PhD Studentship in Psychology (Testing Alternative Mechanisms of Ego-depletion Effects on Impulsivity Among Emotionally Vulnerable Populations)

Award Summary

Funding will cover tuition fees at the Home (UK) rate only, an annual stipend (living expenses) of £18,622, and research training support grant of £5,000 per annum.  

Overview

Are you interested in learning why we sometimes behave impulsively despite our best intentions? This project will examine potential mechanisms for our tendency to engage in impulsive behaviours when stressed or fatigued. 

Recent failed replications have raised concerns regarding the legitimacy of ego-depletion as a mechanism for impulsivity. Therefore, it is crucial that alternative mechanisms of impulsivity are explored to understand the development of maladaptive coping strategies in response to social stressors.  

During this PhD, you will examine alternative theories which account for lapses in self-control. This may include shifts in motivations and attention which undermine inhibition (Inzlicht et al., 2014) or the role of compulsive behaviours in reducing negative affect. You will design experiments which test these theories using cardiovascular (ECG, ICG, blood pressure) and neuroscience methods (EEG), in addition to building computer-simulated environments in virtual reality to ensure robust replication of the protocols you develop during this project. 

In addition to becoming an expert in embedding physiological measures and virtual reality within psychological experiments, you will also receive training on advanced statistical analyses and open science practices. You will also be working with a diverse team of supervisors who specialise in both basic and clinical research, giving you the opportunity to interact with a range of experts to ensure findings are clinically relevant to maximise their impact. 

Number Of Awards

1

Start Date

April 2024 

Award Duration

3 years 

Application Closing Date

31 December 2023 

Sponsor

Newcastle University, Faculty Medical Sciences 

Supervisors

Dr Zachary Petzel (lead supervisor; School of Psychology), Professor Mark Freeston (co-supervisor; School of Psychology), Dr Rich Davison (co-supervisor; School of Computing) 

Eligibility Criteria

You must have, or expect to achieve, at least a 2:1 honours degree or international equivalent in a subject relating to psychology or neuroscience. Further qualification such as an MRes or MSc is advantageous.  

This studentship is only available to applicants with a Home fee status (UK and EU applicants with pre-settled/settled status and meet the residency criteria). 

Applicants whose first language is not English require an IELTS score of 6.5 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in each subsection.  

How To Apply

For application information and contact details please see https://www.ncl.ac.uk/postgraduate/fees-funding/search-funding/?code=ph041.

Contact Details

For further details, please contact:  

Dr Zachary W Petzel 

School of Psychology 

E-mail: zach.petzel@newcastle.ac.uk  

Telephone: +44 (0) 191 208 6264 

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