Mind in Society Research Centre
Mission statement
The Mind in Society Research Centre at Richmond University provides a framework for bringing together researchers and practitioners from the psychological, social, educational and biological sciences who are interested in investigating the complex interactions between the individual and the social world. The Centre offers unique opportunities for extending knowledge and understanding of how psychological, social and cultural factors influence the individual’s behaviour, thoughts and feelings, as these issues are investigated from inter-disciplinary perspectives that employ a wide range of methodologies. The Centre is run by the Department of Psychology, therefore students enrolled on this programme, as well as alumni, are automatically members.
The Mind in Society Research Centre is led by Dr Ira Konstantinou.
Main objectives
- Encourage inter-disciplinary exchanges within Richmond University and other Higher Education institutions through the following:
- Annual seminar series: these seminars include theoretical, practical and experiential elements and are designed to attract a diverse range of participants from within and outside the university
- Annual conference: the theme of the conference is set by the members of the DoP. Students’ participation is also strongly encouraged
- Annual Mind in Society lecture: the centre holds an annual lecture, bringing an academic or practitioner of international standing to Richmond University, to deliver a talk on a topic of his or her choice.
- Promote student and staff interest in research through the following:
- Organisation of scholarly activities: conferences, workshops and other relevant initiatives offer our students opportunities to expand their research interests and staff the opportunity to present their work and disseminate their research findings
- Formation of research groups: these groups consist of volunteer research assistants and are run by faculty interested in specific topics. Organising research conceptually into groups permits the pooling of resources, the multiplication of academic networks and attracts the interest of external funding bodies. It is also an outstanding opportunity for students to gain insight into a field and to acquire a set of skills that cannot be gained in the classroom, as having volunteer assistants working for the Center, rather than the individual, gives them exposure to different topics and methodologies across semesters. This fact enhances the student experience and it also improves student employability.
Professor Ira Konstantinou, Head of DoP
Ira’s research interests are in the area of memory awareness and she has recently started working on bringing two lines of research together, that of memory awareness and that of factors contributing to own-race bias. She is also conducting pedagogical research with a focus on critical thinking in undergraduate students.
Professor George Beguno
George’s scholarly activities are in the areas of the history and philosophy of psychology. Specifically, he is interested in phenomenological explorations of lived experience; and the application of philosophical ideas in clinical practice. He is currently working on a phenomenological-historical study of the use of technological artefacts in war.
Dr Annita Ventouris
Annita’s research interests span from applications of psychology in educational settings, intergroup and peer relations, race and ethnicity issues in education to child and adolescent psychosocial development and wellbeing. She is also interested in factors that can affect HE students’ wellbeing. She is currently working on a project related to the role of the lecturer in affecting students’ perceived resilience levels.
Dr Mark Horne
Mark’s research focuses on changes in both memory performance, and physical performance across the lifespan. He is interested in the application of the Scaffolding Theory of Aging and Cognition to older adult visual working memory, and declines in performance in amateur triathletes with increasing age.
