The purpose of scientific research in Psychology is the study of behaviour and mental processes, with the aim of understanding how people perceive, feel, think and act. It seeks to understand and explain the cognitive, affective and social processes that underpin normal and pathological behaviour in order to predict it and contribute to the advancement of the health and well-being of individuals and, by extension, of communities.
In today's Western society, and in our immediate environment, the recognition achieved by psychology in recent decades is undeniable. Currently, this discipline is present in the field of health, to deal with disorders and problems of mental and physical health; in the educational and school area, to contribute to healthy cognitive and socio-affective development and learning processes; in the workplace, for the organisation of human resources and the preservation of occupational health; in the socio-community area, providing tools and resources for the inclusion, care and well-being of vulnerable people and groups. Sport, traffic, security, emergencies, justice, conflict mediation, the elderly... are all fields in which psychological intervention has been gaining ground over the years.
From the research system, it is necessary to provide the basic knowledge and applied developments that provide the conceptual bases and scientific evidence on which to base professional action in these areas, as well as to provide efficient assessment and intervention tools based on this evidence.
The scientific agenda of the IPsiUS aims to articulate the experience and research potential of the promoter groups, and of those others that join later, around three challenges that address the needs of this professional environment in a way that is aligned with the priorities defined in regional, state and European R&D&I policies:
- Promoting health and well-being is defined as a first challenge that consists of providing new and improved strategies for prevention and psychological intervention in health, particularly in the most acute problems in our social environment, including the deterioration associated with ageing, the challenges of chronic illness or addictions.
- Developing inclusive and diverse societies addresses the processes that affect the social adaptation of vulnerable groups, with the aim of providing them with empowering resources that facilitate inclusion, taking into account their psychological, social and functional diversity. This also deals with the processes of political participation in contemporary contexts of crisis, and the psychosocial study of phenomena that threaten coexistence.
- Contributing to the digital society and sustainability is another challenge, which can be addressed through the design, adaptation and validation of digital tools for psychological assessment and intervention within the framework of e-Health developments, the design of programmes that improve the cost-efficiency of psychological prevention and intervention, or the development of strategies to manage psychosocial risks in the workplace.
These challenges will be addressed from both basic and applied perspectives. Basic research into psychological processes, represented in the transversal area, must provide the conceptual and experimental foundation on which to base research into applied developments in each and every one of the challenges that coordinate the scientific agenda, which can, as the ultimate goal, be transferred for application in the professional practice of psychology and other disciplines oriented towards the well-being of people and the community.
The following proposal is therefore structured around these three challenges. A set of thematic areas is defined for each of them, which encompass the specific lines of research. It should be made clear that some of the lines have been conducted for years, are well consolidated and are expected to be strengthened by the framework for joint work that the institute will make possible; other lines, however, are new, and configure fields of future development for which this framework, and the synergies it facilitates, will be essential.
The agenda also includes a transversal area, which deals with the cognitive and affective processes that are at the basis of human behaviour, and which serve as a foundation for the development of the more applied facets of psychology.
The following is a list of the main areas in which these challenges are structured and the lines of research in which they are deployed in this first stage of the Institute. This information can be found in more detail in the Institute's Memorandum of Creation.
The first challenge of the IPSIUS scientific agenda, "Promoting health and well-being", focuses on providing new and improved strategies, from psychology, for tackling major problems in our societies. Specifically, this challenge is brought together in three areas: ageing, chronic disease and addictive behaviours and, more generally, those behaviours that put health and well-being at risk.
Area 1.1: Healthy ageing
Lines of research
- Cognitive, neurocognitive and behavioural characterisation of the ageing process
- Early identification of bio-psycho-social markers and risk factors in pathological ageing
- Development of assessment tools and innovative intervention programmes for the elderly
Area 1.2: Intervention in disease processes
Lines of research
- Quality of life and psychological intervention in physical illness
- Neuromodulatory intervention in disease processes
Area 1.3: Risk behaviours and addictions
Lines of research
- Aetiological mechanisms of risk behaviours
- Neurocognitive, psychosocial and psychopathological consequences of addictive behaviours
- Prevention of risk behaviour and addictions
- Psychological treatment of addictions
The second challenge of the IPsiUS strategic agenda, “Developing inclusive and diverse societies,” addresses the processes that affect the social adaptation of vulnerable groups, in order to provide them with empowering resources that facilitate inclusion by addressing their psychological, social and functional diversity. This also deals with the processes of political participation in contemporary contexts of crisis, and the psychosocial study of phenomena that threaten coexistence.
Area 2.1: Psychosocial vulnerability and resilience
Lines of research
- Frailty, reserve and resilience in the elderly
- Exclusion/inclusion and social adaptation in vulnerable children
Area 2.2: Equity and diversity
Lines of research
- Gender perspective in language and development research
- Psychosocial adjustment in critical life periods: emerging adulthood and ageing
Area 2.3: Changing society
Lines of research
- Citizen participation in crisis contexts
- Psychosocial processes predicting political extremism
Digital health is an emerging field that uses Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to address health-related needs. E-Health resources and techniques are called upon to facilitate psychological assessment and intervention processes. But it is necessary to establish their usefulness and effectiveness for these purposes, in the different fields of psychology and for different population profiles; to develop protocols that take into account ethical, legal and therapist/patient relationship considerations; to assess their cost-efficiency (taking into account costs and extra-financial social value, such as environmental, social and economic value for society as a whole). And, at the same time, to bring the psychological perspective closer to the problem of the divides that affect equality and social participation, particularly in relation to technology and communication.
Area 3.1: Digital tools (e-Health) for psychological assessment and intervention
Lines of research
- Digitised assessment
- Psychological intervention with digital tools
Area 3.2. Cost-effectiveness of prevention and psychological intervention
Lines of research
- Efficient dissemination of children's and young people's programmes
- Efficiency, effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of organisational interventions for the prevention of psychosocial risks and the promotion of health at work
- Assessing preventive programmes: cost-efficiency and social value
Area 3.3: Digital and linguistic divides
Lines of research
- Psycholinguistic studies in Galicia
- Digital divides in ageing: innovation in specialised training for elderly care
Cross-cutting area: Cognitive and affective processes
Psychological processes are the cognitive and affective activities that take place in the human mind, which allow us to process, organise, store and use the information we receive from the environment. The study of psychological processes (perception, attention, learning, memory, language production and comprehension, thought, complemented by motivation and emotions) is fundamental to understanding the workings of the human mind and behaviour.
Basic research in psychology focuses on obtaining scientific knowledge about how these processes work. Knowing how they work is essential for any practical application of psychology, which is why this area is transversal to the agenda as a whole.
Lines of research
- Learning processes and cognitive control
- Language processing
- Neurocognitive characterisation of psychological processes
Os procesos psicolóxicos son as actividades cognitivas e afectivas que teñen lugar na mente humana, que nos permiten procesar, organizar, almacenar e utilizar a información que recibimos do contorno. O estudo dos procesos psicolóxicos (percepción, atención, aprendizaxe, memoria, produción e comprensión da linguaxe, pensamento, complementados todos eles pola motivación e as emocións) é fundamental para comprender o funcionamento da mente e o comportamento humanos.
A investigación básica en psicoloxía céntrase na obtención de coñecementos científicos sobre o funcionamento destes procesos. Coñecer como funcionan é imprescindible para calquera aplicación práctica da psicoloxía, polo que este eixo sitúase como transversal ao conxunto da axenda.
Liñas de investigación
- Procesos de aprendizaxe e control cognitivo
- Procesamento da linguaxe
- Caracterización neurocognitiva de procesos psicolóxicos