Psychology: insight4me Psychology – Social Influence With Dr Gustav Kuhn From Goldsmiths, University of London & Dr Alvaro Rodriguez From University of East Anglia

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• University of East Anglia: Dr Alvaro Rodriguez, Lecturer in Psychology in the School of Psychology, will present Social Norms & Conformity. The short talk goes over a series of related concepts. We begin by explaining what social norms are, and then tackle the two different types of social norms, two forms of social influence based on them, and two types of conformity which can result from social influence. We then move on to consider how social norms can be used to guide human behaviour by drawing from research on health and pro-environmental behaviour. There will be opportunities for the audience to participate in the session if they have any questions or would like to share their thoughts.

• Goldsmiths, University of London: Dr Gustav Kuhn, Reader in Psychology in the Department of Psychology, explores How Magicians Exploit Our Need For Social Connections. Magic is an artform that allows us to experience the impossible. Magicians create their magical illusions by exploiting psychological blind spots, and in the MAGIC lab we study these deceptive tricks to learn more about the human mind. Magicians often use misdirection to manipulate what their audiences see, and the things that they miss. In this talk I will highlight how magicians exploit social influences, in particular the way they use verbal and non-verbal social cues to misdirect people’s attention, and the astonishing impact that this misdirection has on our ability to perceive the world around us. 

insight4me is a series of subject specific webinars for Year 12 & 13 students, and equivalent. The sessions directly support students’ current studies by giving an insight into particular curriculum areas whilst affording an understanding of how these subjects continue beyond A-levels, T-levels, IB, BTEC and equivalent qualifications, and how they vary between universities.

In this insight4me Psychology online event for schools and colleges, Goldsmiths, University of London and University of East Anglia will each have roughly 30 minutes to deliver a punchy, topic based ‘micro’ talk. Within an overall session theme of Social Influence, the universities have the freedom to choose their own focus and use the time to convey the key points of the case studies for the students.

Our events are designed so that a group of students can take part from a classroom or students and teachers can take part as individuals, either from school or from home. This means that sessions will continue irrespective of possible school closures.

As a live, participative event, this session will not be recorded but slides and other resources will be shared after the event, where available.

Suitable for: Year 12 & 13 students (and equivalent) studying, or with a possible interest in studying, Psychology and related disciplines. Student groups, and individual students and teachers are very welcome to join us.

Preparation/Pre-Reading: Students may wish to consider the 2 topics and discuss some of the key elements in advance. Students can also think about questions they have about studying Psychology at university level.

The IT Setup: The event will be run on Bluejeans (similar to Zoom) and participants will be able to join using laptops, tablets, and mobile devices. If you are joining as a school group, we recommend connecting with one device and projecting on to a whiteboard. You will be able to interact with the university via a microphone and/or typed comments and questions. Full details will be sent to those who have registered (see below) prior to the event.

Booking a Place: This is free for schools and colleges. If you would like to take part in this event, please register your interest using the link to the registration form below:

Register here