South West Conferences

This conference offers a unique opportunity to hear two legends in psychology speak about their work and experiences.

Date   Tuesday 24 March, 2009 and Wednesday 25 March, 2009 

Time  11.0 am - 4.30 pm

Cost   £20 per student plus 1 free teacher place for every 10 students

Note - there is a special rate for teachers who brought students to the Science and Pseudoscience conference in November. Tickets for both conferences cost £30.

Venue The Emmanuel Centre, 9-23 Marsham Street, London SW1P 3DW (risk assessment details can be sent to you if required)

To book places   Send the following details by email or post:

♦ Date of conference

♦ Your name, school’s name and full postal address, and contact telephone number.

♦ Number of tickets required (students plus free teacher tickets)

♦ Purchase order no. for invoice (if required). I will provide an invoice to print out for payment.

  

Email to cara.flanagan@btopenworld.com

Or use the conference booking form

Post to Southwest Conferences, East Gilgo, Migdale, Bonar Bridge, Sutherland IV24 3AR

Note that no deposits will be taken.

Payment in full required by February 1^st

If you have any queries please ring Cara Flanagan 01863 766242 / 07710 534418.

PROVISIONAL PROGRAMME FOR THE DAY

11.00  Introduction

11.10  Phil Banyard, Senior lecturer at Nottingham Trent University. former Chief examiner OCR, will talk about ‘Case studies in Psychology and what they tell us about ourselves’.

 

11.45 Cara Flanagan, freelance academic author, senior examiner, will talk about ‘Who made you? Was it your parents or was it you? Is it nature or nurture?’

 

12.15  Chris Costner Sizemore will about her personal experience of, and thoughts about, mental disorder. She will then answer questions from students.

 

1.15 Lunch

 

2.15  Mike Cardwell, Senior lecturer at Bath Spa University, former Chief examiner AQA A, will talk about ‘Social influence research and its implications for social change’.

 

2.45  Professor Elizabeth Loftus, Distinguished Professor at the University of California - Irvine. 

 

New studies show the power of imagination and suggestion to make people believe that they have had experiences that they didn’t have. People have been led to remember non-existent events from the recent past as well as non-existent events from their childhood. They can be led to falsely believe that they have had familiar experiences, but also rather bizarre or implausible ones (e.g. that they witnessed demonic possession as a child). They can be led to believe that they did things that would have been impossible (e.g. that they shook hands with Bugs Bunny during a trip to Disneyland). They can also be led to falsely believe that they had experiences that would have been highly traumatic had they actually happened. False beliefs have consequences for people, affecting later thoughts and behaviours. For example, people who are led to believe that as children they got sick eating particular foods show avoidance of those foods later on.

These false beliefs are important in legal cases.  When witnesses testify, they are often detailed, confident and emotional. Juries are impressed with the testimony. But people can be detailed, confident and emotional, even when the memories are false.

 

There will be a Q & A session at the end of Professor Loftus’ talk

 

This conference aims to educate, entertain and enthuse your students, facilitating their understanding of science and increasing their motivation for studying Psychology!  

Time  10.30 am - 4.30 pm

Cost   £20 per student plus 1 free teacher place for every 10 students.

 

Note - there is a special rate for teachers who bring students to the Loftus and Sizemore conference in March. Tickets for both conferences cost £30. 

Dates and venues

Monday 17 November - Bristol, Colston Hall

Wednesday 19 November - Nottingham Playhouse

 

To book places   Send the following details by email or post:

♦ Date of conference

♦ Your name, school’s name and full postal address, and contact telephone number.

♦ Number of tickets required (students plus free teacher tickets)

♦ Purchase order no. for invoice (if required). I will provide an invoice to print out for payment.

  

Email to cara.flanagan@btopenworld.com

Or use the conference booking form

Post to Southwest Conferences, East Gilgo, Migdale, Bonar Bridge, Sutherland IV24 3AR

Note that no deposits will be taken.

Payment in full required by February 1^st

  

If you have any queries please ring Cara Flanagan 01863 766242 / 07710 534418.

 

PROVISIONAL PROGRAMME FOR THE DAY

10.45 Phil Banyard Senior lecturer at Nottingham Trent University. former Chief examiner OCR

 

Science and Pseudoscience - won’t get fooled again

Every day we are bombarded with information from all sides. But how can we tell the good stuff from the rubbish? Can we boost our brain strength by eating indescribable fish bits? Or is there any evidence at all that 5 portions of fruit and veg a day do us any good? Or against all the odds does Derek Acorah really speak to dead people? The talk will look at these and many other important issues. [Disclaimer: no ectoplasm will be harmed during this talk]

 

11.15 Richard Wiseman … running a live experiment

Psychologist Professor Richard Wiseman started his working life as a professional magician and currently holds Britain’s only Professorship in the Public Understanding of Psychology at the University of Hertfordshire. He frequently appears on the media, and has written over 60 academic articles and several books, including The Luck Factor.

 

During this live mass participation ESP experiment, someone will be sent to a distant location, and everyone else will be asked to try and guess the location.  This fun experiment will illustrate the methods used by parapsychologists to experimentally investigate ESP, and help answer that age old question - does psychic ability really exist?

 

12.00 Cara Flanagan freelance academic author, senior examiner

 

Scientific research in Psychology

Students are often very dismissive of lab experiments but they aren’t all bad. This session will look at some key studies in Psychology and consider the nature of scientific enquiry in our subject.

 

12.30 Richard Wiseman - The Luck Factor

   

Why do some people lead happy successful lives whilst others face repeated failure and sadness? Why are some people always in the right place at the right time, while others are always unlucky? For many years psychologist Professor Richard Wiseman has worked with some of the world’s luckiest and unluckiest people to answer these fascinating questions. Discover the results of his work and find out how ‘The Luck Factor’ can change your life.

 

2.00 Mike Cardwell Senior lecturer at Bath Spa University, former Chief examiner AQA A

 

Evolutionary Psychology and everyday life

Does evolutionary psychology offer a valuable new insight into human behaviour, or are its explanations no better than Kipling’s ‘Just so’ stories? We take a critical look at what Evolutionary Psychology may or may not be able to tell us about the origins of modern day behaviours.

 

2.30 Andrew Newton - Hypnosis

Andrew Newton is one of the most successful and experienced hypnotists in the world. He has over 5,500 public and television appearances under his belt and has hypnotised more than 55,000 people over 28 years. Andrew originally taught Paul McKenna and inspired a host of others. His dynamic approach has earned him the reputation of being one of the world’s foremost experts in hypnosis.

  

Andrew will talk about the history and development of hypnosis and explain in layman’s terms how and why it works! The lecture will end with a demonstration of hypnosis using volunteers from the audience.

Andrew’s lectures are always both fascinating and funny and have proved to be immensely popular with professional and student audiences alike!

 

4.30 Day ends