. From the developmental literature I identify three pieces of evidence for this model: (i) physical aggression falls in early childhood over the same age range during which indirect aggression increases; (ii) the same individuals engage in both physical and indirect aggression; and (iii) dominant individuals practice indirect aggression more frequently. This leads me to postulate two major developmental transitions in social behaviour: the first occurring in early childhood with the internalisation of norms against physical aggression, and the second in preadolescence with the development of increasingly covert forms of reputational competition. I speculate that these developmental transitions may be associated with a two-step model of human evolution, in which increasingly complex societies were first supported by social emotions in face-to-face interactions, and only later by formal institutions with greatly increased spatial and temporal displacement. Finally I briefly consider practical implications of this model for reducing bullying, both face-to-face and online.

Bio:
Gordon Ingram is Lecturer in Psychology at Bath Spa University, where he coordinates the second-year module in Developmental Psychology and the third-year module in Evolutionary Psychology. He received his PhD in 2009 from the Institute of Cognition and Culture at Queen's University Belfast, with a thesis entitled: "Young children's reporting of peers' behaviour". Before joining Bath Spa he taught Cognitive and Evolutionary Anthropology at Oxford University, and then worked on a large-scale European research project at the University of Bath, helping to develop an educational computer game aimed at improving preadolescent children's conflict resolution skills. His research interests include evolutionary developmental psychology; conflict and cooperation in peer groups; social and emotional learning; cyberbullying and the use of social networking software by preadolescents; and the anthropology of childhood.

Website: https://sites.google.com/a/bathspa.ac.uk/gordon-ingram/

Society for Reproductive and Infant Psychology funded workshop

Following a successfully Society for Reproductive and Infant Psychology (SRIP) funded Workshop organised by members of the Project Group on Assisted Reproduction (PROGAR), Olga van den Akker and her colleagues have published a short report in BioNews:

http://www.bionews.org.uk/page.asp?obj_id=397263&print=1

Free National Workshop at Middlesex, supported by the HEA, 16 April 2014: Supervising Qualitative Dissertations

The workshop will focus on developing skills and strategies in the supervision of qualitative dissertations for psychology teaching staff.  It will be of particular value to psychologists who have at least some background in qualitative methods but are relatively inexperienced in supervising qualitative final year empirical projects or dissertations. More experienced qualitative project supervisors will benefit from the opportunity to share learning with fellow participants and the presenter team.  The workshop will explore three themes through the use of structured group activities and discussions: planning and management; data collection and analysis; and, writing up, quality and assessment.  It will be held on 16 April at Middlesex from 10.00-4.00.  Places are FREE.  It will be run by members of the Teaching Qualitative Psychology Special Interest Group of the Higher Education Academy.  

See here for more info and to book: 

http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/events/detail/2014/16-April-supervising-quali-dissertation-Middlesex or ask Nollaig for further info.

A departmental debate about research methods teaching

This house believes that research methods teaching in psychology fundamentally inhibits scientific creativity.

The close alignment of research methods with a finite array of statistical approaches prevents problem led exploration and invention of methods.  Whilst methodological traditions can produce bodies of work they also run the risk of narrowing focus and missing crucial phenomena and possible explanations.  In an ideal world first year students would develop a question during lab classes and then develop a method to answer it, and an accompanying analysis strategy.  This would enable them to directly encounter limitations and difficulties and to understand the mechanics of the process.  It would also stretch their theoretical muscles.  There is only so much about behaviour that can be learnt through the deployment of a two-way ANOVA or a self-report questionnaire and there is no reason to see such methods as foundational to understanding in the behavioural sciences.  As a consequence we must revise our teaching and consider the ethics of engaging other organisms in limited research.

Tom Dickins



Please send your arguments for or against this proposition to the blog using the Comment function.

Jackie Gray attends WAIS-IV training course

Jackie Gray reports back from the WAIS-IV training course she attended last week:

I have just attended an excellent 3-day training course on the administration, scoring and interpretation of the WAIS-IV, run by Debbie McQueirns of Forensic Psychology Solutions Ltd. The course provided an introduction to the historical and theoretical development of the concept of intelligence, and approaches to measurement. We then moved on to focus specifically on the WAIS-IV, considering the general guidelines for administration, before starting a series of role-plays in which we administered the various subtests. The administration practice allowed the development of a sense of familiarity with the materials, the format of the (invaluable) Administration and Scoring Manual, and the scoring forms. The final day encompassed consideration of issues including analysis, interpretation, formulation, malingering and report writing.

As an academic, it was particularly useful to work with people who are in practice, and who are training to become forensic psychologists. Some of the other delegates had used the WAIS-IV as part of their training, but wanted to become more proficient in its use, and their experiences brought to light considerations that I otherwise may not have been aware of. The use of the WAIS-IV as more than just a measure of cognitive ability was particularly interesting. Debbie McQueirns is a strong advocate of integrating the findings from the WAIS-IV with broader clinical assessment. A good WAIS-IV assessment should include detailed examination of factors that might affect performance, such as feedback from the person being assessed throughout the process, as well as recording aspects about their history that may be relevant and your own clinical observations. This information can then be combined with their WAIS-IV performance to inform the development of hypotheses about the individual and feed into formulation. This clinical approach reflects the aims originally set out by Wechsler, that the WAIS provides a lot more than a single number!

I attended this course as I felt I needed to understand more about the WAIS-IV and the practicalities of it use. I had (with some apprehension) expected a much more formulaic approach to assessment, and was therefore very happy to find a qualitative, complex and holistic approach being advocated. The limitations of a single IQ score were noted throughout, and the nuance that is lost in such an approach was evident through the case studies used during the training. The focus on the person being assessed, the reason for the assessment and the questions to be answered were also ongoing themes. This was a useful and insightful training course, that emphasised throughout the need for ethical practice, the BPS codes of conduct, and the scientist/practitioner approach. I would recommend it to anyone who may want to research or practice in this area.

Jackie Gray, 6^th February, 2014.

Andrea Oskis takes part in this week's Psychology Research Seminar Series at Goldsmiths, University of London

Title: Stress hormones, relationships and adolescence

Abstract: Humans thrive in close relationships, and we suffer enormously when relationships are disrupted. In the main, my work seeks to advance the understanding of the biological mechanisms underlying the relationship/health link. My research takes a developmental perspective, and the common theme in all of my studies is attachment and interpersonal bonds. In this talk I will present work examining links between attachment style and stress hormones in adolescence. These data focus on two of the physiological mediators of the body’s key stress system, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis; cortisol and DHEA, examining how different patterns of hormone secretion are linked with different attachment styles. As well as focusing on the regulation of our biological stress response system, my research has also looked at how attachment style links to our emotional regulation, and I will present findings showing how alexithymia – the inability to describe and express emotions – is associated with specific dimensions of attachment style. Overall, this talk will illuminate the importance of our relationships to both our psychological and physical well-being.

Thursday 13th February at 4:00 pm in 309, Richard Hoggart Building

Relaunch of the Pluralism in Qualitative Research Network website

Last week Dr Nollaig Frost and Deborah Rodriguez relaunched the Pluralism in Qualitative Research Network website: http://npqr.wordpress.com.  This disseminates and extends the work of the PQR project to over 200 researchers around the world and invites researchers using or interested in using pluralistic qualitative research to interact through the site by asking questions, posting relevant publications, publicising forthcoming events, disseminating new and existing research.  It has an associated Twitter account @n_pqr which has attracted nearly 40 followers in its first week.  Please do have a look and get involved if this emerging approach to research is of interest to you, or you have questions about it that you would like to post.