Institute of Psychological Sciences

Social Psychology research group

This research group conducts research on quantitative and qualitative approaches to understanding and changing health behaviours from a social psychology perspective, implicit attitudes, prejudicial attitudes, causal reasoning, social category combination (multiple categorization), and controlled processing. The research has been funded by ESRC, Unilever, DoT, etc.

The Group has the interpersonal and intergroup relations (IPAIR) lab, led by Rhiannon Turner. The lab conducts research into two distinct but complementary fields of study: intergroup relations and interpersonal relations. Current areas of investigation include: developing and testing contact-based interventions to reduce prejudiced attitudes and behaviours, encouraging effective inter-professional communication between doctors and nurses, understanding the processes involved in cross-group romantic relationships, and identifying the factors underlying the relationship between friendship and psychological resilience.