HNC Students Explore How Psychology Can Improve The World For Others
13.06.2023HNC students who study A Level and Applied Psychology have recently paid a visit to the University of Huddersfield to attend lectures about some fascinating aspects of psychological research and learn more about where a degree in Psychology can take them.
The University of Huddersfield is home to the renowned Centre for Cognition and Neuroscience, which looks at how the theories of cognitive and neural processing can be used to solve human problems. The Centre works on a wide range of fascinating medical and projects designed to create a positive impact in the real world. Some of the Centre’s recent research has looked at how mobile technology can be used to screen for dementia, why football referees experience such high levels of abuse, and how fraudsters use human emotion to run successful scam schemes.
As part of this students got to experiment with the state of the art equipment used in some of these research projects, including the cold pressor which sees participants place their hand in a water bath to complete tasks or view stimuli – this is often used to study pain tolerance. The group also got to experience the Oculus Rift, an immersive virtual reality experience which can connect to an EEG to collect and analyse brain electrical activity. This is often used to research fears and phobias, flight and racing simulation, and more. The afternoon wrapped up with an experiment using a fake arm which helped the group explore neural plasticity and why those who lose limbs can have ‘phantom limb’ experiences.
After being able to hear more from lecturers who have worked on internationally leading pieces of research, the group were able to discuss varying careers and ask questions.
Tracey Holland, Teacher of Psychology, comments: “Students studying Psychology often progress to careers in the field, and this visit was a great way for them to explore how the theories they learn in the classroom can be applied in a real life context to make a positive difference in the world. Being able to use the facilities to look at the real life context of theories such as phantom limbs, and why we all tolerate pain differently, was really exciting for the group. We would like to thank the University for hosting such an insightful visit and helping our young people to develop their knowledge beyond the classroom.”
Psychology trip 2023
New Hey Road, Huddersfield, HD3 4GL
