Brainwashed? Psychology of Pop Culture

They say, ‘never judge a book by its cover’, and this really is the case when it comes to the latest identity fraud technique – hyper-realistic silicone face masks. These masks, usually seen in Hollywood blockbusters like Mission Impossible, are now being used by criminals to mask their identity at border control, to conceal their face during criminal attacks, and to defraud millions from unsuspecting observers. In this Pint of Science talk, I will outline the difficulty in detecting such fraud attacks, and whether super-face-recognisers might be the key to resolving this pressing problem.

For many, emoji have become part of everyday life. In this talk, we'll take a closer look at how we use and perceive emoji (and how they interplay with text), and think about how we can use emoji to collect difficult or sensitive data. Dr Christopher Hand is a Senior lecturer in Psychology, based in the School of Education at the University of Glasgow. His research explores how we use and perceive emoji, and how we can use emoji as response options to collect difficult data.

From dressing up as Spider-Man to watching the Avengers save the world, superhero stories capture the imagination of children and adults alike. This talk explores what superheroes can teach us about psychology. We’ll look at how pretending to be a hero can shape children’s development, how heroic stories influence our willingness to help others, and why creative play is such a powerful tool for learning. Drawing on research from developmental and social psychology, we will explore the hero within us all!