The Forensic Ideas Series #1

#1 A lesson from Forensic Science I am fascinated by the ways in which people can have an impact on others where it is not obvious how that is achieved; the art of persuasion, The Forer Effect, Cold Reading, some of the well-known illusions performed by Derren Brown, the use of ‘nudge’ to change behaviour, …

Labelling and Forensic Psychology – A rose by any other name

Labelling is an important issue in forensic psychology. The passage from Romeo and Juliette:   “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet; So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call’d, Retain that dear perfection which he owes Without that title.”   is often used …

Valentine’s day and sexual assault- the Forensic Psychologist as an expert commentator

This post was authored by staff at the Centre for Forensic and Family Psychology, University of Nottingham. An experienced psychologist discusses his thoughts of being asked to provide an expert opinion on the relationship between Valentine’s day and sexual assault. Valentine’s day and sexual assault As your career develops as a Forensic Psychologist you may …

Dr Vincent Egan discusses the International Congress on Applied Psychology conference

Dr Vincent Egan, Clinical and Forensic Psychologist at the Centre for Forensic and Family Psychology (University of Nottingham), was invited to speak at the International Congress on Applied Psychology (ICAP) conference in a symposium on sadism. The ICAP conference The ICAP conference was held in Montreal over five very hot days in late June, 2018; one …

Psychometric tools – links to free online resources

Psychometric tests can be hard to find, we have collated some helpful links to free online resources that our staff and students have found helpful. Psychometric tools Psychometric tools include the questionnaires we use for psychological assessments. In both research and practice, psychometrics allow us to objectively measure things like personality traits, behaviours, emotional experiences …

Therapeutic community visit at HMP Grendon for DForenPsy student Robyn Price

Therapeutic communities Robyn (DForenPsy student) discusses visiting a therapeutic community at HMP Grendon. Recently, I attended an optional open day at HMP Grendon therapeutic community in Buckinghamshire.  This was not a requirement of the Doctorate in Forensic Psychology, but one of many learning opportunities that the University of Nottingham encourage students to attend.  Admittedly, I …

Publishing research – tips for publishing your first article in Psychology

Publishing research Publishing your first paper in psychology is naturally daunting but hugely rewarding. Publishing research allows you to share your work with the world. You can have a real impact on theory and practice. It will also help your career and employment prospects. I am still early in my research career, but I have …

Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) and offending behaviour

Sharing postgraduate research with professionals from the national autistic society Omer Linenberg (DForenPsy trainee) discusses sharing her research into Pathological Demand Avoidance and offending with professionals from the National Autistic society at Robert Ogden School. The day was sunny as I walked up the lane to the Robert Ogden School in Rotherham. It’s a very …

Conference presentation with the BPS for Elspeth Dustagheer (DForenPsy trainee)

Elspeth Dustagheer discusses her experiences of presenting her research on public perceptions of revenge pornography at the BPS annual conference As part of the Forensic Psychology Doctorate at The University of Nottingham (DForenPsy), Forensic Psychologists in Training are required to present their research at a national conference. Having previously produced an interactive poster of my …

Male suicide and barriers to seeking help – thoughts from a Forensic Psychologist

Suicide is the leading cause of death for males under age 50 in the UK. Understanding and reducing this risk is a core concern for forensic psychology. I recently heard on the news that as many as 84 men take their own lives every week in the UK. This perhaps should not have been surprising …