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Fixed term appointment for 12 months, full time
The Department of Psychology is seeking a full-time research assistant to work on the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funded project aimed at understanding when and why people engage with SMS text messaging scams. The project is led by Dr. Chris Street, University of Huddersfield. Applications are welcomed from interested and enthusiastic individuals who meet our criteria.
The post holder should hold (or soon to be awarded) an Honour's degree (2:1 or above) in Psychology or a related discipline, will demonstrate experience with collecting experimental quantitative data in laboratory environments, and have an active interest in communicating research both in formal conference environments and less formal public engagement settings. The post holder will work closely with the project lead to collect and analyse data. The post holder will receive training, support, and mentoring as appropriate to the role, and will have the opportunity to attend local and international conferences.
Project Title
A Computational Model of Deception Detection in SMS Scams
Project Description
The percentage of text messages which are scams is increasing rapidly (Almeida et al., 2013; Kang et al., 2014). Yet more than one third of respondents in a recent study reported they would never or almost never consider the possibility that a text message may be fraudulent (Yeboah-Boateng & Amanor, 2014). This research project aims to understand when and why people engage with SMS scams and how a healthy skepticism can be promoted.
In the first phase of the project, a computational model of the Adaptive Lie Detector theory will be implemented (Street, 2015). The model will generate predictions about when and why people engage with text messaging scams. In the second phase, the predictions of the model will be empirically tested against human data. It is this second 'testing' phase that the post holder will be directly involved with. The results of these tests will be used in a third phase to develop a phone application to reduce the tendency to engage with text messaging scams.
Lab and Research Centre
Dr. Street is the Director of the Social Conflict Lab (www.conflictlab.org). The lab aims to develop robust psychological theory that addresses areas of conflict between individuals. The postholder will become a member of the lab, which is based at The Centre for Applied Psychological Research (CAPR), Department of Psychology.
CAPR (https://research.hud.ac.uk/institutes-centres/capr/) provides a vibrant and supportive environment for the development of interdisciplinary relationships and activities. Research in the Centre is particularly aimed at applying the theories and methods of psychology to solve real-world problems and inform professional practice and policy.
If you are currently registered as a full-time student at the University please note that you may only apply for part-time jobs of 15 hours or less per week.
For more information, please download the recruitment pack.