On Monday 7 November, the Lower Sixth Psychology students attended a Psychology in Action Conference held at the University of Warwick. With a focus on widening students’ knowledge beyond the Advanced Level specification, the day consisted of a series of lectures delivered by psychologists who are experts in their field of research.
In the first lecture, cognitive psychologist Kim Wade spoke about her research which has shown how easily manipulated photos and videos can lead people to develop detailed and compelling memories about events in their own lives that never happened. A performance psychologist, Jonathan Smith, who works with a range of sports teams including Paralympian GB athletes, spoke about how his work can help athletes perform at their highest level. This includes how to cope with the pressure that comes from years of training leading up to one race in which, for the GB kayak team, 0.11 seconds can mean the difference between achieving a gold medal or not reaching a medal position. In the final lecture, Peter Lovatt, who is Director of Dance Psychology at Movement in Practice, spoke engagingly about the science of dance and how dance can change how we think and problem solve. It was brilliant to see all the students joining in his structured dance moves, his enthusiasm for the importance of dance was infectious.
Aamanee, a student who attended the trip, said that “the different lectures were all so engaging in different ways, a personal favourite being Peter Lovatt who provided a very insightful presentation on the psychology of dance. It was really interesting to learn about different aspects of the subject that aren’t covered in the specification, as it developed my understanding of psychology and now and I am now keen to research these areas”.
It was a fantastic conference which helped students to deepen their understanding of psychology and allowed students to hear first-hand from psychologists who are conducting research in a range of different fields.
