How do we process complex social information for rapid appropriate responses in social interactions? An EEG ERP study with young adults and adolescents.

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How do humans respond efficiently to complex social interactions? This project is grounded in the hypothesis that individuals streamline social information processing by prioritising stimuli that align with their expectations about others’ behaviours and intentions, allowing for rapid and adaptive responses. They partition their expectations based on social domains, for example in adults demarcating between work colleagues and romantic partners, and in children between teachers and parents. The core hypothesis for the project is that this requires an ability to detect, rapidly, potential violations of these domains-based expectations. The project will use EEG event related potentials (ERPs) to examine this in adults and in children. The candidate will design and conduct EEG and behavioural experiments with adult participants using stimuli previously developed by the research team (Bland et al., 2021). They will collaborate with children, parents, and teachers to develop age-appropriate stimuli for 12-year-olds and subsequently employ these stimuli in an EEG study investigating social cognitive processes in this age group.

Project Aims and Objectives

The aim of the project is to establish whether there are neural responses to social domain inappropriate social stimuli that are rapid enough to alert a person to violations of domains based expectations.

The objectives will be:

• Conduct EEG experiments to examine ERPs evoked by domain inappropriate stimuli such as, ‘a work colleague complains that you forgot their birthday’
• Coproduce equivalent stimuli for 12 year olds, working with children, parents and teachers
• Conduct EEG experiments to examine ERPs evoked by the coproduced stimuli for example, ‘a teacher asks you what you would like for your birthday’

How to apply

Interested applicants should contact Jonathan Hill (Jonathan.hill@mmu.ac.uk) for an informal discussion.

To apply you will need to complete the online application form for a full-time PhD in Psychology (or download the PGR application form).

You should also complete the Narrative CV form addressing the project’s aims and objectives, demonstrating how the skills you have maps to the area of research and why you see this area as being of importance and interest. 

If applying online, you will need to upload your statement in the supporting documents section, or email the application form and statement to pgradmissions@mmu.ac.uk.

Closing date: 14 March 2025

Expected start date: October 2025

Please quote the reference: HH&E_Psych_JH_2025_EEG