NCRM Training Event: Neural, physiological and computational methods for social scientists and policy-makers

Neural, physiological and computational methods for social scientists and policy-makers

Presenter: Laura Cram Professor of European Politics, Director NRLabs Neuropolitics Research, School of Social and Political Science, University of Edinburgh

Description The aim of this workshop is to explore how methods more typically associated with neuroscience, informatics and cognitive psychology might help us to understand more about public attitudes and decision-making behaviours. It is grounded in a Neuropolitics approach: the study of the relationship between cognitive and neuro-biological processes and our political attitudes, identities and behaviours, both from a theoretical point-of-view and in practice.

We will provide an introduction into a range of experimental approaches, including fMRI brain imaging, online survey experiments, behavioural games, face-emotion coding, eye-tracking and physiological testing as well as big data analysis, to explore the mind–brain–action nexus in political and policy context.

The day will be brought to life with examples of how we aim to understand and establish what is happening in people's brains, minds and bodies when they are posting comments online, making policy, voting in elections or deciding whether to trust or share 'fake' news. We discuss how we can use these insights to guide public policy practice and to enhance public understanding of political behaviour and policy-making at a national and international level. Participants will have an opportunity to interact with demo technologies and to see how some of the experiments run in practice.

The event is run by the Neuropolitics Research Lab (NRLabs) at the University of Edinburgh. NRLabs produces transdisciplinary research, utilising developments in the cognitive and affective neurosciences, to shed new light on our understanding of public attitudes, identities and decision-behaviours.

Level: Entry (no or almost no prior knowledge).

Please note there is a small fee to attend this course.