Research Topics

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" rowspan="2" width=18.75% BGCOLOR="#99CC99" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="1328dfc3.jpg"> <div> <B><IMG SRC="1768b780.jpg" border=0 width="139" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Prospectory"><U><B>Home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Prospectors"><U><B>The Prospectors</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Research Topics"><U><B>Research Topics</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id59.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Methods"><U><B>Research Methods</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id5.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Articles"><U><B>Articles</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id6.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact "><U><B>Contact </B></U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=40 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="1338dfe1esnpes.jpg"> <div> The Prospectory</div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" height=440 colspan=2 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="1338dfc3.jpg"> <div> <I>Research Topics</I></div> <div> The Prospectors enjoy an eclectic set of research interests. We particularly like research topics which involve a mix of consumer psychology and technology. Our current interests include:-</div> <bR> <div> <B>Green Psychology</B></div> <div> We are researching how people think and feel about their household energy consumption and their food waste and what might motivate them to change behaviour.  </div> <div> We are interested in simple, affordable technology which enables people to reduce their everyday energy consumption and manage their food waste in easy and enjoyable ways. </div> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >In October 2007, we ran an online experiment exploring people's reactions to food and food waste at various points in its life cycle. The experiment, if you'd like to try it, is </FONT><A HREF="id69.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Food Image Survey"><U>here</U></A>.<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > And the results are reported in  <a href="HTMLobj-678/FoodWasteReactions.pdf"><u>Reactions to Food Waste</u> </a>  </FONT></div> <div> In April 2008, we ran a trial of Efergy smart meters in 10 households in <A HREF="http://www.talybontenergy.co.uk/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.talybontenergy.co.uk/"><U>Talybont-on-Usk</U></A>. We compared electricity consumption with pre-trial levels and with 10 control households. The primary aim of the trial was to explore the psychology of electricity use in the home and how smart meters affect people's understanding, attitudes and behaviour.  The results are reported in   <a href="HTMLobj-699/TalybontTrial.pdf"><u>The Talybont Trial</u> </a>  and were featured on the recent Radio 4 programme "<A HREF="http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/costingtheearth.shtml" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/cost"><U>Costing the Earth</U></A>".</div> <bR> <div> <B>Rugby</B></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >Live rugby is a fascinating consumer product - what do people value most and least about the experience? How could it appeal to a wider market? The Prospectory has worked with academic and commercial partners to understand rugby as a consumer product and to analyse the make up and psychology of crowds.  To learn more about what we've done and what we've found out, take a look at our </FONT><A HREF="id44.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Rugby"><U>rugby page</U></A>.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Art reproduction and digital technology.</B></div> <div> Digital technology (e.g. the Internet, new printing technology and screen displays) is changing the production, reproduction, publication, consumption and economics of popular art. The last 5 years we have been working with a major UK art publisher to explore some of the possibilities opened up by these developments and the new consumer values they make possible.</div> <div> We have studied how and why people buy the art they do and have designed and run online psychology experiments studying the perception of art images and the effect of the number of product choices on buying behaviour.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Green boating</B></div> <div> In partnership with Swallow Boats Ltd of Cardigan, we have developed a novel product concept, 'Winsome' - a 17 foot, elegant, pedal-powered river launch which two people can pedal silently and effortlessly along any canal, lake or river. After 3 years of R&D and extensive customer testing, Winsome was launched as a product in September 2006. You can read more about Winsome <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#CC3300" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="http://www.swallowboats.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.swallowboats.com"><U>here </U></A></FONT>or take a look at her <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0033" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="http://www.winsomeboat.blogspot.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.winsomeboat.blogspot.com/"><U>blog</U></A></FONT> here.  She has been reviewed by a number of boating and canal magazines. </div> <div> We've also been asked to look into boat buying <A HREF="id74.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Boat Buyer Survey"><U>behaviour</U></A> and <A HREF="id75.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Beale Exhibitor Survey"><U>boat shows</U></A> and the <A HREF="id76.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="WBTA Survey"><U>boat-building business</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <B>Communication and cognition in dementia</B></div> <div> Alison's late parents both suffered from dementia - vascular and fronto-temporal. Whilst caring for and communicating with them, we became interested in what dementia can reveal about the 'normal' psychology of communication, interpretation of events, and our sense of identity. We've written about some of these interests on our <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#CC3300" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="http://prospectory.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2006-01-01T00%3A00%3A00Z&updated-max=2007-01-01T00%3A00%3A00Z&max-results=25" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://prospectory.blogspot.com/search?u"><U>blog</U></A></FONT><A HREF="http://prospectory.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2006-01-01T00%3A00%3A00Z&updated-max=2007-01-01T00%3A00%3A00Z&max-results=25" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://prospectory.blogspot.com/search?u"><U>  </U></A>and Alison and her brother gave an invited talk at a 2007 National Palliative Care Conference and they also contributed to the recently published, <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#990000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Living-Dying-Dementia-Dialogues-Palliative/dp/0198566875/ref=sr_1_1/202-8950984-8166226?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1193413344&sr=8-1 " TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Living-Dying-Dem"><U>Living and Dying with Dementia: Dialogues about Palliative Care Dementia</U></A></FONT> by N. Small, K. Froggatt and M. Downs , OUP, 2007. We are now exploring the possible role of digital photography in aiding recall and sharing of the day's events.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>