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Facilities: The Psychology Lab

Written by Stephanie, BSc (Hons) Psychology and Criminology |

Facilities: The Psychology Lab

The Psychology Lab is a learning facility at BNU where students and researchers have access to apply theory to research, analyse complex data and unravel the mysteries of the brain. Here, one can learn about human behaviour. The equipment available can do the following: track eye movements, measure physiological responses, and explore the use of Virtual Reality.

Eye tracking

A non-invasive window into the brain's operations is provided by eye tracking. It enables researchers to investigate how humans interpret information both in the laboratory and in daily life.

A lady looking at a computer screen which has 9 male faces on

This can be applied to areas such as:

  • Education
  • Sport and performance
  • Music psychology
  • Investigative and forensic psychology
  • Health

Virtual reality (VR)

The availability of virtual reality equipment allows users to incorporate VR into teaching and research. Virtual reality can be used to investigate a wide range of topics, from performance anxiety to exceptional human experiences.

Person wearing a virtual reality headset

Psychophysiology

Using BioPac student lab, allows users to track a variety of physiological reactions, such as:

  • EEG – brain activity
  • ECG – cardiovascular activity
  • EMG – skeletal muscle activity
  • EOG – eye-movements
  • EDA - conductivity of the skin

 

As a student, this is beneficial to my course, Psychology and Criminology, as I would be conducting a scientific study which is a fundamental part of Psychology. It’s a given space to manipulate variables and observe the data. This facility makes my course stand out in comparison to other courses, as it initiates early preparations for research reports or tests that may need to be completed.

The hand of a student looking at the finger prints left by various people on a piece of paper

 

At BNU, students and researchers also have access to specialist software packages for the analysis of data gained through the lab, such as SPSS. SPSS calculates data such as the mean, median and mode from a scientific study, increasing its reliability.