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Department of Psychology

 

➤ ​Research Centres, Groups and Labs

➤ Research Funding

➤ ​Volunteers for Research Study Participation 

Research strategy

The Department of Psychology Research Strategy involves three research themes to foster integration, strengthen collaborations and increase the impact of our research projects.

Our Research Strategy aims to
• Enhance interactions and develop new links among researchers across levels within the Department
• Enhance links to other Departments across Schools and involvement in large-scale funding initiatives.
• Develop an outward-looking research profile for the Department 

 

Following extensive consultation, Spring 2021 saw the establishment of six new cross-cutting Research Themes in the School of Biological Sciences, designed to provide research integration across the School, encourage new conversations and enhance interdisciplinary networking critical for major innovation.

Research Themes - Year in Review: A comprehensive update and progress on Research Theme activities over the course of their first year can be found in the report 'Research Themes - Year in Review'. You can also watch a highlight video.

 

Current research themes in Psychology

Brain, Behaviour and Cognition


Lead:

 Professor Jeff Dalley

Research areas: Behavioural Neuroscience, Cognitive Neuroscience, Perceptual and Cognitive Systems, Brain Computations, Neuropsychiatry and disease models

Research in this group focuses on understanding the mechanisms that underlie behaviour, perception and cognition in human and animal models. We bring together interdisciplinary methodologies that range from behavioural testing, state-of-the-art imaging, genomic and neurobiological measures to computational approaches.

Research groups and labs associated with this theme

Adaptive Brain Lab

Bays Lab

Blakemore Lab: Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Group

Brain, Language and Bilingualism lab

Cambridge Centre for Ageing and Neuroscience (Cam-CAN)

Cambridge Laboratory for Research into Autism

Centre for Family Research

Centre for Neuroscience in Education (CNE)

Centre for Speech, Language and Brain (CSLB)

Cognition and Motivated Behaviour Lab

Comparative Cognition Lab

Consciousness and Cognition Lab

Davis Lab (Visual Cognition Lab)

Emotional Cognition Lab

Memory Laboratory

Neurolex

Vision Lab

 

Core members

Affiliated members

Lifespan Development


Lead:

 Professor Melissa Hines

Research areas: Genes and Environment, Foundational Development, Children and Families, Adolescence, Ageing

Research in this group asks how the brain and behaviour develop over time. We focus on critical developmental periods, including early life and adolescence, ageing, and developmental disorders. We also investigate interactive effects, e.g., between genes and the environment and between families and children.

Research groups and labs associated with this theme

Applied Developmental Psychology Research Group

Cambridge Babylab

Cambridge Centre for Ageing and Neuroscience (Cam-CAN)

Cambridge Laboratory for Research into Autism

Gender Development Research Centre

Core members

Affiliated members

Social Behaviour and Societies


Lead:

Professor Jason Rentfrow

Research areas: Social cognition, Emotion, Personality and individual differences, Judgement and decision-making, Communication, Big-data analytics.

Research in this group focuses on interactions between psychological and social processes and their impact on judgements, decisions, and behaviour. We use experimental, observational, and computational methods to examine psychological processes and outcomes at multiple levels of analysis, including physiological, experiential, and behavioural.

Research groups and labs associated with this theme

Cambridge Body, Mind and Behaviour Lab

Cambridge Political Psychology Lab

Cambridge Social Decision-Making Lab

IC Thinking Research Group

The Communication Research Group

The Cambridge Personality and Social Dynamics Research Group

 

Core members

Affiliated members