Over the past 10 years, we have hosted a number of visiting HAC lab student members - some have visited as part of formalised programmes or exchanges while others have arranged their own visit schedules.  In all cases, students have contributed to the activities of the lab in different ways from preparing experimental stimuli to running experimental work 

We welcome applications from interns who are interested in cognitive psychology and its application. Our lab members are involved in projects across a wide range of research topics, including eyewitness identification, interviewing and information elicitation, deception detection and alibis. Take a look at the work of HAC members where you will find details of some of the research underway.

Interested applicants should initially contact Professor Lorraine Hope (Lorraine.hope@port.ac.uk) including a CV and cover letter outlining your research interests and why you would like to join the lab.

 At this time, we can offer intern positions on a voluntary basis only as no funded positions are currently available.

Max Kinninger - Erasmus Mundus UG Programme

Email: max.kinninger@gmail.com

I joined the HAC lab in March 2015 as an Erasmus exchange student at the University of Portsmouth (UK), completing my third year’s project under the supervision of Prof Lorraine Hope. During this period, I have become quite interested in interviewing, memory research, and basic cognitive mechanisms thereof. In July 2016, I obtained my BSc (Psychology) from my alma mater, the University of Wuerzburg (Germany). Afterwards, I enrolled at the University of Freiburg (Germany) to study law. Presently, I continue to do research under the supervision of Prof Hope, my main areas of interest being interviewing with the timeline technique, exploring the underlying principles of temporal cognition, and, together with colleagues from the University of Wuerzburg, current trends in psychoanalysis. Past and present scholarships include the Max Weber Programme (Bavarian State Ministry of Education and Research), the German National Academic Foundation, and the Erasmus UG Programme (EU).

Jeanira Molina- Visiting MSc Student

Email: j.molina@student.maastrichtuniversity.nl

In 2016, I obtained my Bachelor in Psychology at VU University Amsterdam. During my Bachelor, I decided to study abroad at the University of Georgia (USA). My curriculum at UGA consisted of a variety of courses such as: “Drug and Alcohol Abuse”, “Social Control of Crime”, and “Abnormal Psychology”. In 2017, I was accepted into the master programme ‘Forensic Psychology’ at Maastricht University.

I joined the HAC lab in 2017 as a Masters student doing my research internship at the University of Portsmouth. Supervised by Prof. Lorraine Hope and co-supervised by final year PhD student, Aleksandras Izotovas, I am conducting research on fantasy proneness and verbal lie detection tools. In specific, I am investigating whether verbal lie detection tools can accurately detect deception in highly fantasy prone individuals. Other areas within Forensic Psychology I am interested in are: eyewitnesses, young, and female offenders.

Koen Baltussen- Visiting MSc Student

Email: k.baltussen@student.maastrichtuniversity.nl

In 2016, I received my BA (Hons) in Liberal Arts and Sciences at University College Roosevelt in Middelburg, the Netherlands. I majored in Psychology and in Law, and I did a minor in Statistics. During my time in Middelburg, I have been involved in many different fields of research. My most memorable project included researching coping skills of high-risk psychiatric ward nurses. For my Bachelor's thesis, I developed an assessment tool for cognitive decline in elderly people, in the form of an interactive board game.

In 2016, I started a Master's degree in Forensic Psychology at the University of Maastricht. My main interests in the field of forensic psychology are interpersonal violence on wards, as well as violence risk assessment and management. I am also interested in psychodiagnostics, and (diagnostic) interviewing techniques. I am currently involved with HAC as a visiting research intern, as a part of the Master's degree. At HAC, I conduct research into the dimensional composition of investigative interviewers' attitudes, and the relationship between interviewer attitude and interviewer behaviour. For this study, I am supervised by Prof. Lorraine Hope at the University of Portsmouth, and Prof. Marko Jelicic at the University of Maastricht.

Maren Lennartz - Visiting MSc Student

Email: m.lennartz@student.maastrichtuniversity.nl

In 2016, I graduated from Maastricht University (The Netherlands) with a BSc in Psychology and started the Master’s program in Forensic Psychology in Maastricht the same year. I am now in my second year of the Masters and as part of the program, I am a visiting research intern at the University of Portsmouth from September to February. My supervisors are Prof Lorraine Hope in Portsmouth and Dr Melanie Sauerland in Maastricht. I collaborate with Renan Benigno (PhD candidate) on a study on the influence of individual differences (i.e. metamemory realism and need for cognition) on susceptibility to co-witness’ misinformation. Before the current internship, I was an intern in the secured ward of a psychiatric hospital and a prison with focus on cognitive behavioural and schema therapy.

Shannan Greaney - Forensic MSc

Email: shannan.greaney@myport.ac.uk

I obtained my Bachelor of Science in Forensic Psychology in 2014 at the University of Portsmouth, UK. During that time I conducted research under the supervision of Dr James Sauer (University of Tasmania, Australia) investigating the role of divided attention on eyewitness memory and confidence. Since then I have been volunteering as a Special Constable in Hertfordshire, UK, and I returned to the University of Portsmouth, UK in 2015 to start my Masters in Forensic Psychology. I am highly interested in a variety of areas within Forensic Psychology, but my main research focus is within eyewitness memory. My current research is investigating the effect of divided attention on the memory of operational witnesses such as Police Officers. I am conducting this research under the supervision of Professor Lorraine Hope (University of Portsmouth, UK) and Dr James Sauer (University of Tasmania, Australia) as an external supervisor.

Following my graduation from my MSc, in 2016 I began working at the Office for National Statistics within the Centre for Crime and Justice. I have continued working in the centre as a Senior Research Officer working closely with the Home Office and other government departments to report on the current trends in crime statistics. My publications have included contributing to the Hate Crime Home Office release, a Focus on Violence paper and implementation of a new methodology for handling repeat victimisation.

Rosa Pedrero Núñez - Visiting MSc, The Netherlands

In July 2014 I graduated in Psychology from the University of Seville, Spain. During my fourth year of my Bachelors, I studied at the Catholic University of Leuven (Belgium) for 10 months as an Erasmus exchange student. Currently, I am taking part in a 2-year Masters programme in Forensic Psychology at Maastricht University, The Netherlands. As part of my second year of the programme, I am a visiting research intern for six months at the University of Portsmouth under the supervision of Prof. Lorraine Hope. I collaborate with Andrew Clark on a project that evaluates whether people can be induced to stop believing in memories for true experiences and its consequences on memory report.

Luciano Haussen Pinto - Visiting PhD Student, PUCRS Brazil

I am a Psychologist and graduated from Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS).  I also hold a Maste

of Human Cognition  from PUCRS and a Specialization in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy from WP in Brazil.

Currently, I am doing my PhD investigating the subject Eyewitness Testimony in PUCRS as well under the

supervision of Prof. Lilian Stein.

I was a visiting student in the University of Porstmouth for six months under the supervision of Prof. Lorraine Hope. In Brazil I am Professor in the Faculty of Development of Rio Grande do Sul – FADERGS (belonging to the Laureate International Universities). I have some experience as a Psychotherapist (private practice). Before Psychology, I obtained a degree in Advertising. I have interest in the fields of Cognitive Processes (mainly Memory and False Memories), Forensic Psychology, Cognitive Therapies, Psychopathologies and Neurosciences.

Maria Andrea Ramirez Tobon - Visiting Intern

I am a final year Psychology student from Eafit University in Medellin, Colombia.  I am enrolled on an internship in the Hope Applied Cognition Lab at the University of Portsmouth (February-July 2015) working as a research assistant, and supervised by Professor Lorraine Hope. Currently I am working with Andrew Clark on a project examining the consequences of nonbelieved memories, examining if nonbelieved memories result in memory omissions. I am also working with Joanne Rechdan examining the effect of social influence on metacognitive monitoring and control processes in eyewitness memory reports.