CRACKLE members conduct research and research-consultancy into issues in Applied Cognitive Science. Projects focus on thinking, learning and emotion in either natural or simulated natural contexts in the laboratory (e.g., decision-making in fireground, medical, military, sports situations; forensic psychology issues; psychological aspects of the arts such as poetry; educational and occupational issues, etc.). The centre consists of staff, doctoral students and visiting research fellows based in the School of Natural & Social Sciences (Psychology), with links to the School of Sports and Exercise and the Faculty of Media, Arts and Technology at the University of Gloucestershire, the Psychology Department of UWE, Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service and Bristol Royal Infirmary. Recent outputs include: £500,000 in competitively-won external funds, more than 40 peer-reviewed papers and books, consistent presentation at national and international conferences and a national prize for research with Fire and Rescue Service. The research is conducted in both the high-quality EEG laboratory at Francis Close Hall as well as natural situations.
Current/recent projects include studies of:
- situation awareness in uncertain or risky situations
fireground decision-making
- job applicant reactions to decisions, assessment centres and psychometric testing
- decision-making in cricketing performance
- medical (obstetric team) situation-awareness and decision-making
- psychological aspects of crime (including issues such as sexual offending and children’s understanding of the law and authority)
- multimedia poetics in relation to youth slam and spoken word (with a focus on educational applications) and using poetry in the care of people with dementia
- cognitive processes underlying use of metaphor in the arts
psychology of education and classroom learning
- developmental disorders (ADHD etc)
- cognitive and emotional processing in social values
- reaction of the infant brain to the visual world
- use of imagery in adolescent sports performance
CRACKLE will continue to develop research and consultancy projects along the theme of applied cognitive science, with a view to advancing understanding of human thinking and emotion in both a general sense and in respect to particular real-world contexts.
Contacts
Dr. Di Catherwood
01242 714808
Dr. G. Edgar
01242 714807
Further Details