The Department of Psychology at MIC warmly welcomes you to join us for our Spring Research Seminar Series. Information
about the exciting series of talks we have scheduled is provided below.
Reminiscence and Lifestyle Factors for Ageing and Dementia
Wednesday 28 February at 2pm in Room G10, Foundation Building, MIC
The human lifespan has expanded drastically in the last few centuries, but with this increase in longevity comes higher rates of cognitive pathology such as mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia; the latter is estimated to reach more than 75 million people by 2030. One way of maintaining cognitive function in old age may be to structure the environment to encourage lifelong engagement and learning, with non-pharmacological approaches such as physical activity, social engagement, and cognitive stimulation becoming increasingly essential to preserving and protecting brain health. In this talk, I will describe our recent research into Reminiscence Therapy (RT) to promote cognitive and psychological function in old age and early dementia. I will review the Recall Initiative, which involved brain imaging and behavioural indices of memory pre- and post-RT, and will report results from a pilot study - AIM WARM - in which RT was combined with physical activity, specifically walking, for early-stage dementia. Finally, I will outline our current project exploring tailored reminiscence interventions in combination with other activities (e.g., yoga and meditation) for different groups, namely early Alzheimer’s disease, Semantic Dementia/Primary Progressive Aphasia, and older individuals in the prison system.
Presented by Professor Richard Roche
Biography - Professor Richard Roche
Prof. Richard Roche is Professor and Deputy Head of Department at the Department of Psychology, Maynooth University, where he has been employed since 2005, following undergraduate, postgraduate and postdoctoral study at Trinity College, Dublin. His areas of interest are cognitive neuroscience/neuropsychology, particularly memory, ageing, dementia, stroke, brain injury and synaesthesia. He has published 39 research articles, over 100 conference posters, several book chapters and three academic books. He has to date accrued over €1.4 million in research funding, and has graduated 9 PhD students and 3 MSc students. He has served as President of Neuroscience Ireland and was Founding President of the Irish Brain Council. His most recent research has focused on lifestyle-based interventions for cognitive decline in ageing and dementia, and has focused primarily on reminiscence-based approaches. He is a strong supporter of PPI, and all of these projects had a significant PPI component. He is also strongly committed to science outreach and public engagement, and has served on the FENS Communications Committee since 2020, of which he became Chair in 2022.
The Psychology of Swearing
Wednesday 20 March at 2pm in Room G10, Foundation Building, MIC
Why do we find swearing offensive? Who swears the most? What does the language we use tell us about our social attitudes? This talk will discuss the science of swearing with a focus on psychological and sociolinguistic research. Please be aware that this event will contain the frequent use of extremely offensive language.
Presented by: Dr Emily Nordmann
Biography - Dr Emily Nordmann
Dr Emily Nordmann is a teaching-focused Senior Lecturer and the Deputy Director of Education for the School of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of Glasgow. Her primary research focuses on lecture recordings, how they can be used as an effective study tool by students and the impact on students from widening participation backgrounds as well as those with disabilities and neurodivergent conditions. However, Emily's PhD originally focused on language production and so a secondary research strand continues to investigate our most colourful uses of language, in particular, idioms and swearing.
Building Mathematical Minds
Thursday 4 April - Keynote address for PsychFest 2024
Mathematical skills are undeniably important for children’s success. In this talk I will explore the amazingly complex processes that children engage with to process mathematical information. I will discuss our research on the impact of the home environment on early learning and how different children may struggle learning mathematics for many different reasons.
Presented by Professor Victoria Simms
Biography - Prof. Victoria Simms
Victoria Simms is a Professor of developmental psychology at Ulster University with a specific interest in the development of thinking skills in children, both with and without disabilities. Victoria's work also focuses on the long-term consequences of preterm birth, specifically cognitive and educational outcomes.
Victoria completed her PhD in Cognitive Psychology at QUB in 2008. Victoria then worked as a Post-doctoral Research Fellow at a number of institutions (Heriot Watt University, Queen's University Belfast and the University of Leicester) before joining Ulster University in 2013. Victoria was appointed as Research Director for the School of Psychology in 2017 and was promoted to Reader in Psychology in 2018 and then Professor in 2020.
Victoria’s research has been funded by Action Medical Research, Nuffield Foundation, British Academy and the Global Challenges Research Fund. Victoria is a founding member of the Centre of Early Mathematical Learning, a £9 million research centre funded by the UK Research and Innovation Fund. Victoria is Associate Editor for both the British Journal of Developmental Psychology and the British Journal of Educational Psychology. Victoria’s work has been recognised by awards from the British Psychological Society, The European Society of Paediatric Research and the British Association of Perinatal Medicine. Victoria is passionate about science communication and encouraging girls and women into careers associated with science, and is very excited to be in the incoming Chair of the Board of Northern Ireland Science Festival- one of the largest science festivals in Europe.
