Prof Chris Armitage
No more applications being accepted
Competition Funded PhD Project (European/UK Students Only)
About the Project
University of Manchester Supervisor: Prof Chris Armitage. A*STAR Supervisor: Samuel Gan (BII).
Chronic stress is a worldwide phenomenon that seriously affects physical and mental health. According to Coulon et al.’s (2016) systematic review, just 10/902 stress management apps were not-for-profit, included evidence-based content and did not have usability/functionality problems. Whether or not these evidence-based apps are effective in managing stress is not yet known. The present project will: (a) use systematic reviewing to evaluate the effectiveness of current smartphone apps, and (b) use the best of “what works” as well as new approaches to stress management (e.g., O’Connor et al., 2015) to develop and test a new app to help people to manage stress.
Funding Notes
This project is available to UK/EU candidates. Funding covers fees (UK/EU rate) and stipend for four years. Overseas candidates can apply providing they can pay the difference in fees and are from an eligible country. Candidates will be required to split their time between Manchester and Singapore, as outlined on www.manchester.ac.uk/singaporeastar.
Applications should be submitted online and candidates should make direct contact with the Manchester supervisor to discuss their application directly. Applicants must have obtained, or be about to obtain, at least an upper second class honours degree (or equivalent) in a relevant subject.
References
1. Armitage, C. J. (2008). A volitional help sheet to encourage smoking cessation: A randomized exploratory trial. Health Psychology, 27, 557-566. doi: 10.1037/0278-6133.27.5.557
2. O’Connor, D. B., Armitage, C. J., & Ferguson, E. (2015). Randomized test of an implementation intention-based tool to reduce stress-induced eating. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 49, 331-343. doi: 10.1007/s12160-014-9668-x
3. Gan SKE, Lim MJ, Haw YX. (2015)
The Relaxation Effects of Stimulative and Sedative Music on Mathematics Anxiety: A Perception to Physiology Model.
Psychology of Music. doi:10.1177/0305735615590430.
4. Gan SKE., Goh BYL. (2016)
Editorial: A dearth of apps for psychology: the mind, the phone, and the battery.
Scientific Phone Apps and Mobile Devices.Vol 2(1). doi: 10.1186s41070-016-0005-6. Corresponding author.
5. Nguyen PV*, Lim JPH*, Budianto IH, Gan SKE (2015).
PsychVey: Research Survey App.
Scientific Phone Apps and Mobile Devices, Vol 1(3), doi:10.1186/s41070-015-0002-1