With us or against us? New research directions

The Culture and Social Psychology group met online last week to discuss new research by two of its members. Karen Hagan presented her ongoing work on the ways that people assert dominance in discourse, including the practices that are commonly labelled as bullying. To explore this further, the group looked at a piece of transcript…

When the walls come tumbling down? OU psychologists are exploring how to dismantle interface barriers between Protestant and Catholic communities in Belfast

In a recent article, Professor John Dixon of the School of Psychology and Counselling at the Open University, and collaborators, have addressed the issue of the removal of interface barriers in Northern Ireland. They have sought to evidence some of the social and psychological factors that may predict resistance to interface barrier removal and thus…

OU Workshop Considers Segregation in Belfast

Bree Hocking reports on a recent workshop in Belfast featuring our Prof. John Dixon. Why do people go where they go? How do inter- and intra-group relationships shape how people use space? What role do symbolic threats play in influencing mobility practices? Nearly 20 years after the Good Friday peace agreement, a new Open University-led…