Our research
Influencing policy and practice with some of the strongest experimental psychology in the UK.
Our research focuses on how we perceive and act on the world around us.
We have a broad range of interests spanning high-level cognitive acts such as communication and social interaction to low level visual and auditory perception.
We are an internationally recognised department engaging in some of the UK's most groundbreaking experimental psychology.
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The Research Excellence Framework 2021
- We're ranked 8th in the UK for research and 2nd for research output quality in the Times Higher Education’s ranking of the latest REF results (2021). Our research environment - the support we give to our researchers - is rated as 4*, the Research Excellence Framework’s highest rating.
Research strengths
We study the psychological bases of memory, perception, language, development and social relationships. Our research covers a wide range of populations including children and adults, individuals with developmental and neuropsychological disorders, and non-human primates.
Our research makes a powerful difference to families with children living with developmental and neuropsychological disorders, as well as adults with similar conditions. We work in a range of settings and take our research into parts of the community where it has the greatest impact, working closely with caregivers, educators, law enforcement, healthcare professionals, and policy-makers.
Our researchers are supported by excellent research facilities which allow us to use cutting-edge experimental methods, including eye tracking, electromyography (EMG), electroencephalography (EEG), magnetoencephalography (MEG), functional MRI (fMRI) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). We also have state-of-the-art laboratories for developmental, sensory, virtual reality and sleep research.
Impact and engagement
Our research makes a difference to many aspects of real life. We influence government policy and improve practices in health and education.
Highlights
Centres and institutes
Our researchers lead several cross-cutting research centres and groups:
University research themes
Interdisciplinary research is one of our strengths. We collaborate across the University's research themes – areas of research excellence that cross departmental boundaries. We have particularly strong partnerships within three themes: