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3D virtual worlds hold the potential to unlock creative problem solving and offer a deeper level of collaborative learning.
”Simon Bignell, Senior Lecturer in Psychology
Simon Bignell: Senior Lecturer in Psychology
Simon uses the virtual reality platform Second Life to gauge people's unconscious attitudes towards 'green' issues such as recycling by creating an Eco House setting.
Simon has harnessed the world of virtual reality so effectively that some psychology lectures at Derby now take place using the virtual reality software platform.
Simon has found that the technological environment is an ideal place to test students' problem solving skills meaning they can develop vital cyberspace skills for their careers. It will help them learn more about a wide range of psychological health issues in clinical, social, developmental and cognitive psychology.
The University PREVIEW-Psych initiative forms part of a £38,385 project funded by Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) with Aston and Coventry universities, and the Higher Education Academy Psychology Network. The project developed innovative problem based learning tutorials and scenarios to exploit the potential of 3D virtual worlds.
Simon is no stranger to Second Life. He generated international media interest from America's CNN, and here from the BBC and ITV, after joining Second Life, with his avatar Milton Broome, to carry out psychological research investigating how people with Autism and Asperger's Syndrome use virtual worlds to overcome their communication difficulties.
Simon says 3D virtual worlds hold the potential to unlock creative problem solving and offer a deeper level of collaborative learning. See Simon's Virtual Psychology blog at: www.miltonbroome.com. Find out about the project at: www.previewpsych.org.
Kim Drake: Lecturer in Psychology
Kim Drake, Lecturer in Psychology, acquired her first degree in Psychology from the University of Leicester and recently submitted her PhD thesis there.
Her research has developed a theoretical model/framework, explaining individual differences in interrogative suggestibility. Kim's published and ongoing research to date focuses on understanding the psychology of interrogative suggestibility and how suggestible, compliant, and acquiescent behaviour may be minimised during police interviews. The research may have implications for future cases involving disputed witness/complainant evidence (as well as cases of alleged wrongful conviction through false confessions).
