1. Can I Have Your Attention? An Experimental Measure of Monotropism

Beatrix Butnicu, Psychology, 1-2pm

Autistic attention is often described as a paradox: intense focus alongside high distractibility. Monotropism, an autistic-led theory, proposes that it works through depth rather than breadth. When a strong personal interest is engaged, attention tunnels in, producing deep focus and flow. Without an anchor, distraction and overload are more likely. 

We developed a task to measure the attention tunnel in a neurodiverse adult sample (N = 49). Each participant completed a condition tailored to their strongest interest, and a control. We measured task performance, flow and noticing of an unexpected on-screen item.

Participants looked longer and reported significantly higher flow in the Interesting condition. Accuracy was at ceiling, and many noticed the unexpected item, suggesting the task was too easy to fully capture attentional narrowing. The findings provide early support for experimentally measuring the attention tunnel and indicate how future designs can improve sensitivity.

6. What are the barriers and facilitators to the confrontation of intergroup bias? A systematic review and qualitative metasynthesis

Lilith Roberts, Psychology, 1-2pm

There is a growing body of literature on the efficacy of interpersonal confrontation ("calling out") of intergroup bias (e.g., prejudice) and what can help or hinder this. The need for behaviour change interventions to raise the likelihood of confrontation is clear, but no attempts have been made to systematically understand the barriers and facilitators to confrontation through the application of established behavioural science frameworks designed to understand these and provide recommendations for interventions. This research features a systematic review and qualitative metasynthesis of literature exploring experienced and perceived barriers and drivers to confrontation, mapping these to behaviour change frameworks (COM-B model) while evaluating a previous model explaining the decision-making process behind confrontation (Confronting Prejudiced Responses model). The research aims to inform the development of interventions facilitating the confrontation of weight stigma in healthcare.

17. Long Term Memory Speeds Encoding, Independently of Attention

Abi Wylie, Psychology, 1-2pm

Recent studies suggest that familiar objects benefit from faster Working Memory (WM) encoding, leading WM models to suggest a Long Term Memory (LTM) “template-matching" mechanism, which speeds standard encoding processes. In this study, we examined whether LTM template-matching can be dissociated from selective attention. Experiments 1-2 supported the existence of a familiarity benefit as participants had greater accuracy in an RSVP task when targets were in their native (familiar) language. Experiment 2 also found familiar and unfamiliar distractors to be equally effective at capturing attention and generating an Attentional Blink effect. Finally, experiment 3 found reducing reliance on LTM eliminated the familiarity effect, suggesting that the observed familiarity benefit depends on LTM-held representations. Overall, the current study provides robust evidence that LTM template-matching speeds encoding of familiar items, independently of attention.

24. Exploring Mental Health and Wellbeing Among Autistic University Students: A Mixed-Methods Systematic Review of Lived Experiences and Measurement Approaches

Georgia Smith, Psychology, 1-2pm

Autistic students in higher education experience high levels of mental health difficulties. Although support services exist, many students report unmet needs and a lack of autism-informed approaches. This review will provide a foundation for developing autism-informed approaches to supporting mental health and wellbeing in university contexts.

This mixed-methods systematic review synthesised qualitative evidence on autistic university students’ experiences of mental health and wellbeing and mapped the tools used to assess these outcomes. The findings reveal a mismatch between what is measured and what autistic students describe as central to their wellbeing. The review highlights the need for co-produced, autism-informed assessment tools that reflect autistic students’ experiences and support inclusive approaches to wellbeing in higher education.

42. Perceptions of Artificial Intelligence Usage in Universities: A Quantitative Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Joao Craveiro, Psychology , 2-3pm

This systematic review and meta-analysis analyzed 37 studies published between 2017 and 2025 to understand how university staff perceive and use Artificial Intelligence. 

Findings revealed a gap between usage and familiarity: while staff are generally confident regarding AI, actual daily usage remains quite low. Factors leading to adoption include performance enhancing, social influences, or if they find it easy and enjoyable to use. Intention to use was moderatey correlated with actual usage.

However, professional and ethical concerns, and implementation difficulties frequently prevent people from moving from intention to action. Further, studies identified seniority, prior experience, and receiving specific training as mediators of usage. 

Finally, previous studies have argued that simply providing information is not enough; universities should prioritize hands-on training and co-produced, clear and evolving policies to support staff and address their concerns

49. Understanding head and neck cancer through the public eye: social media responses to celebrity cases

Rhianne Kiley, Psychology, 2-3pm

HPV causes over half of UK throat cancers, yet fewer than half of people correctly link HPV to head and neck cancers. Many underestimate how common it is, and stigma around its sexual transmission causes shame and discourages help-seeking. When celebrities disclose a cancer diagnosis, it acts like an unplanned public health campaign.  

This study examines how ordinary people discussed head and neck cancer on Reddit following diagnoses by five public figures: Bruce Dickinson, Michael Douglas, Rhod Gilbert, Martina Navratilova, and Mark Steel. 

I collected nearly 1,800 posts and comments, analysing language, causal explanations, and emerging attitudes. One early pattern: when a celebrity explicitly links their cancer to their sexual history, it generates far more HPV discussion than medical or implicit disclosures. 

Full findings will be available mid-2026. The goal is to use authentic public discourse to design health communication that is clearer, more accurate, and less stigmatising. 

57. Thinking, Feeling , and Winning: A Study on Counter-Strike 2 Players

Abdulilah Baksh, Psychology, 2-3pm

Competitive first-person shooter gaming has emerged as a high-demand cognitive activity, requiring emotional regulation and cognitive skills, such as working memory, attention control, and multitasking. Players must regulate emotions that compete with cognitive demands and carefully manage cognitive load to sustain performance and achieve their goal of winning. Video games evoke emotional reactions such as stress, frustration, and anger to make the game challenging and to attract individuals to the video games. The present non-experimental study examines how personality traits associated with emotion processing (alexithymia, stress mindset, and resilience) and player expertise in Counter-Strike 2 shape the relationship between cognitive abilities and in-game performance. Emotion-related processes are expected to influence perceived cognitive load and executive functioning, thereby affecting performance, with player expertise acting as a factor that may facilitate these effects.

61. Reviving the Non-Zero Diagonal: Autapses as a Fundamental Motif of Neural Computation

Liam McSweeney, Psychology, 2-3pm

An autapse is a synapse from a neuron onto itself. Traditionally disregarded as accidents of development, experiments have shown autapses form in high-proportions in both excitatory and inhibitory neuron populations and in specific neuron types and specific brain regions suggesting they may play a niche functional role. We use computational modelling to investigate how autapses affect single neuron properties, and the possible role they may play in brain function. We find that the strength of biological autapses may be placed just below a critical point, above which the neuron becomes highly sensitive to changes in its inputs. Autapses may thus dynamically switch a neuron’s sensitivity, possibly serving as a mechanism for attentional control. Additionally, in this parameter region, the neuron’s output is composed of two or more frequencies, possibly providing a method for the transmission of more information. 

68. Engaging but Not Enhancing: Instructor Presence and Learning Outcomes Across Working Memory Levels

Nada Alshehri, Psychology, 2-3pm

The research explored whether learners with different working memory (WM) capacities were differently affected by instructor presence in E-learning. In this research, 600 participants aged 18-25 completed 3 studies(200 each), studying Arabic phrases. We manipulated instructor presence between these studies (instructor face vs instructor blurred in the first study, text-only video in the second, and AI-generated face in the third). We measured learning accuracy, metacognition, and learning experience in all studies, with mind wandering in the second and mind wandering and cognitive load in the third. There was no clear evidence that instructor presence improved learning, and no interaction between instructor presence and WM capacity. Interestingly, learners with higher WM capacity learned more Arabic phrases and were more confident in learning. In addition, the instructor’s face video showed greater satisfaction. Moreover, higher WM capacity was associated with lower mind wandering.

75. Translating Effect Sizes into Real World Terms: Benchmarking the Effect of Behavioural Interventions to Reduce Speed

Rose Buhaenko, Psychology, 3-4pm

Speeding is a leading cause of road crashes and fatalities, and considerable research has sought to test and evaluate the effectiveness of interventions to reduce speeding, often using effect sizes to quantify their impact. However, effect sizes may not convey the real-world implications of these interventions; “What does it mean when an intervention designed to reduce speeding has a ‘medium-sized’ effect?”. Benchmarking uses population-level data to contextualise the effects of interventions in terms of real-world outcomes. The current study applied benchmarking to interventions designed to reduce speeding in order to specify their impact in terms of a reduction of speed in mph and associated outcomes (e.g., road casualties and fatalities). The study conducted a meta-analysis and benchmark on behavioural interventions aimed at reducing speeding and showed a reduction in speed of 1.20mph on 30mph roads, with a reduction in casualties and fatalities on roads by 4.91% and 11.82%.

80. 5-hydroxytryptophan, a serotonin precursor, as a novel treatment for adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A randomised, double-blind trial

Eleanor Jackson, Psychology, 3-4pm

Current ADHD therapeutics, although effective, carry high abuse risks. A novel therapeutic avenue is serotonergic intervention, serotonin being a critical neurotransmitter for orienting attention and observed at reduced levels in ADHD individuals. We assessed the efficacy of 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP), a serotonin precursor, in reducing the core ADHD trait of distractibility. 

112 participants completed a randomised, double-blind trial with a 2(placebo or 200mg 5-HTP) x2(high or low ADHD traits) x2(pre and 90 minutes post-administration) design. Distractibility was assessed using reaction time and accuracy with a task-relevant and task-irrelevant distractor. 

Distractor tasks revealed no significant performance differences between high and low-ADHD groups pre-intervention. Both 5-HTP and placebo reduced reaction time, and the three-way interaction among intervention, group, and time was non-significant. 5-HTP supplementation was not found to alter distractibility in any measure.

86. Dimensions of parental responsiveness and child language development 

Molly Willis, Psychology, 3-4pm

A wealth of literature links responsive parenting to cognitive development, and particularly language. However, the construct of responsive parenting covers a set of nested dimensions (including linguistic, affective and autonomy-promoting elements) and it is unclear if and how these are related to each other and to child language development. In this study we explored this and are testing whether distinct profiles of parent responsiveness are present and whether/how these are related to language development across early childhood. Families participated in a three-wave longitudinal study from when children were 30 months old (N=208). Parent linguistic responsiveness, warmth and autonomy support were coded (using reliable and, where available, well-validated measures) during play-based semi-naturalistic interactions between parents and their children at the first time point. Child expressive and receptive language skills were assessed at six and 12 months follow-up. 

93. What measure should clinicians use when assessing Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder? 

Rebecca Nicholls, Psychology, 3-4pm

We compared two measures of Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) - the Nine Item ARFID Screen (NIAS) and the Pica ARFID and Rumination Disorder Interview-ARFID Questionnaire (PARDI-AR-Q). We aimed to determine which has better psychometric and clinical utility and could be recommended for clinical use.   

Participants were screened via a written description of their self-identified fussy eating habits. Eligible individuals (N = 156) completed an online survey, consisting of the NIAS, PARDI-AR-Q and measures of depression, anxiety, clinical impairment and broader eating disorder pathology. The study was adequately powered, had ethical clearance, and was pre-registered. 

We examined how the NIAS and PARDI-AR-Q captured the eating difficulties associated with ARFID. The measures agreed with each other in terms of caseness. However, they appear to capture different aspects of ARFID. The PARDI-AR-Q had greater clinical utility, and is recommended for clinical use.

97. From Freshers to Finals:  A Longitudinal Mixed-Methods Study of Mental Health Trajectories in Higher Education

Kristenn-Lénaïg Leporcher, Psychology, 3-4pm

Aim - This longitudinal study examines baseline mental health among new university students, identifying demographic and psychological risk factors, and exploring awareness of counselling services.

Methodology - University students completed an online survey assessing mental health and wellbeing, as well as academic adjustment, loneliness, and self-stigma. A counselling section measured awareness and attitudes toward support. Twenty-three demographic variables captured student diversity.

Results - Preliminary findings and descriptive, cross-sectional analyses will be presented to show demographic differences in mental health and service awareness, providing a baseline snapshot of student wellbeing on entry to university.

Conclusions - Findings will inform targeted, inclusive early interventions to promote student mental health equity.