Studentship available for September 2012
Full Time PhD Research Studentship for Three Years (doc)
Eligibility: Applicants should be of the highest quality and capable of submitting a PhD thesis
within 3 years. Applicants require at least a 2.1 honours degree at undergraduate level (or
equivalent) in Psychology or a related cognate discipline. A relevant Master’s degree would
also be an advantage. Candidates must demonstrate strong research capabilities, and must be
fluent in English. Overseas applicant must provide a valid IELTS Test certificate minimum score
level 6 in each of the four areas of reading, writing, listening and speaking with overall minimum
score 7.0 or equivalent. Home and EU students are eligible
Start date week beginning 17th September 2012
Value p.a.: Bursary of £13,590 for 2012/13 & fees
Closing Date: Friday 13th July 2012
Applications will only be accepted by post and not by email
In addition to a research proposal (details below) please complete the Faculty of Health and Life
Sciences PhD Research Studentship Application Form which you should download from the
following site;http://www.hls.brookes.ac.uk/images/docs/research/studentship-application-form.doc
You will also need to ask two academic Referees to complete our Reference form. Please
download form from
http://www.hls.brookes.ac.uk/images/docs/research/studentship-referee-form.doc
Please post to
Research Administrator
Faculty of Health and Life Sciences
Oxford Brookes University
Headington
Oxford OX3 0BP
UK
Please email Phil Voysey pjvoysey@brookes.ac.uk with any administrative queries.
Applications are invited for one studentship for any of the following projects within the
areas of developmental and cognitive psychology. Potential applicants are encouraged
to contact the supervisor for each project area before making an application.
Applications must be submitted with a research proposal (minimum two thousand
words) relating to one of the topics below. Additionally we require certified copy of
degree certificates and/or a transcript of your academic record to date, plus as
appropriate English language certificates and qualifications. Additionally you must also
supply two academic references.
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Developmental Psychology
Trust in testimony: How children learn from others
Young children learn about many aspects of the world from others but do they believe
everything they hear or are they selective in who they trust? Recently, researchers have begun
to examine how children reason about other people’s knowledge, and if they make use of the
most reliable sources of information for learning. Examples of research under this heading
include investigation into the influence of social consensus on the perceived reliability of claims;
a child’s critical thinking about the motive of the informant; and the role of the child’s prior
beliefs. Projects will involve an experimental quantitative approach.
Further information on the project please e-mail
Supervisor: Dr Shiri Einav – seinav@brookes.ac.uk
Writing in typical and atypical populations of children and/or adults
Writing, including composition, spelling and handwriting. Projects are invited with regard to
typical and atypical populations of children and/or adults. Recent projects have included the use
of digital writing tablets and other technological tools to investigate writing processes.
Further information on the project please e-mail
Supervisor: Professor Vince Connelly - vconnelly@brookes.ac.uk
Home cultures and children mathematical learning in primary schools
I am interested in supervising projects with a focus on theoretical and empirical work in culturaldevelopmental psychology. Using qualitative methodologies the investigations will examine the
impacts of the socio-cultural context. Examples of research under this heading can include
"Parental involvement in children mathematical learning in primary schools”, and “Children’s
experiences of transitions between home-school mathematical learning".
Further information on the project please e-mail
Supervisor: Professor Guida de Abreu - gabreu@brookes.ac.uk
Development of perceptual-motor control
Development of perceptual-motor control and coordination in typical and/or atypical populations
of children and/or adults. Recent projects have included the development of assessment tools
and the use of motion analysis technology to investigate the planning and execution of
movement.
Further information on the project please e-mail
Supervisor: Dr Anna Barnett - abarnett@brookes.ac.uk
Normal Aging and Mental Imagery: Implications for Skilled Motor Movements and Motor
Rehabilitation.
For many patients with damage to the central nervous system (CNS), execution of motor tasks
is very difficult, sometimes impossible, even after early participation in an active rehabilitation
program. Several investigators have recently proposed that mental practice could be used by
these patients as a therapeutic tool to improve their performance of motor functions. This
programme of study will investigate the use and effectiveness of mental imagery as a tool to
help patients and whether normal aging affects mental imagery and has any influence on
recovery.
Further information on the project please e-mail
Supervisor: Dr Kate Wilmut - k.wilmut@brookes.ac.uk
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Cognitive Psychology
The Role of Cognitive Factors in the Predisposition to Visual Hallucinations
Recently, there has been a growing interest in the measurement of psychotic traits among
general population samples. Much of this work has been done by attempting to assess
schizotypy, or psychosis-proneness, which appears to be of heterogeneous structure (Claridge
et al., 1996).This PhD will extend this work by investigating the cognitive factors which
predisposition individuals to visual hallucinations and examine the relationship between metacognition and predisposition in a non-psychiatric population. It will also examine the hypothesis
that individuals highly predisposed to hallucinations show positive and negative meta-cognitive
beliefs and report the use of different thought control strategies.Further information on the
project please e-mail
Supervisor: Dr Jim Barnes - jim.barnes@brookes.ac.uk
Visual Cognition
Research will address visual cognition, specifically in the role of attention in awareness and
conscious perception of visual stimuli. I am also interested in how attention is involved in the
formation of objects in vision.
Further information on the project please e-mail
Supervisor: Dr Mike Pilling - mpilling@brookes.ac.uk
Please note that the successful applicant may be subject to a CRB check
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/agencies-public-bodies/crb/
As part of their Studentship, students will be required to undertake up to 6 hours
undergraduate teaching per week during semesters without further remuneration.
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