International Summer School

1. Investigating how punishments influence reward learning

Project Supervisor: Dr. Joana Carvalheiro

Learning to seek rewards and avoid punishments is crucial for making good decisions and survive in dynamic environments. But how do these two systems — reward and punishment — interact with each other? For example, think about how a warm bath feels much more comforting immediately after being drenched by cold rain, or how a win feels more satisfying right after a defeat. These examples illustrate an intriguing, but understudied, interplay: rewards are often heightened right after punishments. Yet, research has mostly focused on rewards and punishments as separate brain systems, overlooking their rapid interplay. This gap is particularly relevant for addiction, where negative experiences, like stress or loss, seem to paradoxically increase reward-seeking behaviours and drive drug relapse.

In this project, we will design a behavioural paradigm to test how monetary punishments (losses) affect the way people learn to seek monetary rewards (wins). We will also examine whether this effect extends for primary punishments, like an aversive sound, and explore links to addictive behaviours and sensation-seeking traits. Healthy participants will perform a learning task with monetary rewards presented both in isolation and alongside punishments (monetary losses and aversive sounds). We predict that people learn better from rewards when punishments are present. Additionally, we will explore whether this effect is stronger in individuals with high sensation-seeking traits and addictive behaviours.

By investigating how punishments shape reward learning, this research will provide insights into the rapid interplay between these systems and inform future neuroimaging studies. Ultimately, this project will advance our understanding of reinforcement learning mechanisms and their relevance to maladaptive behaviours.

2. Effects of AI-Generated Images on Perceptions of Truthfulness for True and Fake Facts. 

Project Supervisor: Dr. Jamie Murray

Misinformation refers to the false or inaccurate information that is spread, regardless of intent to deceive. On social media, where a significant percentage of us get our news, misinformation can take the form of fake news, doctored images, or misleading statistics. Discriminating between what is real and what is true is a difficult task at the best of times but with the rise in AI generated images, that task could be getting even more challenging.

To date, the effects of AI generated images on perceptions of truthfulness (perceived truth in a statement) remain unclear. The purpose of this study is to understand how AI images, compared to real images, influence the likelihood of a given fact being rated as truthful. There is scope to develop this basic premise – for example, does labelling AI images as artificially generated reduce truthfulness, or can AI images increase truthfulness because they often closely represent what is being presented in the statement or fact?

This project is intended to form part of wider range of studies with the aim of advancing our understanding of how decision making and memory are affected by the way information is presented on social media platforms. 

Some papers connected to the project include:

• Henderson, E. L., Westwood, S. J., & Simons, D. J. (2022). A reproducible systematic map of research on the illusory truth effect. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 1-24.
• Nadarevic, L., Reber, R., Helmecke, A. J., & Köse, D. (2020). Perceived truth of statements and simulated social media postings: an experimental investigation of source credibility, repeated exposure, and presentation format. Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications, 5(1), 1-16.
• Smelter, T. J., & Calvillo, D. P. (2020). Pictures and repeated exposure increase perceived accuracy of news headlines. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 34(5), 1061-1071.

3. International Student Perceptions of Student Alcohol Consumption in Scotland.

Project Supervisor: Dr. Judith Jackson

Scotland is known for its heavy drinking culture, with alcohol-related deaths reaching a 15-year high in 2023 (National Records Scotland, 2024). Conversely, Scotland is home to four out of the fifty oldest and most respected universities in the world and has produced scientists, engineers and innovators who have changed modern life. This contrast leads to questions around what university life in Scotland will be like. For example, in the UK, there is an expectation that the only route to making friends at university is through alcohol (Gambles et al., 2021), and that the ‘student experience’ means partying and socialising. On the other hand, students enrol at prestigious Scottish universities with the expectation of a high-quality education, which seems at odds with the drinking culture.

What is currently unknown is the extent to which students visiting Scotland may, or may not, be influenced by this backdrop. It could be that growing up in Scotland shapes the relationship which domestic students have with alcohol-themed socialising and that, without life-long exposure to the culture, international students may be immune. Alternatively, perhaps the Scottish culture encourages visiting students to behave in a way which would otherwise be out of character. We do know that student attitudes and norms towards drinking between Scotland and the United States differ (Delk & Meilman, 2010), but this may have changed due to factors like minimum unit pricing impacting alcohol affordability for students.

This project is intended to gather perceptions of Scottish drinking culture from an international perspective and will focus on how visiting students’ behaviour may be changed or influenced by the experience of studying in Scotland.

• Alcohol-specific deaths remain high. National Records of Scotland (NRS). (2024, September 10). https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/latest-news/alcohol-specific-deaths-remain-high/
• Delk, E. & Meilman, P. (2010). Alcohol use among college students in Scotland compared with norms from the United States. Journal of American College Health, 44(6), 274-281. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.1996.9936855
• Gambles, N., Porcellato, L., Fleming, K., & Quigg, Z. (2021). “If you don’t drink at university, you’re going to struggle to make friends” Prospective students’ perceptions around alcohol use at universities in the United Kingdom. Substance Use & Misuse, 57(2), 249-255. https://doi.org/10.1080/10826084.2021.2002902

This course aims to provide an opportunity to undertake a research project and present the results both in the form of a research article and as an oral presentation.

By the end of this course you will be able to:

• Prepare a preliminary list of goals to be achieved during the project in collaboration with the project supervisor
• Demonstrate an understanding of the literature related to the research project
• Demonstrate research skills appropriate to the area of specialisation
• Deliver a short talk, giving the background to the project and summarising its key outcomes
• Write a cogent, clear and concise written report summarising your findings and/or the state of research in your chosen field.

Project supervision meetings, practical workshops, and weekly seminars as part of the wider Summer School research community. This course is full time for 6 weeks.

• GPA of 3.0 (or equivalent). 
• You should be currently enrolled at an international higher education institution.
• You should be a Psychology or Science major or minor and have completed level 1 statistics.
• Experience of working with statistics is essential and of using R Studio is desirable.

​Students should ideally have completed second year of their Undergraduate Degree. Students having completed their first year may be considered for entry, this will be at the course convenors discretion. 

These projects will utilise data analysis using R Studio programming. Previous experience of R Studio is desirable but not necessary and the practical classes component of the method will introduce students to data wrangling and analysis using this software.

If your first language is not English, you must meet our minimum proficiency level:

• International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic module (not General Training) overall score of 6.0, with no sub test less than 5.5  (if English is not an applicant’s first language) and a GPA of not less than 3.0
• We also accept equivalent scores in other recognised qualifications such as ibTOEFL, CAE, CPE and more.