Do we really have a little ‘me’ inside our heads?

On the 22nd November, a small group of Psychology students and teachers from Ashbourne College had the exciting opportunity to hear Professor Bruce Hood’s perspective on this question at the annual Cife lecture. Professor Hood, a prominent cognitive psychologist, and lecturer at the University of Bristol used a variety of modern and classic psychological studies to present his compelling argument that there is no ‘you’ inside your head.
This lecture on the ‘self-illusion’ was not only thought to provoke but was also highly accessible for the students, touching on much of the research discussed in the A-level Psychology course. One example of this was Professor Hood’s explanation of the ‘social brain hypothesis’, which emphasised the importance of larger brains to develop and manage our unusually complex social systems. Hood’s description of Harlow’s monkey study and Rutter’s Romanian Orphan study illustrated the devastating effects of social privation on humans and other social animals.
As an added bonus, the venue of the lecture was at the Telegraph Media Group building and before leaving we were able to take a quick photo in front of the iconic newsroom.