Elite quizzers are renowned for their extraordinary memories – but how do they acquire and retain such vast swathes of general knowledge? Philip Fine and Kathryn Friedlander explore their latest findings on quizzing expertise.
Continue readingKathryn Friedlander highlights the recent launch of a Journal of Expertise Special Issue centred on her 2024 book, The Psychology of Creative Performance and Expertise (Taylor & Francis).
Continue readingKathryn Friedlander introduces us to her new book, which addresses a gap in the field of expertise studies, offering insights that range across diverse creative domains, from the arts to STEM fields, to puzzles and board games.
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Model making is enjoyed by people of all ages and from all over the world. It has a little something for everyone, ranging from well-known hobbies such as Lego to less popular but equally just as exciting hobbies such as ice sculpting and balloon modelling. But why do people make models, and how do they choose which hobby?
Our MSc student Kieron Kow is investigating this area, asking:
If you are interested in this research, whether you make models or not, please do complete our survey: https://bit.ly/4cJxnj2. Anyone aged 18 or over can take part, it should take you between 15 to 20 minutes, and is completely anonymous. Help us further our understanding of model making as a hobby by taking part. Thank you!
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Our blog may not have been that active recently, but we’ve been very busy behind the scenes preparing our latest series of free public online lectures, and finally they are here!
Three University of Buckingham experts in our Creativity and Performance Expertise research area will be speaking about some exciting new research areas and the overlaps between creativity, expertise and the real world. They will be taking place fortnightly on Wednesday evenings (UK time – 19.00 BST), starting this week!
On Wednesday 26th July, Dr Gillian Hill will be talking about the rise of AI and its links to creativity in her talk Creativity and AI – Are Robots Smart? You can book your place here.
We are hearing a lot about AI in the news and online at the moment, particularly from experts thinking about this from a technical perspective. But psychology has a lot of offer in this debate too, and Gillian will discuss how psychological theories of creativity can inform the picture.
For our second lecture in the series, Dr Kathryn Friedlander will be talking about what makes film such a mesmerising art. This takes place on Wednesday 9th August and you can book your place here.
In her talk, Kathryn turns the spotlight on the film-industry, zooming in on the features which elevate it to a creative art-form, such as cinematography, mental storyboarding, and conceptual expansion. She’ll also take a look at why some films win Oscars, while others win a Golden Raspberry; and she will explore the personalities of those who develop and communicate the creative story.
Finally, Dr. Philip Fine asks how successful quizzers know so much. This is on Wednesday 23rd August and you can book your place here.
Quizzes are everywhere: on television, in the pub, online, at home on a Sunday afternoon around the Trivial Pursuit board. Expert quizzers all over the country can win large and luxurious prizes, and even TV fame (think The Chasers). But how do these successful super-quizzers develop their remarkable knowledge and have all those facts at their fingertips? Philip will discuss and explore possible answers to this question.
We very much hope you will join us for this exciting online lecture series Robots, Quiz, Action! The Psychology of Creativity and Expertise. We look forward to hearing your comments and questions at the webinars.
Sign up links are above and please do spread the word…as creatively as you can!
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You can’t have failed to notice the recent meteoric rise of Wordle. From November 2021, when its creator Josh Wardle first shared it on Twitter and it had 90 players, to 2 million players in the second week of January 2022, it has certainly caught the public consciousness. But why is that? And what makes a good Wordle player? Philip Fine investigates.
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Do you sew garments at home for yourself or others? We’re currently running a survey looking at the reasons people sew garments, together with some other aspects of personality which may be relevant. This is a really interesting leisure activity, but it’s heavily under-researched, so the findings are going to be fascinating.
The survey should only take about 20 minutes to complete, and it’s totally anonymous. Please do consider taking part, by clicking the link here to find out more!
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It’s a common experience – you have a blank grid in front of you, 1A isn’t helping, and there’s no obvious way to get going. Maybe you, too, scan the list of clues hoping for an anagram clue or two? In the third part of our ‘explainer’ series, Kathryn Friedlander takes a look at the psychology behind this popular clue form.
Continue readingNearly all of us enjoy a good joke now and again, but those who do cryptic crosswords seem particularly attracted to verbal humour. In the first of a series unpacking the psychology behind cryptic crossword solving, Kathryn Friedlander explores the many links between puns, verbal ambiguity, misdirection and the solving of cryptic crossword clues.
Continue readingWhen it comes to thinking about cryptic crossword solvers, what kind of image springs to mind? Maybe Chief Inspector Morse, a vicar, or a bowler-hatted Civil Servant? But would you be right…? Kathryn Friedlander shares new research lifting the lid on the mind of the cryptic solver – and finds that they are an academically able group, tending towards science, with fantastically flexible problem-solving abilities.
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