Psychology facilities
Welcome to the dynamic and vibrant world of Psychology at BCU. Explore the cutting-edge resources and spaces that support our quest to unravel the complexities of the human mind and behaviour. Here at BCU, we are dedicated to fostering curiosity, critical thinking, and scientific inquiry in the realm of psychology, and our state-of-the-art facilities reflect this.
Observation Lab
The observation lab is a multifunctional room for focus groups. An example of research conducted in the observation lab is where the researcher observed how a jury deliberates and comes to a verdict. It is also a dual-purpose lab for use of our virtual reality equipment in research, as its spacious and we can manipulate the space as needed. The VR headset (Meta Quest 2) has a wide variety of functions, including meditation and mindfulness apps, phobia approaches and desensitisation amongst other departmental interests. We also have the technical capability to create bespoke environments from scratch. Research using this tech is typically ran in conjunction with questionnaire research.
Specialist Labs
We have specialist labs for eye tracking, food and eating behaviours, cognition and electroencephalography (EEG) respectively. All but the cognitive lab are specialist and set up specifically for research in those areas. The skull cap is for an EEG scan (electroencephalography) as part of our BioSemi (the brand) set up. This tracks the changes in the electrical activity in the brain over time. We have three research-grade eye trackers including the SR Eyelink 1000 plus. It is capable of tracking blinks, fixations (count, durations), saccades (direction, speed) and pupillometry. The Eyelink can measure the exact distance between a participant and the screen, making it replicable which is often very important in psychological research.
Mini Labs
Our mini labs are primarily used for in-person computer-based research or 1-2-1 interviews and counselling, with the rooms being adapted for the dual purposes.
Control Room Laboratory
Our multi-functional control room controls each of our specialist labs by monitoring and recording activity. It also has CCTV for any observation measures required, which is industry standard.