Research at the School of Psychology
At the School of Psychology, our research covers a broad spectrum of psychological disciplines, from cognitive neuroscience to social psychology. With a focus on cross-cultural studies, mental health, and the evolution of behaviour, our work is supported by cutting-edge facilities such as eye-tracking and electroencephalogram (EEG) labs. Our research aims to deepen the understanding of the human mind while developing solutions that promote societal well-being and sustainability.
1. Clinical Psychology
At the University of Nottingham Malaysia, our Clinical Psychology research cluster is committed to advancing the understanding, assessment, and treatment of mental health conditions across the lifespan. Our work integrates clinical expertise with empirical research to inform developmentally and culturally sensitive evidence-based practices. Our work emphasises early identification, resilience-building, culturally contextualized support systems for vulnerable populations, and rigorous evaluation of the effectiveness of psychotherapeutic and psychosocial interventions. Our research also explores the influence of culture on mental health outcomes, identifies risk and protective factors, examines help-seeking behaviours, and conducts randomized controlled trials to evaluate and culturally adapt psychosocial interventions.
Research Focus Areas
- Clinical assessment and interventions for anxiety, depression, PTSD, and other mental disorders
- Efficacy studies of psychosocial and psychotherapeutic interventions
- ADHD, ASD, and other neurodevelopmental conditions
- Caregiver mental health and support systems
- Psychometric development and validation
- Cross-cultural influences on mental health outcomes
- Risk and protective factors, resilience, and psychological well-being
- Use of technology and AI in mental health screening and support;
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2. Cognition and Language
Our cross-campus, multidisciplinary research in cognition and language takes advantage of Malaysia’s multilingual context and the University’s tri-campus network. We investigate how humans acquire, process, and produce language using behavioural methods, computational modelling, eye-tracking, and ERPs. Our use of computational modelling allows us to simulate and predict cognitive processes, providing deeper insights into how the brain manages complex linguistic tasks.
Research Focus Areas
- Bilingualism and multilingualism
- Executive function
- Speech perception
- Language assessment methods
- Second language acquisition
- Cognitive Development
- Modelling bilingual language switching
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3. Developmental and Social Psychology
This research area explores the full spectrum of human growth from childhood through adulthood with a focus on supporting wellbeing, resilience, and positive social development in diverse cultural contexts. Our research also investigates the nature of joint action between individuals, particularly when working toward a common goal; we seek to learn how brains and minds change and adapt when co-ordinating closely with others.
Research Focus Areas
- Children, adolescents, and youth development
- Adult development
- Positive and adverse developmental outcomes
- Parenting, family, and peer studies
- Social supports
- Children’s play
- Current social issues of youth
- Attitude and social cognition
- Young people and digital usage (e.g., social media, gadgets, gaming, new media, AI usage)
- Psychometric and scale construction, of measures for children and youth
- EEG hyper scanning and inter-brain synchrony
- Sense of joint agency (“we-agency”)
- EEG markers of brain states during joint action
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4. Evolution and Human Behaviour
This research area applies evolutionary theory to understand human behaviour, including sex differences, kinship, and altruism. We explore how evolution and environment shape social behaviours, personality, and moral decision-making. Our research also delves into the nature and nurture of individual differences. By comparing identical and non-identical twins, we look at the extent to which the differences are due to genetics versus experience.
Research Focus Areas
- Evolutionary psychology
- Sex differences
- Mate choice
- Altruism
- Kinship
- Behaviour genetics
- Philosophy of mind
- Placebo effect
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5. Forensic Psychology
Our Forensic Psychology cluster investigates psychological processes in legal and criminal contexts, aiming to support fair and effective justice systems through empirical research and evidence-based practices. Topics in forensic psychology include eyewitness testimony, lie detection, development of criminality, offender profiling, evaluation of criminal competency and responsibility, risk assessment, offender rehabilitation, among others. The overarching goal of our research is to create safer and fairer societies.
Research Focus Areas
- Sexual offending against children
- Stalking
- False memory
- Aversive personality traits
- Biases in expert judgements
- Prejudicial stereotyping in criminal investigations
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6. Memory
Memory research at UNM focuses on how autobiographical memories shape identity and psychological wellbeing. We study how people recall, organise, and use personal memories across time and cultural contexts.
Research Focus Areas
- Cultural life scripts
- Flashbulb memory
- Forgot-It-All-Along effect
- Functions of autobiographical memory
- Memory specificity and over-general memory
- Psychological distance
- Recollective experience
- Reminiscence bump
- Subjective experience of time
- Trauma and PTSD
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7. Neuropsychology
The Neuropsychology research group investigates how ageing and neurological disorders affect cognitive functioning. Using advanced neuroimaging and behavioural techniques, we study compensatory mechanisms and develop interventions to support cognitive health. Our aim is that the neuropsychology research from UNM will contribute to developing effective interventions and treatments.
Research Focus Areas
- Neuropsychological changes in healthy and pathological ageing
- Cognitive reserve
- Compensatory mechanisms in the ageing brain
- Emotional processing and management of people with dementia and their caregivers
- Domain validation and cultural adaptation of neuropsychological assessments in Malaysia
- Effectiveness of non-invasive brain stimulation in speech-language rehabilitation
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8. Nottingham Psychological Assessments Library (NottPAL)
NottPAL addresses the urgent need for locally adapted, validated psychological assessment tools in Malaysia. Our work also includes cultural adaptations of these tools to better suit the Malaysian (or Asian) context, across the life span. These tests, once professionally translated, validated, and checked for reliability, will be made accessible to other researchers and clinicians to use with permission and proper citations.
Research Focus Areas
- Translation, cultural adaptation, validation and test-retest reliability of current assessment tools to better suit the Malaysian (or Asian) context
- Psychometric evaluations of assessment tools
- Clinical validation of psychological assessment tools
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9. Sustainability and Liveability (SaL)
This research group uses psychological approaches to address environmental, social, and technological challenges. We explore how behaviour and decision-making can contribute to more sustainable and liveable futures.
Research Focus Areas
- Sustainable Urban Development and Built Environments
- The Influence of New Media (e.g, social media) on Decision-Making
- AI Ethics (e.g., ethical guideline and trust)
- Psychology of Climate Action
- Social & Environmental Psychology
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10. Visual Cognition
Our Visual Cognition team investigates how we perceive, process, and respond to visual stimuli from recognising faces to interpreting complex scenes and emotional cues. In addition, we explore visual statistical learning, the process by which individuals unconsciously detect patterns and regularities in their visual environment. This form of learning helps us predict and interpret visual information, even when we are not actively aware of it. We use eye-tracking, EEG, and behavioural testing.
Research Focus Areas
- Face perception and recognition
- Object perception and recognition
- Effect of punctuation on reading
- Visual statistical pattern learning
- Emotion perception and cognition
- Visual adaptation
- Interactions between action and perception
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