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New technology takes psychology research to the next level

Research being carried out by psychologists at Northumbria University has been given a boost with the opening of its brand new Cognition and Communication (CoCo) Research Centre.

The CoCo Research Centre, in the School of Psychology and Sport Sciences, will house leading-edge research kit, including three eye trackers, bespoke movement sensing devices, 128 channel brain activity measurement (EEG) equipment, and a developmental lab with observation rooms.

The Centre will support a team of international academics with their research into the fields of language and perception, psychology and communication technology, cognition and ageing, and cognitive development.

Professor Pam Briggs, Dean of the School of Psychology and Sport Sciences said; “The launch of CoCo is an exciting time for the school, bringing together researchers with internationally recognized talent in a superbly equipped facility.”

A wealth of projects are already underway at the Centre, including a study into whether mobility affects the ageing process, research into motor movement in brain damaged patients, and language and spatial awareness studies. Other work includes investigations into how internet users interact with information, and language research which investigates the question; ‘do people who speak different languages also actually think differently?’

The Centre officially opened on Monday 3 December, with a special guest lecture by psychologist Professor Lawrence Barsalou, from Emory University, USA, a world expert in the subject of perception, memory, language, and thought.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .