Psychology

Profile

Background

Before commencing his PhD, Gavin was the Child Protection Training Lead for NHS Lothian, Edinburgh, and prior to this, Gavin served with the Royal Air Force Police for 22 years, 13 years as a detective, specialising in family-related crime, specifically the interviewing of child victims and suspected offenders.   Gavin is now a Senior Lecturer in Forensic Psychology at Teesside University, Middlesbrough, where he is module leader for the Psychology of Investigations, and Law, Justice and Psychology modules on the BPS accredited MSc Forensic Psychology programme.  He is also a module tutor on qualitative research methods to post-graduate students.

Gavin is research active and has presented his research at various national and international conferences.   He is the Chair and founding member of the International Investigative Interviewing research Group (iIIRG), a research group developed to maintain research-based practice and practice-based research amongst academic researchers and police practitioners. 

Gavin is also an independent academic consultant to a US Government Research Group on educing information and is an active member of the International Centre for Research in Forensic Psychology at the University of Portsmouth. His research interests include child sexual abuse, social cognition, investigative interviewing, forensic linguistics and interview decision making.

Project Title

His PhD is entitled 'Towards a more effective framework for investigative interviews with suspected sex offenders'.

Research

Gavin's research interests include sexual offending, investigative interviewing, forensic linguistics and the use of emotional language during interviews with suspected offenders.  His supervision team includes: Dr James Ost (Director of Studies), Dr Julie Cherryman and Dr Clare Wilson.

Recent Publications

More recent publications

Indicative publications

Cope, E., Oxburgh, G. E., & Gavin, A. (in prep).  Investigative interviews with victims of child sexual abuse: The relationship between question type and investigation relevant information.

Oxburgh, G. E., Myklebust, T., & Grant, T. (submitted).  The question of question types in police interviews: A review of the literature from a psychological and linguistic perspective.  International Journal of Speech, Language & the Law (May 2009).

Oxburgh, G. E., Ost, J., & Cherryman, J. (submitted).  Police interviews with suspected child sex offenders: Does question type, empathy, or interviewer training influence the amount of investigation relevant information obtained?  Psychology, Crime and Law (May 2009).
 
Lavender, M., Oxburgh, G. E., & Kilinc, S. (submitted).  Experiences of psychiatric nurses: Focus on stress & coping.  Journal of Advanced Nursing (November 2008).

Walsh, D., & Oxburgh, G. E. (2008).  Investigative interviewing of suspects: Historical and contemporary developments in research.  Forensic Update (92), Winter 2007/8, 41-45.

Oxburgh, G. E., Williamson, T., & Ost, J. (2006).  Police officers' use of emotional language during child sexual abuse investigations.  Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling, 3, 35-45 [PDF]

Conference presentations

Oxburgh, G. E., Ost, J., & Cherryman, J. (2009).  Interviewing suspected child sex offenders: Factors that influence the obtaining of investigation relevant information.  Presentation to be given at the 19th Annual Conference of the European Association of Psychology and Law, 2 - 5 September, Sorrento, Italy.

Oxburgh, G. E., Gozna, L., Teicher, S., & Boon, J. (2009).  Interviewing suspected offenders in the UK: Fiction, facts & future directions.  Symposium presentation given at the 2nd Annual Conference of the International Investigative Interviewing Research Group, 14 ? 16 April, University of Teesside, Middlesbrough, UK.

Oxburgh, G. E., Ost, J. Cherryman, J., & Wilson, C. (2008).  Communicating with sex offenders: A content analyses of investigative interviews.  Presentation given at the 18th Annual Conference of the European Association of Psychology and Law, 2 - 5 July, Maastricht, The Netherlands.

Oxburgh, G. E., Ost, J., Cherryman, J. & Wilson, J. C. (2007).  A content analyses of investigative interviews with suspected sex offenders.  Presentation given at the Division of Forensic Psychology Annual Conference 2007, 23-25 July, University of York, York, UK.  

Bell, A., Keys, M., Good, L., Oxburgh, G.E., & Mitchell, R. (2006).  Turbulent times: The impact of child abuse inquiries on child protection policy, practice and education in Scotland.  Symposium presentation given at the International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse & Neglect 2006 Annual Conference, 3 - 6 September, University of York, UK.   

Oxburgh, G. E. (2006).  Child sexual abuse: The use of emotional utterances by forensic interviewers. Presentation given at the Language, Psychology and Law Conference 2006, 10 - 12 July, University of Leicester, UK.

Oxburgh, G. E., Ost, J., Cherryman, J. & Wilson, J. C. (2006).  Investigative interviewing: Can negative emotion affect the quality?  Presentation given at the 2nd International Investigative Interviewing Conference 2006, 5 - 7 July, University of Portsmouth, UK.

Oxburgh, G. E. (2005).  Child sexual abuse: The use of emotional utterances by forensic interviewers.  Invited address at the Investigative Interviewing of Child Witnesses Conference: Taking Stock and Moving Forward, 5 - 7 September, Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.

Oxburgh, G. E., Williamson, T. & Ost, J. (2005).  Police officers' use of emotional language during child sexual abuse investigations.   Presentation given at the European Association of Psychology and Law Annual Conference 2005, 2 - 4 June, Vilnius, Lithuania.

Invited Presentations

Anand, D., & Oxburgh, G. E. (2008).  Understanding sex offenders.  Presentation/workshop given to delegates from the European Police College (CEPOL), 7 May 08, Oslo, Norway.

Oxburgh, G. E., & Myklebust, T. (2008).  Effective communication with child sex offenders.  Presentation/workshop given to delegates from the European Police College (CEPOL), 30 Jan 08, Stockholm, Sweden.

Oxburgh, G. E. (2005b).  Child sexual abuse: The use of emotional utterances by forensic interviewers.  Investigative Interviewing of Child Witnesses Conference: Taking Stock and Moving Forward, 5 - 7 September, Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.


Academic Seminars

Oxburgh, G. E., Ost, J., Cherryman, J. (2008).  Interviewing Suspected Child Sex Offenders:  What Factors Influence the Obtaining of Investigation Relevant Information?  Presentation given at the Research Seminar Series, Centre for Forensic Linguistics, 10th December 2008, Aston University, Birmingham, UK.

Oxburgh, G. E., Ost, J., Cherryman, J., & Wilson, J. C.  (2008).  Communicating with high-stake offenders in police interviews.  Presentation given at the Research Seminar Series, Department of Psychology, 22nd October 2008, University of Teesside, UK.

Oxburgh, G. E., Ost, J., Cherryman, J., & Wilson, J. C. (2007).  A content analysis of investigative interviews with suspected sex offenders.  Presentation given at the research seminar series, Department of Psychology, 21st November, University of Portsmouth, UK.

Oxburgh, G. E. (2007).  Investigative interviewing of suspected sex offenders: Current perspectives, future direction.  Presentation given at the European Forensic Psychology Investigative Interviewing Research Seminar, University of Teesside, UK, on 2nd April.   

Oxburgh, G. E. (2005).  Police officers' use of emotional language during child sexual abuse investigations.  Research seminar, Department of Psychology, 21st April, University of Portsmouth, UK.