National Psychology Competition

The competition was based around answering “How can Psychology help us to create a better future?” and pupils were tasked with answering this question in an original way, using psychological research and theory. Each team had to create a two-minute video and a poster and present their work to a panel of lecturers from Royal Holloway.

Pupils worked collaboratively in teams of up to five, focusing on the following three topics:

• How psychology can help us create a future with less prejudice towards minority groups in society.
• How psychology can help us create a future with less crime.
• How psychology can help us create a future with less stigma surrounding mental illness.

The competition has seen pupils undertake psychological and theoretical research. Throughout the competition pupils have developed their knowledge beyond the criteria of their A level Psychology studies. As a result, they have enhanced their understanding of the subject.

Since they began working on their competition entries in January, pupils had to initially complete a lot of their work collaboratively over Microsoft Teams during the national lockdown, including creating their submission video. Pupils were also invited to attend a lecture on working memory, hosted as a taster session by a senior lecturer at Royal Holloway.

Watch the videos by each team, here:

The culmination of their efforts saw them present their work virtually to Royal Holloway’s lecturers on Wednesday 21 April. Pupils proudly presented their posters and answered questions about their research. Pupils were commended on their impressive work.

All three teams from St John’s placed in the top 10, and we are very proud of their efforts and achievements. Several of our pupils are intending to study Psychology at university and the competition has provided them with knowledge and experiences which will make their personal statements stand out from the crowd.