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From criminal activities to charitable giving, understanding the behaviours of our fellow humans gives us incredible insights into what motivates these behaviours and how we can encourage positive behaviours. This event looks at how scientists gain insights into behaviours, how this can be useful and how external stimuli influence our thinking and behaviour.
Catching Fire
Faye Horsley
(Registered Forensic Psychologist, and Lecturer in Forensic Psychology, Newcastle University)
Within the field of forensic psychology, our understanding of arson, when compared to other crimes is limited. This is despite the fact that arsonists are an extremely complex offender sub-group. I will outline the existing research, and suggest that a change in direction is required. I will present findings from a study with legitimate fire users, and explain why these findings could be of use in improving our understanding of arson.
Islam in the media - 60 seconds of bias
Dr Trevor James
(Teaching Fellow)
Media coverage of terrorist incidents could cause us to view all Muslims negatively. But, can the media affect our opinions without us even realising it? In this talk, I present data from two studies that suggest reading an article about a Muslim terrorist - for just 60 seconds - is enough to make us biased against other Muslims. This can happen even when we’re not consciously aware of it. We rely on the media to keep us informed about world events but does it live up to its responsibilities? Is it doing more harm than good?
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