Psychology | Institute of Population Health (original) (raw)

Department of Psychology

Improving our understanding of the brain and behaviour.

The Department has a strong history and reputation for excellence, owing its origins to Nobel Laureate, Sir Charles Sherrington, who founded a laboratory at the University in 1895, specifically to study behaviour.

We conduct world-leading, translational research spanning basic and fundamental (neuro)science to applied research in industry, health-care, and behaviour change.

Our research ethos is multi-disciplinary and collaborative, with a focus on quality and impact. We are a vibrant and ambitious department, which is welcoming and supportive to all.

In REF 2021, 88% of our research was ranked as world leading (4*) or internationally excellent (3*). We were placed joint first in the UK for our world leading (4*) environment and ranked in the top 10 in the UK for Research Power.

We are committed to excellence in scholarship, teaching and nurturing students to their full potential.

Staff in the Department of Psychology

News

Research studies

Our challenges

• We investigate how psychoactive substances work in the brain, the effects they produce, and how this affects behaviour and broader society.
• We work with and deliver education, training and research to reduce suffering and saves lives (in health, law enforcement, security, emergency and defence services).
• We conduct and synthesise research to help inform the design and implementation of public health policies related to dietary health and obesity.
• We aim is to further understanding of the neurobiological and psychological foundations of cognitive and sensory functions in the human brain.
• We use multi-method approaches to study how children learn to communicate with language, how the developing brain supports this process, and how it is affected by cross-linguistic, socio-cultural and individual variation.
• Our research seeks to understand the strategies, interventions and policies that are needed to promote better access to healthy and sustainable foods in an equitable way.
• Pain Research
  We investigate brain mechanisms by which the conscious experience of pain (both experimental and clinical) is generated and how brain states influence pain-related behaviour.
• Improving emergency responses
  We are working alongside Merseyside Fire and Rescue examining responses to major incidents to improve emergency response training.
• Multi-agency information sharing and co-ordination
  We are working with various forces focusing on multi-agency responses to missing persons, in particular children.

Research centres

Liverpool Obesity Research Network

Research units and laboratories based across the University of Liverpool, Aintree University Hospital and Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen Hospital Trusts.

Research groups

Case studies

Facilities

• The Liverpool Human Ingestive Behaviour Laboratory
  One of the largest facilities in Europe dedicated to the study of appetite and ingestive behaviour. It consists of a research kitchen, multi-use laboratories, a media analysis suite, and a participant lounge.
• Bar Laboratory
  For research investigating contextual influences on drinking behaviour, and the acute effects of alcohol on cognitive processes such as the automatic processing of drug-related cues, behavioural control and impulsivity.
• EEG Laboratory
  Hosting 2 EGI Geodesics 128 channel EEG systems in electrically shielded rooms, 2 Biosemi 64 channel EEG systems (one with electrical shielding) and 1 Brain Products 64 channel EEG system with a MOVE wireless system.
• Visual and Audio-visual Laboratory
  Supporting our research in visual and auditory psychophysics, and haptic testing. The research is conducted in the general public but also clinical and neurological patient populations.
• Brain and Behaviour Laboratory
  Supporting the work of the Department’s Appetite and Perception research groups, this laboratory incorporates state-of-the-art facilities, flexible testing spaces, a research kitchen, a Wet Lab and a cutting-edge 128-channel electroencephalography system.
• Providing a new home for world-leading research dedicated to maximising the possibilities of emerging technologies.

Key staff