Psychology

Profile

Background

I completed my Psychology Degree at University of Portsmouth in 1997 and then followed that with a PGDip in Psychological Research Methods. This laid the foundations for my Psychphysiology based PhD which I was awarded in 2003. Otherwise, I have also completed a PGCert in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education.

I worked as an Experimental Officer in the Psychology Department at University of Portsmouth from Jan 2001 until Dec 2004 before spending a year as an Academic Skills Tutor in the Academic Skills Unit. I then returned to the Psychology Department early in 2006 to take up a post as Research Fellow.

Teaching Responsibilities

I teach and coordinate Level 1 ‘Psychology Practicals 1’ and ‘Psychology Practicals 2’ which run in Semesters 1 and 2 respectively. I am also currently the unit moderator of the Level 2 ‘Biological Psychology’ unit. In terms of supervision, I supervise Level 3 and MSc project students who are carrying out research using one or more physiological dependent variables.  

Research interests

My current research specifically focuses on the identification of brainwave (EEG) activity which links to anxious rumination. I am currently working in collaboration with Professor Philip Corr (University of Swansea) and Dr. Soren Andersen (PeakMind Ltd.) towards the development of an empirically sound neurofeedback treatment for anxiety.  

Otherwise, my main research interests involve using psychophysiological measures to characterise the neural processes which link to personality variables (most notably Jeffrey Gray’s ‘Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory’).

Grants

ESRC: £45k (with Dr. Soren Andersen and Professor Philip Corr)

Welsh Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience: £1.5k (with Professor Philip Corr)

University of Portsmouth, small grants fund: £1k (with Professor Philip Corr)

Recent Publications

More recent publications

Publications before 2006

Gale, A., Edwards, J., Morris, P., Moore, R. & Forrester, D. (2001) Extraversion-introversion, neuroticism-stability, and EEG indicators of positive and negative empathic mood. Personality and Individual Differences, 30, 449-461.  

Gale, A., Seymour, R., George, P., Moore, R., and Loveman, E. (2000). Just a few words: The influence of positive and negative bias on participants' judgements of an interviewee's mental health. Psychology Teaching Review, 9, 62-73.