Doctoral Programme in Social Psychology
Social Psychology Research in Edinburgh is concerned with the way in which the social world has an impact on people. The group focuses on this theme both at the individual level and by studying interactions at the inter-individual, intra-group, inter-group and socio-cultural levels. In keeping with this broad range of interests, the group employ a variety of methodologies, ranging from experimental studies to qualitative analyses of inter-individual communication. The group has a wide range of interdisciplinary and international research affiliations.
In general, Doctoral students would take a one-year MSc followed by 3 years of Doctoral Study. Your choice of MSc should be guided by your area of interest.
To learn more about opportunities for doctoral study at Edinburgh, feel free to contact any of the Staff below, all of whom have interests in social psychology. You can also find more information on the Social and Communication Research Group research page.
| Peter Lamont | Constructing parapsychology |
| Billy Lee | Interpersonal relationships |
| Alison Lenton | Social judgments and choice (e.g., mate choice, judgments of sexual intent); Context effects on the sense of authenticity (see: Project S:ELF) |
| Andy McKinlay | Discourse analysis. Social identity and the analysis of ‘problem’ identities |
| Sue Widdicombe | Self and Identity. Discourse and Conversation analysis |
A selection of recent/current PhD topics in this area:
- Accounting for ME/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and early stroke (Supervisors: Dr Andy McKinlay & Dr Sue Widdicombe)
- Constructing Parapsychology: a discourse analysis of the accounts of experimental parapsychologists (Supervisors: Andy McKinlay & Dr Pete Lamont)
- Discursive practices used in political decision-making. (Supervisor: Sue Widdicombe)
- Expertise and intuition in real-world decision making (Supervisor: Alison Lenton)
- Social dominance and biology: investigating female hormonal response to non-physical competition (Supervisor: Andy McKinlay)
- Stress in teaching: A Scottish Perspective (Supervisor: Andy McKinlay
For further information, contact the Programme Secretary, Toni Noble or, to discuss academic matters, contact the Programme Director, Martin Corley.
