School of Psychology Student Newsletter. Presenters at the British Psychological Society Student Conference held at Bangor University April 4, 2008.

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1 School of Psychology Student Newsletter Executive Body Inside this issue: 2 3 Presenters at the British Psychological Society Student Conference held at April 4, After months of expectation, the annual student British Psychological Society (BPS) Conference organized by BPS Wales, has come and gone. Held at Wheldon, the conference was a success in its entirety. There were 23 presenters representing Universities from across Wales. They were Swansea, Cardiff, University of Wales Institute, Cardiff (UWIC), Glamorgan and Bangor who was not to be outdone. The topics were wide ranging and can be classified under the varied disciplines of psychology; from educational, health, applied, neuropsychology and the list continues. Some of these works presented were individual as well as collaborated studies. Natalie Davies of Glamorgan University made an interesting presentation on Me, Myself and Ana where she spoke about anorexia being a part of one s master identity. Catching up with Natalie, she explained that although anorexia was identified as a trait of the personality (a word I supplied as to my understanding of the presentation) it is also a disorder. Anorexia is incorporated in the anorexic s identity who, in turn, has a personified view of anorexia, thus the title Me, Myself and Ana the fond name for anorexia. Her presentation also looked at the closing down of Pro-Ana websites. Cont d on page 3

2 Psychillusion Volume 1 No. 2 Page 2 The Editor writes! Congratulations! BANGOR ON TOP AGAIN!! Congrats Bangor University! From L-R: Rosannagh Rogers (Cardiff University); Lisa Kelly, Alice Robin & Rhiannon Norfolk (all of ) Hard-workers end up in the psych department! At the just concluded British Psychological Society (BPS) Conference held at Bangor University, the University came out on top again. The highlight of the conference saw Guillaume Thierry presenting three of four monetary prizes to Bangor top student presenters while the other went to a student of Cardiff University. These were bursaries of 25 book tokens donated by the BPS Wales. Rhiannon Norfolk gave significant information on The effects of a patient information leaflet on patient satisfaction, Alice Robins did a very smooth presentation on Effects of Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) on Cognitive Functioning, Lisa Kelly made a remarkable presentation in Welsh titled Effaith amlder y mewnbwn ar ddatblygiad geirfa plant yn Gymraeg. (The Effects of Frequency of Input on the Development of Children s Welsh Language); and not to be outdone Rosannagh Rogers of Cardiff University held her own on a brilliant presentation of Something old and something new: an objective approach to scoring Theory of Mind ability in adults with Asperger s syndrome. It was a lovely day, which was topped off with a presentation from Guillaume Thierry who in all seriousness made his presentation on a current study to a laughing audience. Seriously, apart from being informed there were life-long lessons to be learnt from his presentation. The take home message showed special relevance to aspiring researchers and researchers alike. Thank you Guillaume! Your Editor. Rydyn i'n rhif un! (We are #1!) #1 Patient: Doctor, my wife thinks I'm crazy because I like sausages. Psychiatrist: Nonsense! I like sausages too. Patient: Good, you should come and see my collection. I've got hundreds of them. I don t suffer From insanity, I enjoy every moment of it!

3 A Psychology Affair!(continued) From the study, the awareness is that studies like hers on this subject have benefited from these websites. These websites provide researchers with intimate information into an anorexic s life. These websites also give anorexics the opportunity to be honest with themselves and this somehow aids therapy. Sioned Evans of Cardiff University presented on Understandings of Well-being across contrasting languages. She highlighted a study of the response to a well-being questionnaire presented to Italians, Welsh and English participants. It was the conclusion that the Welsh and English participants responded equally and in like manner whilst the Italians responded differently. The difference was viewed as cultural, though there may be other influential factors involved. Wellbeing and the notion of well-being fall in the ambit of Positive Psychology. She pointed out that the Personal and Social Education subject is included in the national curriculum. This teaches what well-being is and encourages aspirations to well-being. Carissa Kuswanto of Bangor made an informative presentation on Why voice hearers with auditory hallucinations do not develop schizophrenia? She reflected that differences in brain abnormalities and subjective experiences among other reasons may account for this. One of the questions put forward was why these voices cannot be controlled? One would have thought that a simple answer is that these voices are possibly considered to be external. It was interesting to note that voices are reported to be both internal and external. From all accounts there seem to be progress being made in this area. Other presenters were: Tarique Rayani Rachel Clayton Rhiannon Norfolk Rosannagh Rogers Tsungai Makarawo Rosemarie Gallo Betsy Allbones Laura Budd Krzystof Wojewodzic Charlotte Mann Johannes Moeller Rhiannon Worrall Mark Collett Rebecca Clarke Sara Krige Harsheen Kaur Jodie Butler Lisa Kelly Cardiff University Glamorgan University UWIC University Swansea University POPPS Idol 2008! Well folks, the 2008 Popps Competition took place on Tuesday 15 th April in Varsity, and what a night it was, too. It was a good turnout, with not only the Mentors, Judges, Time Keeper, Um Counter, Impromptu Speech Leader and Speakers attending the event, but a good amount of spectators, all ready to enjoy a night of speeches and fun. And the fun began before the event did, with people such as Fraser Bailey getting slowly drunk on his wine and Hazel Frost and Tracey Lloyd hanging black drinking straws from their hair so they looked like microphone headsets ahh, if only we were all as inventive as these two ladies, what fun we would have! The chatter and laughter echoed through the building as everyone sat excitedly for the event to begin, and first up were the event announcers, Laura Jayne Budd (A 3 rd year psychology student) and Hayley Jones (2 nd year psychology student) and Popps Mentors, and straight away, it was clear why these two ladies were chosen for this role; their ability to make themselves heard over the crowd was, well almost effortless. Now, there was a theme for all the participants: Aliens in Bangor (perish the thought) and How do you eat yours? Both topics stirred up some very inventive speeches. Participants and their speeches: Alex Dawson Aliens in Bangor. Rachael Green How do you eat yours? John Crossley Aliens in Bangor. Ali Lalloo How do you eat yours? Trené Rama Aliens in Bangor. Gwilym Cuthbert How do you eat yours? Dan Mitchell Aliens in Bangor. At the end of the night, there could only be 3 winners. John Crossley won first prize (A Digital Camera and Photo Printer) for his speech and rather unique use of his hairbrush as a microphone. Trené Rama won second prize (An MP3 Player) and Gwilym Cuthbert, who won third prize of a Dalek Head Mask which included a Dalek Voice changer a prize I personally thought was by far the best prize, as it generated limitless fun, along with 6 Cadbury s Crème Eggs. Continued on page 5

4 RATS! Know your subjects! What did one lab rat say to the other? I've got my scientist so well trained that every time I push the buzzer, he brings me a snack. As psychology students we carry out experiments. In the beginning they are simple, student centered experiments. We all carry out trivial tests to look at memory or even word recognition. Thankfully, we have eventually reached a more advanced stage, involving complex designs and even get to use more sophisticated subject matter like rats. Our lectures will teach us the various methods and formulae needed for assessing our data, but who s going to teach us about the rats? How are we expected to interact and manipulate something we know very little about? In awed expectancy of my great day of maturity, where I, will be the superior intelligence manipulating the behaviour of a small furry rat. I feel I should be prepared and should help you be prepared, by learning some fascinating facts about these curious creatures 1) The Latin name for rats is Genus Ratus from the family Muridae in the order Rodentia. 2) There are 550 species of rats. 3) Rats are the most successful survivors of any mammal on earth helped by the ability that just one breeding pair can produce 2000 little furry babies a year. 4) Rats will consume absolutely anything they can find, from soap to dead bodies. If it can go in their mouth, it will. 5) Rats can run 100m in under 10 sec onds AND can jump six feet. If only they had their own Olympics! 6) Rats teeth grow continuously, so they must constantly gnaw to prevent them overgrowing 7) Rats are good in water and can easily swim up into a toilet. So from now on watch your arse! 8) Rats spend hours cleaning themselves, despite making their homes in filthy places such as sewers or student accommodation. 9) Rats taste like hedgehog. I felt I should add this fact for scholars whose loans have not come through 10) The biggest rat ever found was 20 inches in length. More than enough food for one starving student, although I may still opt for 8p noodles 11) Rats once took out all the lights in Heathrow after chewing through a cable 12) During World War II, The Japanese Army planned to dump rats with bubonic plague on Australian beaches. 13) One 18 year old attempted to hold up an Edinburgh off-license with a rat he pulled out of his pocket. 14) Rats have been to space. 15) Rats will regularly travel up to 2 miles in search of food. Finally, there has been much controversy over the widely whispered story that a cornered rat will go for your throat. Some have said it is merely a ridiculous tale. However, I remain cautious and wary around these suspicious, multi - talented, ridiculously athletic creatures. When my time comes to lord over these rodents and carry out my own ludicrous experiments, it will be done in a polo neck and a scarf in fear of their hidden vicious nature. On a Pensive Note It has been a very long journey of 3 and in some cases 4 years or more. For others, it has been as short as a year. Those years have shaped us to be what we are now wellfashioned products ready to meet the world head on. Though excited we are to leave and in accord sing R. Kelly s Storm is over now and James Blunt s refrain of Goodbye we will awake a few weeks from now and miss walking the halls of the Wheldon. I ask of you, not to look at your leaving as the end of a journey but as the beginning of another leg. Life is like a relay race my colleagues; you run a leg at a time. For me as your Editor-in-Chief, I say: hwyl, sayonara, au revoir, adios, adieu, salaam, shalom, zai jian, ciao, auf wierdersehen, usale kahle, giga waabamin, ming longz oe, bai bai, Namaste, Bless! Whatever language I use to represent the diversity of culture hosted at Bangor University I say so long. Let us in our journey, leave footprints and if we cannot leave ours, Let us not muddy those of others! Welcome to the new slate of psycillusion! Contributor V. McKenzie

5 An Interview with the Heels behind the Wheels! pschi Phil Borrell The BPS (British Psychological Society) held its Annual Student Conference at this year on April 4 th, and I asked the BPS Wales representative, Helen Taylor a few questions relating to what she thought of the event this year. PsycI: Can you tell me why the BPS chose to hold the conference in Bangor? Helen: The Welsh Branch of The British Psychological Society holds an Annual Student Conference and the venue for the event alternates between the 5 Universities in Wales that run psychology degrees. Helen replied. She added, So hopefully it will be held at Bangor again sometime in the next few years. PsycI: What are your thoughts generally of the presentations during this year s conference? Helen: I thought the presentations were excellent. All of the students appeared to have put a lot of effort into their talk. 4 prizes were given to the 'best' talks of the event, but really, all were excellent and well done. The prizes were vouchers for Blackwells. PsycI: What do you think of s Psychology Department? Helen: I was really impressed with the Department, especially the support and academic members of staff who ensured that the event went well on the day. PsycI: Did any one presentation on the day stand out from the rest, and why? Helen: I was unable to watch all of the talks as there were parallel sessions, but from what the members of academic staff said, all talks were of a really high standard. PsycI: Finally, do you have any other comments to add? Helen: Please check the BPS Welsh Branch website at for information about future Student Conferences and also for information relating to the BPS in Wales. I would be happy to receive queries regarding the conference or any other aspect relating to the welsh branch of the BPS. I may be reached at the following: Helen Taylor : Telephone or wales@bps.org.uk Helen would also like to point out to all the participants who took part in the conference, that their abstracts have been published online at proceedings/proceedings_home.cfm, and that all the participants of the conference can now say they have been published. POPPS Idol 2008! Continued At the end of the event, all three were told by Tracey Lloyd that they would be welcomed as Popps Mentors next year if they so desire! Yet, that was not the end of the fun and speeches: next up were the Popps Mentors who had to show how good they really were by doing impromptu speeches. The Popps Mentors job, is to mentor the first year psychology students who arrive yearly to the Wheldon Building. Clueless on how to orally present to a large tough and slowly inebriating audience of first years, is a true challenge to any Popps Mentor. The Mentors took this in their strides, showing what true public speakers they really were, handling challenging subjects, with frightening ease! Mentors and their impromptu speeches: Laura Jayne Budd Why do teaspoons go missing? Scott Robson Danger Ranger. Hayley Jones Stripper Name. Raych Clayton Favourite Disney Character. Claire Reed Is Discharge a good topic for the dinner table? Sian Green What happens to all the missing socks? Fraser Bailey Toilet seat up or down? Lisa Mary Elen Kelly Tracey Lloyd and Hazel Frost. Tracey Lloyd Qadi! A subject secretly chosen to get under Tracey s finger nails! Ohhh! the harshness of some people inflicting misery on others! Poor Tracey! The Mentor of the year went to a well-deserved Hayley Jones, as voted for by her Popps students. The Judges were: Dr Guillaume Thierry. Sheila McCabe. Hazel Frost. Time Keeper: Lisa Mary Elen Kelly. Impromptu Speech Leader: Lucy Neville Davies. Um Counter: Sara Krige.

6 Page 6 Contributor Nat Ebanks This year the Student Operatic Drama Association (SODA) performed their version of, the Tony Award-winning, Thoroughly Modern Millie. The musical, based on the book written by Richard Morris and Dick Scanlan, was first performed in 1967 when Julie Andrews starred as the heroine Millie Dillmount in the film version of the book, directed by George Roy Hill. However, its greatest success came when it was adapted for theatre in the early 2000 s, winning six Tony Awards in 2002 including one for Best Musical. Therefore, this years SODA production had abundant expectations. The musical follows the story of Millie Dillmount, a young woman who has moved from a small town in Kansas to New York City, in the 1920 s, with the aim to marry for money instead of love something that was a modern aim for many girls in that era. The story has many twists and an underlying dark current; with the main theme of the story being the pursuit of love. The music throughout successfully portrays the era, with music associated with the flapper culture dominating big band and big voices. To Prospective Students From a Graduate Probably, you are all feeling a bit anxious, especially if you are an international student. The following tips will help: It is important to familiarize yourselves with all literature sent in your application package. It helped me, especially if you think there is a chance you might arrive late. Don t be afraid to ask questions. Office staffs and others are very helpful. Come to Bangor with an open mind you will be more receptive to learning International students there is a strong international student community for your support. Don t think you are the only one from your country. There was someone before you and others will come after you. Make your mark! Prospective students you are coming to fill the shoes we have stepped out of make Bangor your home away from home Get involved you are now a part of a family Finally students use the opportunity to build networks! The production by SODA did not disappoint! The cast were unbelievable - Ellen Gallagher was brilliant as the leading lady (Mille) - her vocals were unbelievably good; MSc Psychology student Danni Shore was fantastic as the supporting actress (Miss Dorothy) she successfully portrayed a very timid and unassuming girl form California; Rob Watts also a MSc Psychology student was hilarious as Miss Flannery; 1 st year Psychology student Jake Basford did exceptionally well as Chinese character Ching Ho who speaks Chinese throughout with few English lines; others from the Psychology department in the production were: Betsy Allbones (Gloria), Steve Ricou (Kenneth/Dexter/Policeman), Alice Roblin (Dorothy Parker), Victoria Sanvitale (Lucille), and Ayoni Comrie-Sinclair (Cora) who all played their roles with outstanding talent. There was a fantastic display of talent on show in all domains singing, dancing and acting, and the performance demonstrated how much determination and dedication the SODA members possess. Although the production was low budget as you would expect from a student association with little finance the show had a quaint atmosphere that allowed the audience to interact with the cast and the basic sets used on stage allowed the audience the opportunity to use their imagination to paint a more vivid picture of the scene being created. What amazed me was the success of the whole cast in speaking/singing with American accents throughout not a feat easily achieved. With audiences of over 100 at each performance, this years SODA production was a roaring success and deservedly so! The only problem now is, how do they top this next year? For more information about SODA and details of rehearsals and how to join please visit or soda@undeb.bangor.ac.uk All the best! The Brain of Brigantia

7 Volume 1 Issue 2 Cynhadledd Werth Chweil Wedi misoedd o ddisgwyl dyfal, mae cynhadledd flynyddol y British Psychological Society (BPS), a drefnwyd gan BPS Cymru, wedi bod ac wedi mynd. Bu r gynhadledd, a gynhaliwyd yn Adeilad Wheldon ym Mhrifysgol Bangor, yn llwyddiant drwyddi draw. Roedd 23 o gyflwynwyr, yn cynrychioli prifysgolion o bob rhan o Gymru. Y rhain oedd Abertawe, Caerdydd, UWIC, Morgannwg, a Bangor ei hun wrth gwrs. Roedd y pynciau dan sylw n eang ac yn cynrychioli gwahanol agweddau ar Seicoleg; yn addysgol, iechyd, cymhwysol, niwroseicoleg ac felly ymlaen. Roedd rhai o r gweithiau a gyflwynwyd yn astudiaethau gan unigolion, tra bo eraill yn ffrwyth cydweithio. Cafwyd cyflwyniad diddorol gan Natalie Davies o Brifysgol Morgannwg ar Me, Myself and Ana lle soniodd am anorecsia fel rhan o hunaniaeth feistr rhywun. Eglurodd Natalie er bod anorecsia n cael ei ystyried fel nodwedd o r bersonoliaeth, ei fod hefyd yn anhwylder. Caiff anorecsia ei ymgorffori yn hunaniaeth y sawl sy n anorecsig sydd, wedyn, yn tueddu i bersonoli r anhwylder. Dyna oedd gwraidd y teitl Me, myself and Ana yr enw anwes am anorecsia. Edrychodd ei chyflwyniad hefyd ar fater a ddylid cael gwared ar wefannau Pro-Ana. Fodd bynnag, mae n amlwg bod astudiaethau fel un hi wedi elwa oddi wrth y gwefannau hyn. Maent yn rhoi gwybodaeth gyfrin i ymchwilwyr am fywydau rhai sy n dioddef o r anhwylder. Mae r gwefannau hyn hefyd yn rhoi cyfle i rai sy n dioddef o anorecsia i fod yn onest gyda hwy eu hunain ac mae hyn, trwy ryw ffordd, o gymorth i therapi. Testun cyflwyniad Sioned Evans o Brifysgol Caerdydd oedd Understandings of Well-being across contrasting languages. Bu n trafod astudiaeth o r ymateb i holiadur ar les a roddwyd i Eidalwyr, Cymry a Saeson. Daethpwyd i r casgliad bod y Cymry a r Saeson a gymerodd ran wedi ymateb yn debyg tra bod yr Eidalwyr wedi ymateb yn wahanol. Ystyriwyd mai gwahaniaeth diwylliannol oedd yn gyfrifol yn bennaf am hyn, er y gallai ffactorau dylanwadol eraill hefyd fod yn breennol. Mae lles a r syniad o les yn dod o fewn maes Seicoleg Bositif. Eglurodd bod y pwnc Addysg Bersonol a Chymdeithasol wedi i gynnwys yn y cwricwlwm cenedlaethol. Mae hyn yn dysgu plant a phobl ifanc beth ydyw lles ac yn eu hannog i ymgyrraedd at hynny. Cafwyd cyflwyniad llawn gwybodaeth gan Carissa Kuswanto o Fangor ar Why voice hearers with auditory hallucinations do not develop schizophrenia? Eglurodd y gall gwahaniaethau mewn abnormaleddau yn yr ymennydd a phrofiadau goddrychol, ymysg pethau eraill, fod yn gyfrifol am hyn. Un o r cwestiynau a ofynnwyd yw pam na ellir rheoli r lleisiau hyn? Byddai rhywun wedi meddwl mai ateb syml i hyn yw bod y lleisiau hyn yn cael eu hystyried yn rhai allanol o bosib. Roedd yn ddiddorol nodi y ceir adroddiadau bod lleisiau yn fewnol ac allanol. I bob golwg mae n ymddangos bod cynnydd yn cael ei wneud yn y maes hwn. Bangor ar y brig unwaith eto! Yng nghynhadledd y British Psychological Society (BPS), a gynhaliwyd yn ddiweddar ym Mhrifysgol Bangor, daeth y Brifysgol i r brig unwaith eto. Yn uchafbwynt i r gynhadledd gwelwyd Guillaume Thierry yn cyflwyno tair o bedair gwobr ariannol i gyflwynwyr uchaf Bangor, tra aeth y wobr arall i fyfyriwr o Brifysgol Caerdydd. Y gwobrau hyn oedd tocynnau llyfr gwerth 25 a roddwyd gan book BPS Cymru. Cafwyd cyflwyniad llyfn iawn gan Alice Robins ar Effects of Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) on Cognitive Functioning; gan Rhiannon Norfolk wedyn cafwyd gwybodaeth bwysig ar The effects of a patient information leaflet on patient satisfaction; traddododd Lisa Kelly gyflwyniad hynod yn Gymraeg gyda r teitl Effaith amlder y mewnbwn ar ddatblygiad geirfa plant yn Gymraeg; a chafwyd cyflwyniad gwych gan Rosannagh Rogers o Brifysgol Caerdydd ar Something old and something new: an objective approach to scoring Theory of Mind ability in adults with Asperger s syndrome. Bu n ddiwrnod i w gofio, ac yn ddiweddglo addas cafwyd cyflwyniad llawn hiwmor gan Guillaume Thierry ar astudiaeth sydd ar y gweill ar hyn o bryd. L-R: Rosannagh Rogers (Prifysiol Caerdydd); Lisa Kelly, Alice Robin & Rhiannon Norfolk (o Prifysgol Bangor) Yn ogystal â chyfrannu gwybodaeth, roedd yna lawer o wersi pwysig i w dysgu o i gyflwyniad a i ddull o i draddodi. Diolch yn fawr Guillaume!

8 1. If you answered that you are first, then you are absolutely wrong! If you overtake the second person, you take his place, so you are second! 2. If you answered that you are second to last, then you are wrong again. Tell me, how can you overtake the LAST Person 3. Did you get 5000? The correct answer is actually Did you Answer Nunu? NO! Of course it isn't. Her name is Mary. Read the question again 5. He just has to open his mouth and ask...it's really very simple... Like you! Delusional or Illusional! We re on the Web! Psychology student newsletter! A psychiatrist was conducting a group therapy session with four young mothers and their small children. "You all have obsessions," he observed. To the first mother he said, "You are obsessed with eating. You even named your daughter Candy." He turned to the second mom. "Your obsession is money. Again, it manifests itself in your child's name, Penny." He turned to the third mom. "Your obsession is alcohol and your child's name is Brandy." At this point, the fourth mother got up, took her little boy by the hand and whispered, "Come on, Dick, let's go home." A very shy guy goes into a bar and sees a beautiful woman sitting at the bar. After an hour of gathering up his courage, he finally goes over to her and asks, tentatively, "Um, would you mind if I chatted with you for a while?" She responds by yelling, at the top of her lungs, "NO! I won't sleep with you tonight!" Everyone in the bar is now staring at them. Naturally, the guy is hopelessly and completely embarrassed and he slinks back to his table. After a few minutes, the woman walks over to him and apologizes. She smiles at him and says, "I'm sorry if I embarrassed you. You see, I'm a graduate student in psychology, and I'm studying how people respond to embarrassing situations." To which he responds, at the top of his lungs, "What do you mean $200?" Brain Twister Test for Idiocy Below are four (4) questions and a bonus question. You have to answer them instantly. You can't take your time, answer all of them immediately! Then check your answers when you are through. 0-1 correct answer totally idiot, 2 almost, 3 there is hope Even a simpleton brain snaps! The best thing about being a schizophrenic is that I am never alone "A STATISTICALLY- ORIENTED PROJEC- TION OF THE SIGNIFI- CANCE OF THESE FINDINGS"... Means : A wild guess. 1. You are participating in a race. You overtake the second person. What position are you in? 2. If you overtake the last person, then you are...? 3. Note: This must be done in your head only: Take 1000 and add 40 to it. Now add another Now add 30. Add another Now add 20.. Now add another Now add 10. What is the total? 4. Mary's father has five daughters: Nana, Nene, Nini and Nono. What is the name of the fifth daughter? 5. A mute person goes into a shop and wants to buy a toothbrush. By imitating the action of brushing his teeth he successfully expresses himself to the shopkeeper and the purchase is done. Next, a blind man comes into the shop who wants to buy a pair of sunglasses; how does HE indicate what he wants? Answers May 2008