Psychology 101: For Parents – an interview with Alison Pike

University of Sussex psychologist Dr Alison Pike, science expert on Channel 4’s The Secret Life of 4-Year-Olds, shares her insights in ‘Psychology 101: for Parents’, on 5 September at the University of Brighton as part of the British Science Festival.

‘What could be more important than understanding how families can be at their best?’

What first sparked your interest in science?

My first love was Chemistry – the periodic table is a thing of beauty! I loved the certainty and logic of this branch of science, but eventually turned to psychology because human nature is endlessly fascinating.

What’s it like to have a ‘eureka’ moment?

I don’t know about ‘eureka,’ but I love looking back at old books where I read ideas for the first time – my excited notes in the margins charm me. I love this about teaching – witnessing students understand a tricky concept for the first time. In my field, this happens most often when considering how nature and nurture work to influence children’s development. There are some counter-intuitive concepts, like the fact that more equal environments leads to children’s genetic propensities being more important for outcome, or that genetically influenced traits can often be modified by environmental intervention.

What will the audience learn at your event?

My research focusses on children’s development within their families. At my event I present 10 psychological findings that parents can use to influence (manipulate!) their children’s behaviour. These 10 insights are a set of keys for unlocking happier families.

What’s important about your area of research?

Relationships are the most important ingredient to human happiness. Some of the most emotionally intense, longest-lasting, and influential relationships are within families. What could be more important than understanding how families can be at their best?

Which scientific discovery or invention has made the greatest difference to your life?

My partner is a woman, and I am relatively infertile. I would not have my own family without IVF technology. I am grateful every day for this miracle of modern medicine.

Which scientific mystery would you most like solved?

Much of psychology is deterministic – what is the role of free will?

Which scientists (alive, dead or fictional) would you invite to a summer picnic?

I would relish the opportunity to argue with Freud about penis envy (Seriously? I think not).

Professor Alison Pike is appearing at the British Science Festival in Psychology 101: For Parents and Making Storytime Memorable.

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