Evolutionary Developmental Biology: Current debates

This satellite meeting, to be held one day before the EHBEA (http://www.ehbea2015.org) Helsinki conference, has been generously sponsored by the Galton Institute, EHBEA, and the Journal of Evolutionary Psychology.

Time: Saturday the 28th of March 2015 (from 9:00-16:00)

Location: University of Helsinki (Fabianinkatu 33, 2nd floor)

Topic:  In recent years there has been much discussion about how to conceptualize the relationship between development and evolution: are developmental trajectories selected for, and how much does development influence evolutionary process?  In this event we will excoriate the fundamental assumptions at work in several influential existing arguments, to look at the view of development within the modern synthesis, and to look at criticisms of this synthesis.

Registration: There is a separate registration fee for this meeting: 50 € for full EHBEA members, 25 € for student EHBEA members and 80 € for everyone else. This includes teas/coffees, buffet lunch, and wine reception. You can sign up for the event by registering and paying the participation fee here http://www.ehbea2015.org/. Up to 70 participants can register. Registration is on a first come, first served basis. Refunds are not possible. Please note that the registration does not include hotel accommodation.

Speakers and titles:

Open reaction norms and human flexibility
H. Clark Barrett, University of California, Los Angeles

(Epi)mutational dynamics and bet hedging
Ben Dickins, Nottingham Trent University

Information as a loom to weave development and evolution
Sinead English, University of Oxford

Developmental changes in aggression and body size: an evolutionary perspective
Tim W. Fawcett, University of Bristol

Developmental niche construction
Emma Flynn, Durham University

Developmental plasticity in the European starling: Empirical observations and evolutionary interpretations
Daniel Nettle, Newcastle University

Organisers:
Clark Barrett – UCLA
Tom Dickins – Middlesex University
Willem Frankenhuis - Radboud University Nijmegen

Questions: Contact Tom Dickins at T.Dickins@mdx.ac.uk

For abstracts see: http://tomsnonacademicwork.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/meeting-evolutionary-developmental.html

Visiting speaker: Ronald Roberts, Kingston University

Date and time: Thursday, Feb 26, 4:00pm, room C217.

Title: “The new politics of experience"

Abstract:

A lot of what is done in the name of psychotherapy and psychology is driven by motives which are base, shallow and commercial.  Theorising of the human condition too often follows the ideological fashions of the day, which can be described as biological/corporate fundamentalism. This toxic mixture not only mystifies the general public but also makes epistemological slaves of professional psychologists.  The talk will consider the influence of neoliberal capitalism on the divide between academic psychology and the psychotherapeutic art of healing.  One of the consequences of the capitalist domination of experience is that the very voice we employ to articulate our understanding of the human condition, whether in the midst of the therapeutic encounter, reflecting on the therapeutic encounter or theorising it, has become infected with psychology’s hunger for status, power and control, all masked by an ill-judged pretence of neutrality and objectivity.  This has made the relationship between the practical and academic sides of psychology deeply problematic as well as dishonest.

Bio:

Ron Roberts, Ph.D, C.Psychol, AFBPsS is Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Kingston University. He has held previous posts at the Institute of Psychiatry, University of Westminster, King’s College Medical School, University College London, St Bartholomew’s Medical School, Queen Mary College and the Tavistock Institute. He is the author of over 50 refereed publications and six books.

Website:

http://socialpsychologykingston.weebly.com/dr-ron-roberts.html

Visiting speaker today - Beatriz Calvo-Merino

Date and time: Wednesday, Feb 11, 4:00pm, room VG02.

Title: “Cognitive embodiment: How your own body shapes perception"

Abstract:
Cognitive neuroscience and philosophy have attributed a special role to our own body and actions during visual perception. This phenomenon is called embodiment. In this talk, I will present different properties of embodiment (at the neural and cognitive levels) in a series of studies that explore (a) the impact of physical/motor expertise (e.g. dancers) in actions observation and action understanding, (b) the role of our own body in the recognition and memory of emotion and actions, (c) and the impact of embodiment on very specifically human ways of seeing (e.g. aesthetic perception).

You can see an interview about the neuroaesthetics of dance here:
http://www.body-pixel.com/2011/02/23/interview-with-beatriz-calvo-merino-part-1-dance-neurons-dance-neuroaesthetics/
You can see her academic website here:
http://www.city.ac.uk/people/academics/beatriz-calvo-merino

CATS partnership with St Michael's Fellowship

CATS have recently agreed a training and research partnership with St Michael’s Fellowship, an independent provider of both residential and community based family assessment services in London.  Initial training of St Michaels’ staff on the Parenting Role Interview (PRI) has commenced, delivered by Professor Toni Bifulco and Dr Andrea Oskis, and further trainings on the PRI, Attachment Style Interview (ASI), and Childhood Experience of Care & Abuse (CECA) interview will take place over the next few months.  A research project, funded by Middlesex University Psychology Department and led by Dr Richard Barry & Dr Andrea Oskis, aims to evaluate the impact of the use of the PRI on the assessment processes and on staff at St Michael’s, using a combination of semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and family case studies.  This growing partnership provides CATS with an opportunity to evaluate and develop its standardised measures in the context of family assessment and child protection, as well as their use with specific groups such as parents with learning difficulties. 

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

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.

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.