Cognitive Psychology Section
The Cognitive Psychology section of the British Psychological Society was formed in 1978 as a national forum for the discussion of research and issues of professional concern to cognitive psychologists.
About
The Section's activities include an Annual Conference, usually held in September; one or more specialist events in the year, and symposia at the main Society Conference in March/April.
Members of the BPS Cognitive Psychology Section comprise psychologists in industry, the health service, government departments, and colleges and universities.
Their interests cover most aspects of cognitive psychology and related areas.
Our members receive reduced registration fees at conferences and special workshops organised by the Section, including an annual conference.
Symposia at our recent annual conferences have included face processing, working memory, and problem solving.
Download the Cognitive Psychology Bulletin
News
Events
Resources
Useful Links
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Information about PsychoPy, a freeware experiment generator
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PsyPAG is a national organisation for all psychology postgraduates in the UK
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Resources for Cognitive Psychologists
A list of useful resources for (cognitive/cogneuro/ evolutionary/developmental) Psychologists - compiled by Dr Andrew Dunn, Nottingham Trent University
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Information about Superlab, an experiment generator for Windows and Apple.
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Bangor University's list of Psychology Departments in the United Kingdom
Publications
The Cognitive Psychology Bulletin
This publication from the BPS Cognitive Psychology Section is for psychologists working in the fields of industry, the health service, government departments, and colleges and universities. Their interests cover most aspects of cognitive psychology and related areas.
The aim of The Cognitive Psychology Bulletin is to keep members informed about:
- Section and other relevant Society activities;
- innovative practice changes in statutory provision and legislation;
- latest research; and
- training courses, events and conferences
It also provides a means for psychologists, trainees and assistants to make contact with colleagues working with similar issues or projects.
Latest articles - Cognitive Psychology Bulletin
- Periodicals
The BPS Cognitive Psychology Section Committee - The Cognitive Psychology Bulletin
Volume: 1 Issue: 7
Date of Publication: 01-01-2022
- Periodicals
Discovering the fascination behind cognitive restoration - The Cognitive Psychology Bulletin
Volume: 1 Issue: 7
Date of Publication: 01-01-2022
Author(s): David Beevers
- Periodicals
The effects of contextual diversity and pronunciation ease on word learning through reading - The Cognitive Psychology Bulletin
Volume: 1 Issue: 7
Date of Publication: 01-01-2022
Author(s): Christina Sarantopoulos, Jo Taylor
- Periodicals
Improving the validity and reliability of eyewitness memory research using virtual reality - The Cognitive Psychology Bulletin
Volume: 1 Issue: 7
Date of Publication: 01-01-2022
Author(s): Andrew Green, Andrew Clark, Andy Guppy
- Periodicals
Editor’s column - The Cognitive Psychology Bulletin
Volume: 1 Issue: 7
Date of Publication: 01-01-2022
Author(s): Natalie Butcher
Awards
Annual Award
Submissions are now closed
The Cognitive Psychology Section's Annual Award recognises outstanding published contributions to research in the area of Cognitive Psychology.
Eligibility
Eligible publications are limited to scientific journal papers reporting novel observations and providing significant theoretical insight into human cognition.
The Award Panel will give greater consideration to studies with broad appeal and widespread implications, particularly studies that address longstanding problems and that advance conceptual understanding in unexpected or counterintuitive ways.
Nominated publications for the 2023 award should have a publication date of 2021, 2022 or 2023, and should not have been nominated for the award previously.
'Online first' articles with a DOI which can be downloaded as full published text are also eligible.
The majority of the work should have been conducted in the UK and at least one of the authors of the paper should currently be based in the UK, but they need not be a member of the BPS.
It is customary for a UK-based winner of the award to present a keynote address at the Annual Cognitive Section Conference, which this year is being held jointly with the Developmental Section, and will take place in Bristol on 12-14 September, 2023.
All eligible, nominated publications will be considered by the Award Panel, comprising a subgroup of the Cognitive Psychology Section Committee in consultation with expert assessors, if necessary.
How to submit
An electronic copy of the relevant publication should be submitted, along with a supporting statement of not more than 500 words from a nominator (which might be one of the authors).
It is the responsibility of the nominator to ensure that the authors consent to their work being considered for the award and that the authors are available to present the keynote address at the conference.
You will need the following information:
Nominee(s):
- Name
- Title
- Organisation/affiliation
- BPS membership number (if applicable)
- Email address
Nominator(s):
- Name
- Title
- Organisation/affiliation
- BPS membership number (if applicable)
- Email address
You will also need to provide:
- a nomination statement (maximum 500 words in narrative format)
- supporting documentary evidence (an electronic copy of the relevant publication)
The closing date for nominations is 17 April 2023.
For any queries relating to this award please contact [email protected].
Previous winners include:
- 2013 Padraic Monaghan, Morten Christiansen & Stanka Fitneva
- 2014 Richard Harris, Andrew Young, Tim Andrews
- 2015 Kenny Coventry, Debra Griffiths & Colin Hamilton
- 2016 Tom Ormerod & Coral Dando
- 2017 Mike Burton, Robin Kramer, Kay Ritchie & Rob Jenkins
- 2018 Jo Taylor, Matthew Davis & Kathy Rastle
- 2019 Deborah Talmi, Lynn J Lohnas, Nathaniel D Daw
- 2020 Richard Cooper, Catherine Byde, Roberto de Cecilio, Chelsea Fulks & Danila S Morai
- 2021 Sam C. Berens, Blake A. Richards, Aidan J. Horner
- 2022 Mauro Manassi, David Whitney
Allan McNeill Postgraduate Poster Prize
The Allan McNeill Postgraduate Poster Prize is awarded during the annual conference.
Undergraduate Project Prize
Submissions are now closed
The Undergraduate Project Prize recognises outstanding research conducted by undergraduate students in the area of Cognitive Psychology.
Eligible projects should report novel observations and provide theoretical insights into cognition.
The work must have been conducted in the UK and students graduating in 2023 are eligible.
Criteria
Projects must be nominated by supervisors.
An electronic copy of the project abstract should be submitted, along with a supporting statement of not more than 500 words from the research supervisor.
It is the responsibility of the supervisor to ensure that the student consents to their work being considered for the prize.
There should be no more than one submission from a psychology department per academic year (maximum of two). The nominee does not need to be a member of the society or section.
Nominated projects will be considered by the Award Panel, comprising a subgroup of the Cognitive Psychology Section Committee in consultation with expert assessors, if necessary. The winner of the prize will be invited to present a poster at the Annual Cognitive Section Conference.
Conference registration will also be offered free of charge to the prize winner. It is the responsibility of the supervisor to ensure that the student is available to present the poster at the conference.
Guidance for nominations
You will need the following information:
Students:
- Name
- Organisation/affiliation
- BPS membership number (if applicable)
- Email address
Supervisors:
- Name
- Organisation/affiliation
- BPS membership number (if applicable)
- Email address
You will also need to provide:
- a nomination statement (maximum 500 words in narrative format)
- supporting documentary evidence (an electronic copy of the project abstract)
The deadline for submissions is 5pm on 28 July 2023.
Previous Awards Winners
Annual Award
2022
- Mauro Manassi
- David Whitney
Manassi, M., & Whitney, D. (2022). Illusion of visual stability through active perceptual serial dependence. Science advances, 8(2), eabk2480.
2021
- Sam C. Berens
- Blake A. Richards
- Aidan J. Horner
Berens, S.C., Richards, B.A., & Horner, A.J., (2020) Dissociating memory accessibility and precision in forgetting. Nature Human Behaviour, 4, 866–877
2020
- Richard Cooper
- Catherine Byde
- Roberto de Cecilio
- Chelsea Fulks
- Danila S. Morais
Cooper, R. P., Byde, C., de Cecilio, R., Fulks, C., & Morais, D. S. (2018). Set-shifting and place-keeping as separable control processes. Cognitive psychology, 105, 53-80.
2019
- Deborah Talmi
- Lynn J Lohnas
- Nathaniel D Daw
A retrieved context model of the emotional modulation of memory. Psychological review, 126(4), 455.
2018
- Joanne Taylor (Aston University)
- Kathleen Rastle (Royal Holloway, University of London)
- Matthew Davies (University of Cambridge)
Comparing and validating methods of reading instruction using behavioural and neural findings in an artificial orthography. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 146(6), 826.
2017
- Kay Ritchie
- Mike Burton
- Rob Jenkins
- Robin Kramer
Identity from variation: representations of faces derived from multiple instances. Cognitive Science, 40, 202-223.
2016
- Coral Dando
- Thomas Ormerod
Finding a Needle in a Haystack: Toward a Psychologically Informed Method for Aviation Security Screening. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 144, 76-84.
2015
- Colin Hamilton
- Debra Griffiths
- Kenny Coventry
Spatial demonstratives and perceptual space: Describing and remembering object location. Cognitive Psychology, 69, 46-70.
2014
- Andrew Young
- Richard Harris
- Tim Andrews
Morphing between expressions dissociates continuous from categorical representations of facial expression in the human brain. PNAS 18 December 2012, 109, 51.
2013
- Morten Christiansen
- Padraic Monaghan
- Stanka Fitneva
The arbitrariness of the sign: Learning advantages from the structure of the vocabulary. Journal of Experimental Psychology, General, 140, 325-347.
2012
- Dietmar Heinke
- Eirini Mavritsaki
- Glyn Humphreys
- Gustavo Deco
- Harriet Allen
2011
- Paul Warren
- Ulrike Hahn
2010
- Gruffydd Humphreys
- Marc Buehner
2009
- Gordon Brown
- Ian Neath
- Nick Chater
2008
- Brenda Jansen
- Han van der Maas
- Mark Rendell
- Olaf Booij
- Philip Quinlan
2007
- Andrew Calder
- Andrew Young
2006
- Aleksandra Hirst
- Essi Viding
- Jan de Fockert
- Nillie Lavie
2005
- Annette Kinder
- David Shanks
2004
- Cecilia Heyes
2003
- George Sperling
- Shui-I Shih
2002
- Charles Spence
- David Shore
- Ray Klein
2001
- Debi Roberson
- Ian Davies
- Jules Davidoff
2000
- Mike Burton
- Peter Hancock
- Vicki Bruce
Allan McNeill Postgraduate Poster Prize
2020
Clodagh Towns (UCL)
Group biases influence neurotypical adults' ability to take the autistic perspective
2019
2018
Christopher Atkin (Nottingham Trent University)
The same or different? Capacity limitations in visual imagery versus visual memory of simple structural objects
2017
Charlotte Fry et al. (Cardiff University)
Profiling Executive Functions in Homeless Youth: Comparison with Housed Peers.
Emma Morgan (Cardiff University)
Comparing Methods of Categorisation
2016
Anna Mas-Casadesus (University of Edinburgh)
Cross-modal selective attention in synaesthetes: Evidence for better filtering abilities
Natalie Gentry (University of Kent)
The eyes have it! The role of specific facial features for identity matching
2015
*Salgado-Montejo, A., Alvarado, J.A., Velasco, C., Salgado, C.J., Hasse, K.. & Spence, C. (*Crossmodal Research Lab, University of Oxford, UK)
The influence of angularity, symmetry, and the number of elements on shapevalence and shape-taste matches. (2015)
*Shah, P., Sowden, S., Happe, F., Cook, R., & Bird, G. (*MRC Social, Genetic, & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, UK)
Orienting towards face-like stimuli in early childhood. (2015)
2014
Frederic Vallée-Tourangeau, Sue Anthony & *Nicholas Shipp (*University of Hertfordshire & Kingston University, UK)
Looking at hands, objects or words? Tracking eye movements on an action-based based categorisation task
2013
Peter, M (University of Liverpool, UK).
The role of verb bias in structural priming: Evidence from children and adults.
2012
Graham Hole, Peter J B Hancock & Sarah Laurence (University of Sussex, UK).
The contribution of low-level adaptation to face identity after-effects.
2011
Hallett, R (Keele University, UK).
The influence of age and music on exercise outcomes and affect for gym-based sessions.
2010
Morson S, Moulin C., & Souchay, C (University of Leeds, UK)
Parlez-vous Français? Feeling of knowing and ageing in a novel learning task.
2009
Manfredi, V., Bonfiglio, S., & Borelli, V.(University of Pavia, Italy).
Facial expression recognition in context.
Brown, J., Aczél, B., Jiménez, L., & Plaisted-Grant, K. (University of Cambridge, UK & University of Santiago, Chile).
Determining Implicit and Explicit Contributions to Sequence Learning in ASC.
Jeyaratnam, P., Irvine, K., & Laws, K. (University of Hertfordshire, UK).
Sex differences in the cognitive abilities of Alzheimer's disease sufferers: A meta-analytic study.
Undergraduate Project Prize
2021
Christina Sarantopoulos (University College London)
'The Effects of Pronunciation Ease and Contextual Diversity on Word Learning Through Reading' - Supervised by Dr Jo Taylor
2018
Annie Morsi (University of Manchester)
Investigating individual variation in face recognition and extraversion
2017
Luiza- Diandra Bretfelean (University of Greenwich)
Super-recognition: Long-term reliable memory of unfamiliar faces following a ‘fleeting glimpse’
Funding
Postgraduate Rapid Project Grant
Nominations are now closed.
The BPS Cognitive Psychology Section aims to provide some financial assistance to help UK cognitive psychology postgraduates carry out their research. The maximum value of awards is £400 per applicant.
This Grant is intended to help postgraduate researchers run their projects. We therefore anticipate that grants will cover the costs associated with conducting research, for example for participant payment via online recruitment sites e.g., Prolific, Gorilla, or in person.
However, we will also consider applications for other expenses incurred by the applicant in running their empirical studies, for example equipment, software etc. that are needed, so long as a good justification is provided.
It is expected that grants will cover the full costs required. If the sum requested will not cover the full cost of the proposed activity, you will need to specify in your application any other source of funding.
In such circumstance’s grants will only be released once a letter of confirmation has been received to indicate that the other funds have been awarded.
Although the maximum award is £400, applicants should only apply for the amount needed. For example, if your power analysis shows that you need 100 participants, you should only bid for enough money to cover 100 participants. This will allow us to support as many projects as possible.
Awardees will be required to submit expense claim forms (provided by the BPS) along with receipts to claim the award.
Eligibility
This Grant is open to postgraduates registered for research degrees at any UK institution.
Postgraduates must be members of the British Psychological Society, and BPS Cognitive Psychology Section members at the time of applying, and must be conducting research within the field of cognitive psychology.
Guidance for applications
To apply, you will need to submit the following information:
Student Applicant
- Name
- Email address
- Organisation/affiliation
- Name of degree. Please confirm that this is a research degree, not a taught degree.
- BPS Membership Number
- Are you a member of the Cognitive Section of the BPS?
- Working thesis title (this does not have to be the final title of your thesis, just the working title)
- Justification of funds (i.e., a statement outlining what the grant will be used for within your research degree and why the Grant is needed. Priority will be given to applications who do not have other resources from their own department or external funding agency so please address this in your statement)
- Details of the funding required (i.e., how much you are applying for with itemised costings to a maximum of £400)
- Anticipated claim date (please state the date by which you anticipate claiming the funds)
Supervisor
- Name
- Email address
- Organisation/affiliation
- Supporting statement (within this statement please confirm the availability of other sources of funding from your own institution or external funding agency)
All complete application forms that meet the eligibility criteria will be entered into a lottery and funds will be allocated based on a random lottery draw.
How to apply
The closing date for applications is Friday 14 April 2023.
Further conditions
A condition of the Grant is that all successful applicants write an 800-word report for the Cognitive Psychology Bulletin.
Reports should provide a summary of how the Grant was or will be used within your research. For example, you might briefly report the research aims, methods and interim results if you have them.
The final date for submissions is Friday 20th October 2023. The Bulletin is published once a year, is edited, has an ISBN and each article has a DOI. All Grant recipients must make their supervisors aware that they are accepting the funding on these grounds.
Finally, whilst we will try to include all the reports in the Cognitive Psychology Bulletin, we cannot guarantee that all reports will be published.
Applications submitted by the applicant without a statement from their supervisor will not be considered.
Retrospective applications will not be considered. The number of Grants available will depend on resources, and award of a Grant cannot be guaranteed even if all requirements for eligibility have been met.
Decisions will be final, and no correspondence will be entered into regarding unsuccessful applications.
Cognitive Section Conference Postgraduate Bursary
Nominations are now closed.
The Cognitive Psychology Section aims to provide some financial assistance to help postgraduates attend and present posters/papers at the conference. The maximum value of awards is £400 per applicant. Awards could contribute towards registration, accommodation at the conference venue, or travel to the conference. You can apply for a bursary following successful submission of an abstract for the conference.
Eligibility
The award is open to postgraduates registered for research degrees at any UK or Republic of Ireland institution. To apply, postgraduates must be members of the BPS Cognitive Psychology Section and should be presenting research conducted as part of their current PG course.
Guidance for nominations
To apply you will need the following information:
Nominee(s):
- Name
- Title
- Organisation/affiliation
- BPS membership number
You will also need to provide:
- a copy of the abstract submitted to the conference
- a cover letter containing any other relevant information
- details of any funding required (accommodation/registration/travel/etc)
- a signed supporting statement from student's supervisor (if the student’s supervisor is not available due to annual leave, we can accept a statement from another academic at the student’s institution who is familiar with the students work)
Further conditions
Retrospective applications will not be considered. The number of bursaries available each year will depend on resources and award of a bursary cannot be guaranteed even if all requirements for eligibility have been met. Precedence will be given to those who have not been awarded a Cognitive Section PG Bursary before.
Decisions will be final, and no correspondence will be entered into regarding unsuccessful applications.
Note: To join the Cognitive Section, individuals must already be a member of the British Psychological Society.
Submit a bursary application now
The deadline for applications is 14 July 2023.
Committee
Chair of Section: Prof Thomas Ormerod
Honorary Secretary: Dr Wendy Ross
Honorary Treasurer: Dr Kay Ritchie
Appointed committee members:
- Ashley Blake
- Dr Fiona Essig
- Christopher Robus
- Emma Sullivan- PTR representative
- Caroline Horton
- Nick Perham
Elected committee members:
- Dr Sanjay Kumar
- Dr Harriet Smith
Join
- Apply to join the section (students, affiliates, e-subscribers)
- Apply to join the section (graduate, chartered, and in-training members)
Membership of the Cognitive Psychology Section is only open to members of the British Psychological Society.
If you are not a member you can join the Section at the same time as applying for membership of the society.
Benefits of belonging
Benefits of Cognitive Psychology Section Membership
- A hard copy of Cognitive Bulletin, annually
- Opportunity to voice your opinion, either at the Section's AGM, and/or by becoming a member of the Section Committee
- Reduced cost of books resulting from selected section-sponsored meetings
- Reduced registration rates for the Section's Annual Conference
Member Announcement Email List
The Cognitive Psychology Section uses its membership announcement email list to inform its members of activities and initiatives that are relevant to their interests and to make requests for engagement on topical issues.
By becoming a member of the Section you are automatically added to the announcement list.
To receive these emails you will need to:
- become a member of the Cognitive Psychology Section
- opted into receiving email communication from the Society (you can change your preference by logging on to your account via the member portal)
Getting involved with the Cognitive Psychology Section Committee
The Cognitive Psychology Section relies on a wide range of people getting involved, and the work of the Section is largely achieved through the dedication of unpaid volunteers.
Our volunteers come from a wide range of different backgrounds, whether they be practitioners or academics, or full members or students members, and together form an open and inclusive community.