I trained as an experimental psychologist / cognitive neuroscientist, and my current research and teaching focuses on Political Psychology.
Some of the questions that currently drive my research include:
- What are the psychological predictors of attitudes towards immigration, and can we use an understanding of those psychological predictors to develop more effective communication around immigration (this is the focus of Tessa Buchanan's PhD, also supervised by Alan Renwick at UCL).
- What are the psychological predictors of attitudes towards inequality and capitalism, and can we use an understanding of those psychological predictors to help bridge the polarized discussion of this topic.
- What are the psychological predictors of political engagement, with a particular focus on political knowledge and societal values. Can we use an understanding of these predictors to improve political turnout.
- Can we use more data driven techniques to identify the structure of political beliefs, in particular looking at data driven approaches to understanding the main political dimensions in different countries and whether their are meaningful clusters of voters.
- What are the psychological and cognitive characteristics of swing voters compared to other types of voters (this is the focus of Emmanuel Mahieux's PhD, also supervised by Joe Devlin at UCL).
To see my lab page, visit: Political Psychology Lab
