# Centre for Psychological Research (CfPR)

**Source**: https://www.brookes.ac.uk/research/units/hls/centres/centre-for-psychological-research
**Parent**: https://www.brookes.ac.uk/research/research-centres

Director(s):
[Dr Nayeli Gonzalez-Gomez](https://www.brookes.ac.uk/profiles/staff/nayelia-gonzalez), [Professor Kate Wilmut](https://www.brookes.ac.uk/profiles/staff/kate-wilmut)

- Follow us on:
- [Centre for Psychological Research (CfPR) on X](https://twitter.com/OBU_Psychology "X")
- [Centre for Psychological Research (CfPR) on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/psychology_at_brookes/ "Instagram")
- [Centre for Psychological Research (CfPR) on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/105560592/admin/dashboard/ "Linkedin")

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Showing all research info

About us

Research impact

Groups

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[About us](#research-about)
[Research impact](#research-impact)
[Groups](#research-groups)

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## About us

The Centre for Psychological Research has a thriving community of research active staff and research scholars. Two themes infuse the research that we do:

1. Developing resources to facilitate positive change.
2. Advancing understanding of human thought, experience, and behaviour.

Our researchers work across the following groups, with the themes above running throughout all four groups:

- Applied Social and Cultural Psychology
- Cognition and Cognitive Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Health Behaviour and Wellbeing

We attract significant finding awards from various sources including industry, the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), Technology Strategy Board and the Leverhulme Trust. We work with health and education professionals as well as partners in industry to develop knowledge and understanding that informs policy and improves people’s lives.

### Part of

- [School of Psychology, Social Work and Public Health](https://www.brookes.ac.uk/phpd "School of Psychology, Social Work and Public Health")

### Related courses

- [Psychology (MPhil / PhD)](https://www.brookes.ac.uk/courses/research/psychology)
- [Psychology (MSc / PGDip / PGCert)](https://www.brookes.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/psychology-msc)
- [Psychology (BSc (Hons))](https://www.brookes.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/psychology)

## Research impact

We work with health and education professionals as well as partners in industry to develop knowledge and understanding that informs policy and improves people’s lives.

The quality and impact of our research has been reflected in the UK government’s latest Research Excellence Framework, where the majority of our research was judged to be world leading or of international standing.

## Groups

[Developmental Psychology](https://www.brookes.ac.uk/research/units/hls/groups/developmental-psychology "Developmental Psychology")

[Cognition and Cognitive Neuroscience (C&CN)](https://www.brookes.ac.uk/research/units/hls/groups/cognition-and-cognitive-neuroscience "Cognition and Cognitive Neuroscience  (C&CN)")

[Applied Social and Cultural Psychology](https://www.brookes.ac.uk/research/units/hls/groups/applied-social-psychology "Applied Social and Cultural Psychology")

[Health Behaviour and Wellbeing](https://www.brookes.ac.uk/research/units/hls/groups/health-behaviour-and-wellbeing "Health Behaviour and Wellbeing")

## Group's leadership

### [Professor Kate Wilmut](https://www.brookes.ac.uk/profiles/staff/kate-wilmut)

Professor in Psychology (Director of Centre)

- [+44(0)1865 483781](tel:+44(0)1865 483781)
- [k.wilmut@brookes.ac.uk](mailto:k.wilmut@brookes.ac.uk)

### [Dr Nayeli Gonzalez-Gomez](https://www.brookes.ac.uk/profiles/staff/nayelia-gonzalez)

Reader in Psychology (Director of the Centre)

- [+44 (0) 1865 534148](tel:+44 (0) 1865 534148)
- [ngonzalez-gomez@brookes.ac.uk](mailto:ngonzalez-gomez@brookes.ac.uk)

### [Professor Anna Barnett](https://www.brookes.ac.uk/profiles/staff/anna-barnett)

Professor in Psychology (Impact)

- [+44 (0) 1865 483680](tel:+44 (0) 1865 483680)
- [abarnett@brookes.ac.uk](mailto:abarnett@brookes.ac.uk)

### [Dr Michael Pilling](https://www.brookes.ac.uk/profiles/staff/michael-pilling)

Senior Lecturer in Psychology (Outputs)

- [mpilling@brookes.ac.uk](mailto:mpilling@brookes.ac.uk)

### [Dr Clare Rathbone](https://www.brookes.ac.uk/profiles/staff/clare-rathbone)

Reader in Psychology (Public Engagement)

- [crathbone@brookes.ac.uk](mailto:crathbone@brookes.ac.uk)

### [Dr Jennifer Seddon](https://www.brookes.ac.uk/profiles/staff/jennifer-seddon)

Senior Lecturer in Psychology (Patient and Public Involvement)

- [jseddon@brookes.ac.uk](mailto:jseddon@brookes.ac.uk)

### [Professor Luci Wiggs](https://www.brookes.ac.uk/profiles/staff/luci-wiggs)

Professor in Psychology (Knowledge Exchange)

- [lwiggs@brookes.ac.uk](mailto:lwiggs@brookes.ac.uk)

## Facilities

[Baby Lab](https://babylab.brookes.ac.uk/)

[PAAC Lab](https://www.brookes.ac.uk/research/units/hls/groups/cognition-and-cognitive-neuroscience/paac-lab)

(Perception, Attention and Affective Cognition)

[PuMA Lab](https://www.brookes.ac.uk/research/units/hls/groups/cognition-and-cognitive-neuroscience/puma-lab)

(Perception and Motion Analysis)

[Writing Lab](https://www.brookes.ac.uk/research/units/hls/groups/cognition-and-cognitive-neuroscience/writing-lab)

## Knowledge exchange

### Learning to ride a bike

Learning to ride a bike is an important milestone for most children. However, this is a complex skill that children with movement difficulties may struggle to master.

These sessions fuse our theoretical knowledge with our practical understanding of the experiences of children with movement difficulties. They involve progressive tasks that enhance the children’s skills, build their confidence, and ultimately result in them riding a bike proficiently. Riding a bike is more than just a physical skill, it gives a child a sense of freedom and enables them to connect with other people.

### Science Bazaar

The[Brookes Science Bazaar](https://www.brookes.ac.uk/science-bazaar/), one of the Science Festival’s flagship events, attracts over 700 visitors in a single day and is hugely popular with children (and adults) of all ages. Psychology staff introduce visitors to the discipline through interactive sessions to demonstrate such things as reaction times and visual illusions.

[Learn more about the Science Bazaar](https://www.brookes.ac.uk/science-bazaar)

## Consultancy

We are experts in assessing and understanding attitudes, behaviours and the way that people process information. Our consultancy packages are tailored specifically to an organisation’s needs, and we have worked with a variety of industries, charities and public sectors.

**Previous work has involved:**

- assessing existing practice
- identifying obstacles and facilitators to future change
- gaining comprehensive feedback from service users
- designing interventions that are easy to understand and implement
- evaluating interventions and suggesting improvements where appropriate
- charting change over time
- recommending policy for improving practice
- providing professional training and development.

We bring a range of methodological and analytical expertise to each situation and have access to specialist equipment and software. Please contact us if you would like to discuss a project: [ngonzalez-gomez@brookes.ac.uk](mailto: ngonzalez-gomez@brookes.ac.uk) or [k.wilmut@brookes.ac.uk](mailto:k.wilmut@brookes.ac.uk).

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