Young Psychologist Programme: Erica Wins!

We are delighted to announce that current Lower Sixth psychologist, Erica, has won the InvestIN Experimental Psychology Competition.

After attending an open lecture at University College London on how to monitor brain activity using electroencephalogram (EEG), Erica was inspired to design an experiment that measured the location of, and variation in, different types of brainwave activity in teenagers. EEG is a non-invasive technique which measures electrical activity of the brain using electrodes attached to the scalp. Erica was especially interested in investigating a potential difference between theta and beta activity when browsing social media versus reading a book. She had to submit a thorough research proposal where she detailed her precise method and expected results. Erica’s proposal was reviewed by an expert panel and judged the most sound and novel in a very competitive pool of submissions. Her work was especially commended for recognition of critical control mechanisms that would need to be in place and how she would go about analysing the data. Many congratulations to Erica, who is well on her way to becoming an experimental researcher!