Social Identity and the Experience of Noise: How groups shape the collective perception of identity-related noise.

Over the past decade, the Applied Social Identity Approach has shown that group processes affect individuals’ perceptions and experiences of their environment. One neglected topic in this area is that of noise perception. Chronic exposure to loud noise has been found to negatively impact on individuals’ wellbeing and social factors have been strongly implicated in its effects. However, the effects of group processes on noise-related stress remain largely unexamined. The present PhD proposal aims to map out these effects. Firstly, a series of laboratory experiments will examine the effects of ingroup upon the reactions of group members to different types of noise as well as assessing the impact of noise produced within or outside the group. Secondly, a survey will examine how noise is experienced by residents living in high-density, low-socioeconomic urban areas to determine how community identification, group dynamics and intergroup relations serve to shape community members’ experience, response and resilience to urban noise. The results will constitute a unique and substantial contribution to the developing international field of ‘intergroup perception’ as well as having the potential to inform current government policy in the area of environmental noise pollution and health.
The successful candidate will join the thriving Department of Psychology at Nottingham Trent University (NTU) one of the largest in the UK. Research within the Department is flourishing, with Psychology at NTU being one of the top risers in the 2014 Research Excellence Framework. All of our applied research was rated as either world leading (73%) or internationally excellent (27%), together with a substantial proportion of our research outputs (60%). We house over 60 PGR students and offer extensive training. All PhD students are invited to attend their respective Research Group meetings so that they are part of the research culture within the Department.

Specific qualifications/subject areas required of the applicants for this project:

Entrants must have an undergraduate Honours degree, with an Upper Second Class or a First Class grade, in Psychology. Entrants with a Lower Second Class grade at first degree must also have a postgraduate Masters Degree at Merit.

This studentship competition is open to applicants who wish to study for a PhD on a full-time basis only. The studentship will pay UK/EU fees (currently set at £4,195 for 2017/18 and are revised annually) and provide a maintenance stipend linked to the RCUK rate (this is revised annually and is currently set at £14,553 for the academic year 2017/18) for up to three years. Applications from non-EU students are welcome, but a successful non-EU candidate would be responsible for paying the difference between non-EU and UK/EU fees. (Fees for 2017/18 are £12,900 for non-EU students and £4,195 for UK/EU students). The studentships will be expected to commence in October 2018.