the virtual midlands conference

The Virtual Midlands Conference

A celebration of psychology in the Midlands!

Tuesday 7th September 2021

Online; 10am-5pm

Conference timetable overview

10:00-10:10 – Introduction: A celebration of psychology in the Midlands!

10:10-10:50 - Keynote 1: Dr Martin Turner

10:50-11:30 - 3-Minute Thesis Competition

11:30-11:45 - Stretch & Screen Break

11:45-13:00 - Morning parallel presentation sessions

13:00-13:30 – Lunch - AGM – Poster viewing

13:30-14:00 – Poster Q&A session

14:00-14:45 - Careers parallel session

14:45-15:00 – Stretch & Screen Break

15:00-16:15 – Afternoon parallel presentation sessions

16:15-16:55 – Keynote 2: Dr Darel Cookson & Dr Malcolm Schofield

16:55-17:00 – Conference close

Welcome – Lawrence Moulin

A message from the Chair of the BPS West Midlands Branch

Dear Delegates,

I am delighted to welcome you to the third BPS Midlands Conference. This

joint branch conference reflects the strong links we have between the BPS East

and West Midlands Branches, and the ongoing sharing of ideas and expertise

between us.

The conference reflects the diversity, energy and breadth of expertise in

Psychology across the Midlands. Whether you are delivering a talk, a poster or

indeed a keynote, we thank you for presenting your work this year. Without

you, we have no conference.

We also extend our gratitude to those of you attending the conference, even if

you are not presenting your work. It is important that we all support the

excellent work that is taking place in The Midlands by being part of our

regional events.

We hope that despite it being a virtual event there will be opportunities to

network with fellow academics and professionals, and engage in work that is

out of your normal sphere of interest. Please also engage with your BPS Branch

Committees. We are always looking for colleagues to join the Committee and

get involved in the work we are doing.

Finally, can I thank the BPS East and West Midlands Branch Committees for

their hard work this year, the commitment shown by everyone to make this

happen is outstanding.

Enjoy the day.

Welcome – Dr Sue Becker

A message from the outgoing Chair of the BPS East Midlands Branch

Dear Delegates,

It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the third BPS Midlands Conference. This conference builds on the ongoing collaboration between BPS East and West Midlands Branches, and celebrates the diversity of Psychology across the Midlands The conference is as diverse and multidisciplinary as we are as Psychologists and represents the work of Psychologists and practitioners from across the Midlands and I am delighted and also excited to see the range of areas and organisations represented today. We would like to thank those groups and individuals have taken this opportunity to share their work with us whether by delivering a talk or a poster, or indeed a keynote. Without you, we have no conference. We would like to acknowledge and extend our appreciation to those of you attending the conference, even if you are not presenting your work. It is important that we all support the excellent work that is taking place in The Midlands by turning out for these regional events. Please also engage with your BPS Branch Committee not just during this event but throughout the year ahead. We are always looking for colleagues to join the Committee and get involved in the work we are doing to promote Psychology in the Midlands and provide opportunities for our members to forge stronger networks across the region. I would like to thank the members of BPS West Midlands Branch Committee for their hard work this year in leading on the organization of this virtual conference. Special thanks go to our own East Midlands committee member Charlotte Scott who has worked alongside our West Midlands colleagues to bring this event to your screen. Finally, as I step back after what has been an eventful 2 years, I would like to welcome our new East Midlands Chair Sarah Phoenix to take us forward over the next few years. Enjoy the day.

Welcome – Sarah Phoenix

A message from the incoming Chair of the BPS East Midlands Branch

I would like to acknowledge Sue for her role on the East Midlands committee

and I am glad to say she will be staying on as Past Chair. I am particularly keen

on all disciplines of psychology to be involved in the East Midlands Branch, if

you are interested please contact me via LinkedIn or the BPS.

Sarah Phoenix is a qualified occupational psychologist and project manager,

committed to improving the environment.

Keynote 1: Dr Martin Turner

Title: Regulating Emotions like a Roman Emperor: 2000+ years of

‘Smarter Thinking’

Time: 10:10-10:50am

Abstract: In rational emotive behaviour therapy (REBT) it is posited that it is not adverse

events alone that underpin unpleasant and unwanted emotionality, but that the

view we take of the event has a major role to play. This ethic is best captured by

Epictetus, an Ancient Greek Stoic philosopher and teacher who live almost

2000 years ago. Ancient Stoicism was an inspiration for second wave cognitive

behaviour therapies (CBTs), but was particularly important for Albert Ellis in

developing REBT. In this talk, Dr. Turner elaborates on the influence of

Ancient Stoicism on emotion regulation science, including REBT theory and

practice. He also shares the research he has done regarding the study and

application of REBT in performance settings, such as business and sport.

Attention is also paid to the notion of emotion beliefs, which are superordinate

beliefs about emotion, and link to Ancient Stoic ideas. Overall, links between

new and old are made, with an emphasis on retaining and building upon

pragmatic and evidence-based ways of working.

3-Minute-Thesis (3MT)

Time: 10:50am-11:30am

Chair: Dr Philippa Carr The 3MT is a fast and furious competition! The goal is to present a compelling

spoken presentation about a research topic and it’s significance in just 3

minutes. At the end of the session, delegates will be able to vote for the winner!

1. Bridging the brain

Johanna Tomczak,

University of Leeds

2. Finding pearls in the trash - does resilience help us grow from trauma?

Felix Lewandowski

University of Nottingham

3. Exploring the role of holiday clubs in promoting healthy eating among

food insecure children

Natasha Bayes, Dr Carolynne Mason, Dr Emma Haycraft & Dr Clare Holley

Loughborough University

4. Psychosocial Wellbeing, Problematic Social Media Use, and

Cyberbullying Involvement among Mongolian adolescents

Altantsetseg Badrakh

Nottingham Trent University

5. Psychology of Earthnomusicology

Chucks Duerell

Staffordshire University

6. Exploring the lived experiences in support following miscarriage: A

Black Woman’s perspectives.

Michelle Tomlinson & Dr Anatoli Karypidou

Newman University

7. Assessing Age-Related Changes in Perceptual and Cognitive Processes

Hannah Broadbent, Dr Harriet Allen & Dr Andrew Scofield


8. A Mixed Methods Approach to Constructing Britishness and British

values

Tanzeala Waqas, Newman University

Morning parallel presentations session

Time: 11:45am-13:00pm

Break out room 1: Clinical & Counselling Psychology

Chair: Dr Dominique Fray-Aiken

1. Pioneering a Staff Wellbeing Initiative during a Global Pandemic

Fauzia Khan & Samina Allie

Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

2. Facilitating a Hearing Voices Group with a Psychiatrist: Reflections

and Challenges

Fauzia Khan & Samina Allie

Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

3. Parent-reported social-communication changes in children diagnosed

with autism

Phoebe Morris, Dr John Mills, Dr Edward Hope & Dr Tom Foulsham

University of Essex

4. Mental health experiences and coping strategies described by the

healthy adult general public

Bethany Gerrard


Time: 11:45am-13:00pm

Break out room 2: Social Psychology

Chair: Dr Philippa Carr

1. Do critical comments from teammates influence athletes' eating and

exercise psychopathology?

Dr Charlotte Scott, Dr Carolyn Plateau & Dr Emma Haycraft

University of Derby

2. Constructing the Notions of Britishness and British Values through a

Live Radio Phone-in Show.

Tanzeala Waqas & Dr Alexander Coles

Newman University

3. The construction of Britishness in the British Social Attitudes Survey

Tanzeala Waqas, Dr Melanie West & Dr Lorna Dodd,

Newman University

4. The relationship between political and religious social identities and

beliefs about the existence and cause of climate change and pro-

environmental behaviour

Sophie Watson

Herriot-Watt University

Time: 11:45am-13:00pm

Break out room 3: Forensic & Health Psychology

Chair: Dr Laura Scurlock-Evans

1. An investigation into feelings of wellbeing and perceived norms in

predicting student drug use

Josie McGurk


2. LET’S TALK ABOUT SEX: Development and evaluation of a sexual

health education group for individuals

Dr Hannah Carton & Dr Sarah Ashworth

Nottinghamshire NHS

3. Parental discursive constructions of adolescent sexting; victims and

monitoring

Anastasia Rousaki

Nottingham Trent Universtiy

4. An Evaluation of a University Bystander Intervention Programme

Dr Gill Harrop & Dr Holly Taylor-Dunn

University of Worcester

BPS West Midlands & BPS East Midlands

– Joint AGM

Time: 13:00pm-13:30pm

Where: Zoom

The BPS West Midlands and BPS East Midlands branches are always looking

for new members to get involved with their committees. If you are interested in

applying for a committee role, please don’t hesitate to ask current committee

members if you have any questions.

Don’t forget to attend our joint branch AGM at 13:00pm to find out more about

our vacant positions and what each role entails! You can join the AGM via the

Zoom meeting link that was sent to you via email before the conference.

Posters

Time: 13:30pm-14:00pm

Chair: Dr Sue Becker

Posters will be shared with delegates via email ahead of the conference. Please

feel free to view the posters during the breaks and don’t forget to ask any

questions you may have for our presenters during our dedicated poster Q&A

session between 13:30-14:00.

1. The well-being and social development of children on the autism

spectrum post-lockdown.

Olivia Keen


2. The Impact of Anxiety on an Avoidance-based Pavlovian Instrumental

Transfer Task.

Ruoqi Tang


3. The influence of UK nutrition label engagement on healthier food

choices.

Sarah Higgins, Dr Louise Humphreys, Dr Rachel Povey & Dr Heather

Semper


4. The Prejudice of Posh: Differences in stereotype threat and social

identity between Russell Group University students who attended fee-

paying and non-fee-paying schools.

Lottie Fountain-Bird


5. The impact of professional clinical psychological input in the form of

one-to-one staff support sessions on staff wellbeing in a paediatric

intensive care unit (PICU)

Bolanle Balogan

Aston University

6. Well-being experiences of allied healthcare professionals and support

staff working in one large Paediatric Intensive Care in the United

Kingdom

India McFarland-Lesser

Aston University

7. “Dear seizure”: A narrative analysis of the experience of epilepsy

seizures

Nikita Shepherdson, Dr Stephanie Kilinc, Dr Sue Becker & Joanne Cole

Teeside University

8. Elucidating the association between hearing loss and cognition: the

impact of presentation modality

Maria Goodwin, Dr David Maidment & Prof Eef Hogervorst


9. Community sentence with a MHTR; an exploration into offenders’

experience of psychological therapy

Lauren Butler & Dr Sue Ledwith

Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust

10. Physical activity parenting and adolescent mental health

Parita Bharadia, Dr Hannah White, Dr Emma Haycraft & Prof Chris

Harwood


11. Investigating the role of cardiovascular health in peripheral and central

hearing functions

Rosie Daly, Dr Emma O’Donnell, Dr Laura Barrett & Dr Christian Fullgrabe


12. The Assistant Psychologist Development Programme

Sarah Ashworth

Cygent Healthcare

Careers parallel session - Break out room 1

Time: 14:00pm-14:45pm

Chair: Dr Charlotte Scott

Speaker 1: Dr Ashleigh Johnstone

Title: From academia to industry: what I learnt along the way

Bio: Ashleigh Johnstone is a Product Specialist at

Gorilla, the Online Experiment Builder. In

2020 she finished her PhD entitled ‘Cognitive

Changes Associated with Martial Arts Practice’

at Bangor University, where she also took on

various teaching roles to gain FHEA status.

After looking at job options in academia, she

turned to industry to find new ways to use her

skills. Now she hopes to share her experiences

of transitioning from academia to industry, and

help postgrads and ECRs understand the value

of their skillsets.

https://twitter.com/_ajohnstone

https://thepsychologist.bps.org.uk/academia-industry-two-stories

Abstract: There are countless career options outside of academia for psychologists and

behavioural scientists, yet industry still seems to be seen as a ‘back up plan’ for

many. Why is this the case? What can we do to change this opinion? How can a

behavioural scientist use their skillset within industry? In this talk I aim to cover

these topics, as well as sharing my own experiences and top tips for finding an

industry job.

https://twitter.com/_ajohnstone

https://thepsychologist.bps.org.uk/academia-industry-two-stories

Time: 14:20

Speaker 2: Dr Maria Kordowicz

Title: A hybrid academic/consulting career

Bio: Dr Maria Kordowicz BSC(HONS) MSC

MRES PHD PROFCERTHSCMGT PGCE HE

FHEA CMBE AFBPSS MIHM FCMI PPABP

CPSYCHOL FRSA is Head of Learning,

Research and Evaluation at The Social Innovation

Partnership. She is an affiliate academic at King's

College London, Lincoln, London Southbank and

Birmingham Universities, leading and advising on

health services research and evaluation. Maria’s

research interests lie in understanding healthcare

organisations, utilising qualitative ethnographic

methods. Maria sits on a number of research &

evaluation boards nationally and

internationally. Maria was formerly the Programme Lead for the Master's in

Public Health at King's College London and lectures widely in aspects of health

policy, organisation and management. She co-develops the mental health

outcome measure PSYCHLOPS, which has been used by the World Health

Organisation and Médecins Sans Frontières. Maria has had an almost 20-year

career in the health and social care sector, holding several senior leadership

positions and advisory roles in a range of settings. She is Director of the

qualitative evaluation consultancy ResPeo. Maria is a Chartered Psychologist

and a Coaching Psychologist and a Trainee Person-Centred and Experiential

Psychotherapist at the Sherwood Psychotherapy Training Institute. Maria sits on

the East Midlands BPS Committee.

Time: 14:30

Speaker 3: Thomasin Nicholds

Title: From industry to academia

Bio: Thomasin lectures on the Psychology BA

(hons) course and joined Bishop Grosseteste

University in January 2016 as a Visiting Lect

urer whilst working for a national Children’s

Charity as part of the Senior Leadership Team.

Having spent the majority of her career in the

Voluntary and Community Sector, Thomasin

has been responsible for the strategic

development and running of a wide range of

services for children, families and communities.

These include organisational development

programmes for other businesses, community

research, Ofsted regulated Further Education,

health and wellbeing programmes and adventure

play. In this context she has worked at a national level developing and

informing policy, engaging in a wide range of partnerships. Thomasin is an

experienced Charity Trustee has been on the Boards of organisations of varying

sizes and reach. Thomasin has studied Occupational Psychology at postgraduate

level and has a particular interest in Leadership. She has worked closely with

University of Lincoln International Business School’s Community

Organisations Group for over 15 years in an Associate role. Thomasin is the

module leader for undergraduate Psychology modules; Psychology in the Arts

and Community (Level 5) and Psychology in Organisations (Level 6).

Alongside this she is the PI for an externally funded research project, applying

Psychology to organisational equality and inclusion contexts

Careers parallel session - Break out room 2

Time: 14:00pm-14:45pm

Title: Pathways into Psychology – The journey into a career as a

practitioner

Chair: Lawrence Moulin

14:05 At the beginning – Building on from your first degree

Flo Tarpey

14:15 Training as a Forensic Psychologist

Ana DaSilva

14:25 Training as a Clinical Psychologist

Kim Fisher

14:35 Discussion, sharing and learning

Afternoon parallel presentations session

Time: 15:00-16:15

Break out room 1: Health & Wellbeing

Chair: Dr Nelline Ranaweera

1. Praise the good times, PRAiSE the bad times: measuring post-

traumatic growth in longitudinal studies.

Felix Lewandowski, Dr Laura Blackie, Prof Eamonn Ferguson & Prof

Mike Slade


2. Examining the association between post-traumatic growth and

suicidal thoughts.

Meryem Yasdiman, Dr Laura Blackie & Prof Ellen Townsend


3. Exploring the experiences of grandparents spending active leisure

time with their grandchildren.

Kirsty Armstrong-Booth, Dr Mark Faghy, Dr Vicki Staples & Dr Sally

Akehurst

University of Derby

4. Mixed effects of the covid-19 pandemic on self-reported UK student

behaviour and wellbeing.

Dr Caroline Horton, Prof Jon Whitehead, Prof Katie Bailey,, Bethan

Grigg, Ewa Klonowicz, Kadina Lane, Sofia Marelli, Navodya Roemer &

Suzannah Winsor

Bishop Grosseteste University

Time: 15:00-16:15

Break out room 2: Psychology & Education

Chair: Dr Emma Vardy

1. Challenging students’ identities as consumers and supporting their

identities as learners.

Dr Louise Taylor-Bunce

Oxford-Brookes University

2. Do Hope, Self-Efficacy, Engagement and Burnout Differ Between

First Generation and Non-First Generation students.

Donna Smith

University of Cambridge

3. Preliminary results from experiences of disabled and neurodiverse

students in HE during COVID-19.

Jodie Enderby

Coventry University

4. Action Research: Developing an interactive coversheet for student’s

written assessments.

Dr Sarah Rose, Dr Jennifer Taylor & Dr Claire Barlow


Time: 15:00-16:15

Break out room 3: Cognitive & Organisational Psychology

Chair: Dr Maria Kordowicz

1. Investigating how people learn from their environment.

Lea Mandic, Dr Russell Turk, & Mike Vernon


2. No differences in flanker interference control across age groups.

Nunzia Valentina Di Chiaro & Dr Nicholas Holmes


3. Piloting a democratic, research informed approach to Organisational

Change.

Thomasin Nicholds


4. The effect of mindfulness-based interventions on immunity-related

biomarkers: a comprehensive meta-analysis.

Dr Thomas Dunn & Dr Mirena Dimolareva


Keynote 2:

Dr Darel Cookson & Dr Malcolm Schofield

Title: The Psychology behind COVID-19 Conspiracy Theories

Time: 16:15-16:55

Speaker 1 Bio: Darel Cookson

I am a Lecturer in Psychology at Nottingham Trent

University, and I am currently finishing my PhD in

Social Psychology at Staffordshire University. My

key research interests are around the psychology of

conspiracy theories, particularly, why some people

endorse conspiracy theories, what the consequences

of these beliefs are, and how social psychology can

address them.

Abstract: Addressing belief in conspiracy theories and the context of COVID-19.

Conspiracy theories are understood as explanations for important events which

involve secret plots from powerful malevolent groups. Belief in conspiracy

theories is ubiquitous, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, a multitude of

related conspiracy theories concerning the cause and the response to the

pandemic have been circulated. During this talk, I will discuss psychological

research explaining why people are attracted to conspiracy theories, specifically

during this time. Then I will discuss the potential consequences of these beliefs,

for individuals and for society. Finally, I will draw on my own research, which

explores the role of social norms in conspiracy belief and how this can be used

to develop interventions to address these beliefs. Specifically, findings from my

Social Norms Approach intervention to address belief in anti-vaccine

conspiracy theories will be shared, demonstrating a promising, novel, approach

to tackling these dangerous beliefs.

Speaker 2 Bio: Dr Malcolm Schofield

I am a lecturer in psychology at the University of

Derby. I am programme leader for the MRes in

Psychology and the module leader on the Advanced

Quantitative Research Methods. I also teach across a

wide range of modules at undergraduate level,

including various research methods modules, Human

Behaviour and Evolution, and Anomalous and

Parapsychology. My research interests include:

paranormal belief, religious belief, and spirituality.

Also, I am interested in personality, specifically the

dark triad of personality.

https://www.derby.ac.uk/postgraduate/psychology-courses/psychology-mres/

https://www.derby.ac.uk/postgraduate/psychology-courses/psychology-mres/

the virtual midlands conference

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