*This series of blog posts was first published on the THESIS website in 2020, when BAME was accepted terminology. We recognise the limitations of this terminology, and it will not be used in future posts Dr Ilham Sebah, Teaching Fellow in Psychology, Royal Holloway The death of George Floyd in May 2020 and the ongoing …
Neuroscience is undoubtedly one of the most challenging topics for psychology students. One of the reasons is that it includes concepts derived from various disciplines, such as biology, chemistry, physics, and psychology. Furthermore, the brain is the most complex and sophisticated organ in our body as it does not only keep us alive, but it …
Trans and non-binary people have had increased media visibility in recent times, with more positive representation in film and on television (e.g. Pose, Heartstopper, Barbie), and with more public figures coming out (e.g. Elliot Page, Janelle Monáe, Sam Smith). Whilst this is a positive step forwards, it has occurred simultaneously with an increase of …
Psychology has helped us understand human behaviour, and one area that has garnered interest is the “Marshmallow Test.” Walter Mischel and colleagues conducted this groundbreaking experiment in the late 1960s to examine the relationship between delayed gratification and long-term success (Blakely, 2019). America hosted this experiment. The Marshmallow Test’s findings improve our understanding of self-control …
The most important finding in psychology can be gauged by how much it changes how we evaluate past research and shapes how we approach future research. Does it reveal crucial insights which unlock unexplored avenues of psychological principles? Does it force us to reassess and reimagine core psychological mechanisms? Does it inform the next questions …
Entering university as a mature student can be a scary affair. Will I fit in? Are people going to think I’m weird? Quick answer, yes on both accounts. When I started university, we had four-hundred students on my program. I don’t know about the people reading this, but when I walk into a room filled …
It’s clear that under 30 year olds use subtitles habitually when watching TV and movies, both for content in unknown languages, like Squid Games, but increasingly for content in their own languages (Young, 2021). It’s a subject that everyone has ideas about – why people like using them, parents complaining that their children only …
Walking into the very first lecture of my first year, I remember feeling intensely nervous. Who would I sit next to? What if they ask me a question that I don’t know the answer to? Then I distinctly remember thinking, “For goodness’ sake you’re 26 years old, you are too old to be stressing about …
Universities are generally considered fairly diverse and accepting spaces where many lesbian, bisexual, gay, trans, queer, and other sexual minority (LGBTQ+) young people feel like they can be themselves. However, this is not by any means ubiquitous and evidence suggests that some of these students experience abuse and consider dropping out due to their sexual …
Cannabis (marijuana) is the most commonly used addictive substance after alcohol and tobacco, in particular among youths. Many countries have already decriminalized its medical and recreational use in recent years. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve heard statements like “If it’s legal, it is okay to use” and “If it’s medicine, …