PhD Research Project

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Social Cues

Institution:

Bangor University

Dept/School/Faculty:

School of Psychology

PhD Supervisor:

Dr E Heerey

Application Deadline:

No more applications being accepted

Funding Availability:

Funded PhD Project (European/UK Students Only)

PhD Research Project

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This project examines how people interpret, use and make decisions based on the social cues they see. It also examines the neural underpinnings of these processes.

People use four main sources of social information when they make decisions in social environments. These are what a social partner looks like, that person’s behaviour in the present social interaction, what they know or remember about the person’s past behaviour, and the likely outcome of the present situation, given how others have typically responded to it in the past. The overarching aim of this project is to understand how people combine information from each of these sources and the degree to which they rely on each type of information, as new information becomes available. In addition, this project will examine how these cues contribute to social decision-making based on their intrinsic values and how this changes in situations in which they provide ambiguous, and or contradictory information. A series of behavioural studies will be used to examine these ideas. The student will build expertise in the design, programming (Matlab and/or e-prime) and analysis of behavioural experiments.

In addition to behavioural work, this project will examine the neural mechanisms that underpin people’s reactions to different social cues depending on the value of those cues and the reliability of the information they provide. This work will include training in ERP and/or fMRI methodologies. A second supervisor with expertise in one of these areas will be chosen based on the student’s interest.

Together this project will contribute to the existing literature and begin to answer some important questions about how people use social cue information and how this information drives behaviour. By examining how different types of social information contribute to decision-making, and how social reward value influences this process we will be better able to understand how the brain processes and utilizes social information to make decisions in live social interactions.

Details on eligibility criteria and how to apply can be found at:
http://www.bangor.ac.uk/scholarships/esrcdtc12.php.en

Funding Notes:

Full awards open to UK nationals/EU students who can satisfy UK residency requirements. There is a stipend of approximately £13,590 pa and a fee contribution of approximately £3,807 plus eligibility to apply for a research allowance. Figures are subject to award levels 2012/13.

Applicants will be accepted for both 1+3 and +3 awards. For 1+3 a predicted first or upper second-class honours degree or equivalent is required. For a +3 award applicants must have achieved a level of research training which would allow them to proceed to PhD - usually via the attainment of a Masters degree.