UCL Div. of Psychology & Language Sciences (PALS)

Friday is World Mental Health Day: Find out more about training and support offered by UCL, including a panel event on Weds that will explore the demands on staff in support roles and what’s available to help ‘support the supporter’.
👉 Find out more here: www.ucl.ac.uk/human-resour...

Listen to the first 3 episodes of The Bridge: a Disagreeing Well podcast from UCL and Students’ Union UCL. The show tackles tough controversies, helping presenters, guests and listeners develop skills to break through divides and find common ground.

👉 Listen here: www.ucl.ac.uk/about/disagr...

Security guidance on use of AI: While third-party AI tools can be powerful, it is vital to use them responsibly, in line with UCL policies, to protect the confidentiality and integrity of our data.

👉 This guidance explains how: www.ucl.ac.uk/information-...

Open office slots with the Provost are now available to book in Term 3
Do you have a topic, idea or concern to discuss with UCL's President & Provost Dr Michael Spence AC? You can book a 20 minute session to discuss anything that’s on your mind.

👉 Find out more here: www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2025/se...

🎵 Aphasia New Music Group – Live at Bloomsbury Theatre Studio: An evening of new music created & performed by people with language difficulties, professional musicians, & speech and language therapists.

🗓 8 Nov 2025
📍 Bloomsbury Theatre Studio

🔗 More info & tickets: www.ucl.ac.uk/bloomsbury-t...

Congratulations to John Draper from UCL PALS, who was awarded the Staff Award for Outstanding Commitment to Sustainability in recognition of his decade-long leadership in sustainability at PALS.

👉 You can read a Q&A with John here: blogs.ucl.ac.uk/brain-scienc... #GreenUCLPALS

A night of Neuroscience comedy for all, featuring staff & students from UCL Brain Sciences with stand-up comedian Abigoliah Schamaun.

🎟️ Book your tickets for the Brain Science Comedy Club on 22 Sept here: www.ucl.ac.uk/bloomsbury-t...

Stimulating the vagus nerve with a device attached to the outer ear can help make compassion meditation training more effective at boosting people’s capacity for self-kindness and mindfulness, finds a new study led by Prof. Kamboj from UCL PALS.

👉 Find out more here: www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2025/au...

🎓 Thinking about studying Linguistics?
UCL’s virtual info session on 17 Sept is your chance to find out what our BA Linguistics & BSc Experimental Linguistics courses have to offer.
📅 17:30–18:30 BST
www.ucl.ac.uk/brain-scienc... #UCL #Linguistics @uclpals.bsky.social

Professor Hugo Spiers (Psychology and Language Sciences) is leading a collaborative project with a global team of researchers to investigate how indigenous sailors find their way by sensing the swells of the ocean.

👉 Find out more here: www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2025/ju...

Listen to this "UCL Disruptive Voices" podcast featuring Professor Hugo Spiers from UCL PALS exploring how neuroscience and the built environment are converging to shape healthier, more inclusive spaces for everyone.

👉 Listen here: soundcloud.com/uclsound/bui...

PALS was represented at the recent UCL Education Awards, with Molly McCabe, Dr Miles Tufft and Jon Mell (all from UCL PALS) coming highly commended in the ‘Impactful Partnership’ category and Xueyang Niu (UCL PALS) awarded the Faculty Rep Award.

👉 Find out more here: www.ucl.ac.uk/teaching-lea...

Negative school experiences generate twice the emotional burden in autistic & ADHD adolescents compared to their neurotypical classmates, and this is significantly correlated with depression & anxiety, according to a new study involving UCL PALS researchers.

More here: www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2025/ju...

Think, feel, rest: the debate on AI awareness continues! Research by Dr Clara Colombatto from UCL PALS has found that 67% attributed some degree of consciousness to ChatGPT and only a third believe that ChatGPT has no subjective experience.

👉 Find out more here: www.lanacion.com.ar/tecnologia/p...

The taxi driver skill we should be learning to lower our Alzheimer’s risk: Prof. Hugo Spiers from UCL PALS explores London black cab drivers' ability to retain information and use it on a daily basis.

👉 Find out more in The Telegraph here: www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitne...

Both mistrust and credulity are linked to believing conspiracies: People who are either too trusting or too mistrustful are more likely to believe conspiracy theories and ascribe to vaccine hesitancy, finds a new study by Prof. Fonagy from UCL PALS.

👉 More here: www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2024/de...

Innovative AI in teaching at UCL: Dr Vitor Zimmerer shares a tutorial session using AI, and Professor Duncan Brumby explores how generative tools can support learning.

👉 Watch and read more: www.ucl.ac.uk/teaching-lea...

A globe in the atrium and global reach online. As the Gaia installation draws eyes at UCL East, UCL Press celebrates its 20 millionth open access download – marking 10 years of freely accessible research.

👉 Find out more here: uclpress.co.uk/ucl-press-an...

Cognitive and Decision Sciences MSc The Cognitive and Decision Sciences MSc studies the cognitive processes and representations underlying human thought, knowledge and decision-making. It integrates a wide range of disciplines and…

🧠 Ready to explore the mysteries of the mind?

🎓 Join the Cognitive and Decision Sciences MSc at UCL this September. This world-leading, research-driven programme dives deep into how the brain shapes thought, behaviour, and perception.

👉 www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-...

🔬 PALS researchers in npj Science of Learning show that people unconsciously track irrelevant probabilities, reshaping perception – sometimes causing lasting “statistical deafening.”

Read the paper here 👉 doi.org/10.1038/s415...

What happens when the whole UCL community commits to the planet? The UCL Sustainability Awards celebrate the staff, students and teams driving change across the university.

👉 Find out more here: www.ucl.ac.uk/sustainable/...

Studying Psychology and Trauma Explore trauma's impact with leading experts on UCL's new online Psychology and Trauma course.

🎓 Explore trauma's impact with leading experts on UCL and Anna Freud's new Psychology and Trauma MSc program this September.

This innovative programme is studied entirely online, either full or part-time, at PG Certificate, PG Diploma or Master's level:
👉 www.ucl.ac.uk/brain-scienc...

Social Cognition: Research and Applications MSc This MSc focuses on how individuals construe the social world and the processes that underlie social judgement and behaviour. The programme draws on the research of outstanding academic staff working…

🎓 Study the science behind social behaviour, decision-making, and the brain on our Social Cognition: Research & Applications MSc.

👉 Apply now: www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-...

Apply and nominate for the UCL Open Science & Scholarship Awards by 22 Aug. These awards recognise UCL students and staff who promote transparency, collaboration and innovation in research.

👉 Find out more & apply here: www.ucl.ac.uk/library/open...

Professor Aimee Spector from UCL PALS shares her personal journey through memory lapses and how it shaped her research in this piece for the Telegraph.

👉 Read the article here: telegraph.co.uk/health-fitne...

UCL PALS researchers are helping shape a new NHS pilot to fast-track autism diagnosis for university students. The first-of-its-kind clinic aims to cut waiting times & improve support for autistic and neurodivergent students.

🔗 Read more in The Telegraph here: www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/08...

Neurodivergent adolescents experience twice the emotional burden at school Negative school experiences generate twice the emotional burden in autistic and ADHD adolescents compared to their neurotypical classmates, and this is significantly correlated with depression and anx...

Negative school experiences generate 2x the emotional burden in autistic & ADHD adolescents vs their neurotypical classmates, & this is significantly correlated with depression & anxiety, according to a new study involving UCL PALS researchers.

👉 Find out more here: www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2025/ju...

UCL researchers join indigenous Pacific sailors to explore ancient skill of wave piloting UCL researchers are teaming up with a group of world-leading scientists to investigate how indigenous sailors find their way by sensing the swells of the ocean.

⛵ This summer a team of researchers - including @hugospiers.bsky.social (@uclpals.bsky.social) - will set sail on a journey to discover more about the centuries-old skill of wave piloting.
Read more:

Watching a live performance together syncs brainwaves When people watch a live contemporary dance performance, their brainwaves sync up, signalling shared focus and attention, according to a new study led by UCL researchers.

When people watch a live contemporary dance performance, their brainwaves sync up, signalling shared focus and attention, according to a new study led by UCL PALS researchers.

👉 Find out more here: www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2025/ju...

Congrats to Dr Ahmetoglu from UCL PALS, who has received a grant from the Department of Government Enablement in Abu Dhabi for a project called "Experimental Evidence on Public Sector Capacity Building: A Randomized Evaluation of Four Training Interventions in the Abu Dhabi Civil Service.”